trip. We came back with some 
remarkable takeaways.

JARED: EASING THE 
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN 
UAW AND ISRAEL
The relationship between UAE 
and Israel, prior to 2020, was 
the same as almost every other 
country in the region. The 
UAE did not recognize the 
state of Israel. When the UAE 
first gained independence 
in 1971, their first president, 
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al 
Nahyan, referred to Israel as 
“the enemy.” No Israeli citizens 
or aircraft were allowed in the 
country. The UAE government 
forbade any of their own citi-
zens or aircraft to enter Israel. 
The tension between the two 
states was palpable. 
But that all changed when 
the UAE became the first 

state in the Persian Gulf, and 
the third in the Arab world, 
to normalize ties with Israel 
through the groundbreaking 
Israel-United Arab Emirates 
Normalization Agreement, 
most commonly referred to 
as the Abraham Accords. On 
Aug. 13, 2020, the Abraham 
Accords forever changed the 
landscape of the Middle East 
while birthing a new relation-
ship between Israel and the 
UAE.
I was able to reap the ben-
efits of this agreement by 
being a part of a Chabad on 
Campus trip of 149 Jewish 
college kids from across the 
United States to see firsthand 
the blossoming of Jewish life 
in a Muslim state. 
As the first large Jewish stu-
dent group to visit the UAE, 
the word traveled quickly. 

OUR COMMUNITY
ON THE COVER
Chabad on Campus

Alex and Jason are proud to be 
part of the Chabad on Campus 
family. The organization has the 
singular goal to reach and sup-
port every Jewish student on 
campus. Chabad on Campus has 
been effective at instilling college 
students with traditional values, 
pride and education since 1969. 
On average, the network engag-
es approximately 150,000 Jewish 
students annually on 818 cam-
puses worldwide. The ultimate 
goal is to create strong, confident 
individuals who will become lead-
ers and contributors in their work-
place and to society at large.

continued from page 13

continued on page 16

Havdalah on a night cruise overlooking the skyline

Evening in the desert.

Students at the Dubai 
Miracle Garden.