I am a strong believer in the power of faith and community to shine a light that drives back the world’s darkness. I want to highlight and organization that does just that, The Association of Gulf Jewish Communities (AGJC).
The Association of Gulf Jewish Communities is an organization formed to support the Jewish communities of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The GCC is a regional political and economic union between the countries of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. While each country has its own individual Jewish community, the AGHC oversees resources and programs that benefit all of them. The AGHC helps to tend to both the physical and spiritual needs of Jews in the gulf.
The AGJC offers a variety of services and resources to Jews living in and visiting countries in the GCC.
They provide an up-to-date dashboard that lists the Shabbat times for major cities throughout the GCC.
The AGHC holds a weekly Pre-Shabbat virtual gathering online. These meetings include prayers, songs, and engaging speakers. They maintain an archive of these gatherings that you can view here.
The AGJC maintains a calendar of Jewish holidays as well as offering descriptions for each one here. The organization helps with obtaining objects of religious significance like yartzheit candles, tefillin, and Hanukkah sets to those that live in or are traveling to the Gulf.
For further information, please follow on X at @gulfjewish and visit the website: www.gulfjewish.org.
You can read more about the efforts of GCC countries to embrace the Jewish community and fight for the light of peace here, here, here, and here.
