Sunni Man
Diamond Member
Visitors to Bahrain are always surprised to learn that Jews and Arabs live, and work, together here; but Bahrainis consider it odd that people think their situation is unusual.
"I know nowhere but Bahrain. I was born here, and my friends are here. I spend my nights with them, I spend my days with them, and I do my business with them. Religion is not an issue. When my friends come to my house, at prayer time they go to a room in my house and pray. They don't say, "This is a Jewish house, I will not pray in it." This is just an example. People see it as a big deal, but for us, it's not a big deal," says Rouben D. Rouben, 46, sole distributor of Sharp Electronics in the country.
The Jewish community began to settle in Bahrain in the early 1900s, most of them came from Iraq, Iran and India -- traders who found Bahrain the ideal place to live. "My family moved to Bahrain in 1914. Nothing happened to make us leave Iraq. My grandfather was a trader and when he came here, he just decided he wanted to live here," says Rouben.
Before the creation of Israel in 1948, 600 Jews lived in Bahrain. But after each Middle East war, some Bahraini Jews would leave the country, most went to the U.S. or England. Today only 30 Jews live in Bahrain, but the Jewish community is on the rise. "My brother has five children, and many of the others that live here all have a couple of children, so we are getting bigger, not smaller," says Rouben, a confirmed bachelor.
Like their Arab counterparts, the Bahraini Jews feel a lot of problems are due to inaccuracies reported in the media.
"People think it's strange that there are Jews in Bahrain. For me, I am proud that I am in Bahrain. I don't mind it, but everybody seems shocked that there are Jews in Bahrain. But once they know the local community, the Bahrainis, then they form a different idea. It's because of propaganda and the media, they exaggerate things.
"I'd tell Americans to please come here; it's a wonderful society," Meir continues. "It's a hundred times nicer than New York; and there are no crimes here. You can walk down the street with billions of dollars in you pocket without anybody questioning you or bothering you. We consider ourselves very fortunate to live in Bahrain."
"Nobody looks at religion here," says Meir. "There are Bahraini Christians here, and there are 13 churches in Bahrain. There is even a Hindu temple here. It's an open society."
"When I die, I hope to be buried here," says Meir. "Our Jewish cemetery is very well kept, and it's been here for over one hundred years. It is right next to the Christian cemetery, and the Shi'as cemetery is across the street from us. We live together and we rest in peace together, just the way it should be."
Jews of Bahrain
"I know nowhere but Bahrain. I was born here, and my friends are here. I spend my nights with them, I spend my days with them, and I do my business with them. Religion is not an issue. When my friends come to my house, at prayer time they go to a room in my house and pray. They don't say, "This is a Jewish house, I will not pray in it." This is just an example. People see it as a big deal, but for us, it's not a big deal," says Rouben D. Rouben, 46, sole distributor of Sharp Electronics in the country.
The Jewish community began to settle in Bahrain in the early 1900s, most of them came from Iraq, Iran and India -- traders who found Bahrain the ideal place to live. "My family moved to Bahrain in 1914. Nothing happened to make us leave Iraq. My grandfather was a trader and when he came here, he just decided he wanted to live here," says Rouben.
Before the creation of Israel in 1948, 600 Jews lived in Bahrain. But after each Middle East war, some Bahraini Jews would leave the country, most went to the U.S. or England. Today only 30 Jews live in Bahrain, but the Jewish community is on the rise. "My brother has five children, and many of the others that live here all have a couple of children, so we are getting bigger, not smaller," says Rouben, a confirmed bachelor.
Like their Arab counterparts, the Bahraini Jews feel a lot of problems are due to inaccuracies reported in the media.
"People think it's strange that there are Jews in Bahrain. For me, I am proud that I am in Bahrain. I don't mind it, but everybody seems shocked that there are Jews in Bahrain. But once they know the local community, the Bahrainis, then they form a different idea. It's because of propaganda and the media, they exaggerate things.
"I'd tell Americans to please come here; it's a wonderful society," Meir continues. "It's a hundred times nicer than New York; and there are no crimes here. You can walk down the street with billions of dollars in you pocket without anybody questioning you or bothering you. We consider ourselves very fortunate to live in Bahrain."
"Nobody looks at religion here," says Meir. "There are Bahraini Christians here, and there are 13 churches in Bahrain. There is even a Hindu temple here. It's an open society."
"When I die, I hope to be buried here," says Meir. "Our Jewish cemetery is very well kept, and it's been here for over one hundred years. It is right next to the Christian cemetery, and the Shi'as cemetery is across the street from us. We live together and we rest in peace together, just the way it should be."
Jews of Bahrain