Meet Houda Ezra Ebrahim Nonoo, Bahrain's Jewish U.S. ambassador
One of Bahrain’s 36 Jews, Nonoo says she has never been discriminated against in her country, where woman are allowed to vote, choose to wear a headscarf and even drive.
By Natasha Mozgovaya Tags: Israel news Bahrain Jewish WorldThe appointment of Houda Ezra Ebrahim Nonoo (46), the first female Ambassador from Bahrain and the first Jewish Ambassador of an Arab country in Washington, was praised by U.S. diplomats when it was revealed recently in one of the Wikileaks cables.
It’s not rare to hear in diplomatic circles in Washington about the “smart move” the Bahrainis made, sending to the U.S. a Western-educated woman who represents a tiny minority of the kingdom's population.
One of Bahrain’s 36 Jews, Nonoo told Moment Magazine, a national journal dedicated to Jewish politics, religion and culture founded in 1975 by Elie Wiesel, that she never experienced religious prejudice in her home country. “I had a normal Jewish upbringing. I was born into Judaism. It’s no different from growing up like a Jew in America. It’s my religion.”
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Bahrain's U.S. Ambassador Houda Ezra Ebrahim Nonoo |
| Photo by: AP |
She was credited with organizing the meeting between King Hamad and Bahraini Jewish immigrants in the U.S. and arranged a dinner at the home of Rabbi Levi Shemtov, director of the Washington office of American Friends of Lubavitch, with the Bahraini foreign minister and representatives of U.S. Jewish organizations.
She made a point, however, to say that her identity had nothing to do with Israel, which her country has no diplomatic relations with. “I have never visited Israel…. I’m Jewish. I’m not Israeli.”, she said in an interview. “I never knew anything about the Holocaust until I was 14. I never identified with Israel”. She expressed hope, however, that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will be resolved. “For the Arab world as a whole, it is on their agenda. I hope it happens.”
Nonoo referred to the buzz following her appointment in 2008 with slight annoyance: “The headlines were ‘Jewish Female', they forgot I was Bahraini.”
In 1948 there were an estimated 1,500 Jews in Bahrain, but the numbers dwindled following the 1948 riots and looting at the Jewish quarter in Manama, and by 1967 there were only about 500-600 Jews left. “Moment's" Sarah Breger mentions that the royal family tried to reach out to the Jewish community, making an effort to convince immigrants who had fled abroad to return, but the community’s synagogue that is mainly closed still brings rabbis from England for special occasions and while the Jewish cemetery is open, no local kosher food is available.
Ambassador Nonoo was educated in a Jewish school in the U.K., where she also received a BA in accounting from the City of London University and an MBA from the International University of Europe in Watford.
She married a British citizen, but returned to Bahrain following the death of her father to run one of the family businesses. Nonoo is successful business woman, she does not wear a headscarf, she is the mother of two sons (Menashe and Ezra), and also promotes Bahrain's image as a country in which women “have a choice” whether to cover themselves or to drive (and since 2002, to vote, although there is only one woman elected to the Parliament).
Yet Nonoo is still often mistaken for the Ambassador’s wife at festive events – and in a recent CNN report on the clashes in Bahrain, in which her rare statement was mentioned, they referred to the Bahraini Ambassador as “he.”
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Jews lived peacefully among Arabs for well over a millennium. However the establishment of Israel by meddling Western nations upset that balance. Peace can happen again. It is simply a matter of the Israelis treating the Arabs as equals and restoring justice. Until that happens, there will be hostilities ... a militarily powerful Israel suppressing the Palestinian people while a minute fragment of Palestinians react. It is too bad the USA Congress encourages this condition to continue.
;-) This is really nice! Jinaraj Joshipura, There is numerous Arabs on good positions in Israel, as well. This is very good. ;-)
I am sorry Ha;aretz, but I have learned, both in school here and from the TV, newspapers and radio that ALL arab countries want to destroy Israel and kill all the Jews. If it is really true that Jews in Arab countries are NOT slaughtered, then perhaps I was told other lies as well. Perhaps I need to look into the truth of other things i was told: Eretz-Israel was empty, zionists did NOT expell 750,000 Palestinians, Israel was attacted by arab countries in 1948, 1956 and 1967. Only we want peace, arabs want war and on and on. Shoudl I start to rethink ??????
Muslims can be German, Egyptian, Indonesian, American or Arab. So can Jews. Both are religions that can be adopted by people from all ethnic backgrounds and from all nations of the world.
Why does Haaretz always focus on the fact that someone is Jewish as a talking point? There is always a link to some appointment somewhere in the world where you focus on the fact that said person is Jewish - politicians, award recipients, sport stars, musician, actors.
did not establish diplomatic relations with the Jewish sate Isreal.There were protest riote in 1948 when Israel was reborn. So its a sepecial case. Mind you Wikileaks papers that Bahrain Rulers were considering over the last few years tp establish diplomatic relations with Israel. Its comming anyway win the enar future as Arab states turn to democracy and will not be using Israel as a diversion like the authoritarian rulers in ME. The link with aapponitments is not unique to Jewish journalist. When Zbig Brzezinski was appointed as the Security Advisor to President Carter, Polish people worldwide were proudly reporting it. Similarly the movie Diretor Roman Polanski , who finished the Film School in Lodz is always singled out in the Polish Press as a Pole. Since Polanski is a Jewish survivor, hiden by a a Polish Righteous of the Nation, His Parents were Bula Katz-Przedborska and the father Ryszard Liebling. the family survived the Krakow Ghetto and Concentration amps. Young Roman (6 years old ) run away from the Ghetto and survived with deifferent Catholic Families using the name Romek Wilk.. After the war his mother went back to France and never reuturned. The Father runited with Romek and he grew up in Poland . Since Roman Polanski was borne in Paris, France in 1936 he is a Frecnh citizen. So The French always claim Polanski as a Frenchmen, Poland claims Polanski as Polish (after all he lived in poland from the age of 5 until he left Poland at the age of 25 in 1961 for France. and we jews claim Polansk as a Jew. Except when Polanski was charged with rape pof a minor in USA France forgot to mention that Polanski is French, Poland did not mention tha Polanski is Polish and we jews reminded everyone that Polanski was in Ghett as Jew but was raised as a catholic by families that saved him and after the war his father remarried and the step mather was taking Polanski to Church every Sunday. So in Fact Polanski is a gifted film director and really is a "World Citizen" Did I forget to remind you Mr. Thoams, that when John Kennedy was elected President all papers in US stressed that Kennedy is the First Irisghman and a Catholic to become President. When Obama run for Presidency all papers stressed that his father was from Kenya and step-father from Indonesia. and of course Obama is the first black person to be president. Although his mother was a white A WASP America. So is Obama White or Afro American. Does it matter execpt that it is a human to look at someones ethnic or racial background. Now Thoams name can be of a Christian Lebanese origins or Irish? Who cares. I am Jewish Ashkenazi from Poland but born in Russia druing the war than moved in 1957 to Israel and then Canada. So politically correct I am RskiPolski ZydYehudi Canadain. WOW.. and I speak PoPolish, Russian, Yidish, Hebrew, German and French WOW. IAAM AA CAAANADIANN
If Israel is proud of a Jewish woman as an Ambassador of an Arab country then will Israel learn to do the same? This news is a lesson from an Arab country to Israel to improve its image of not being secular and the image of its discriminating behavior within and outside Israel.
As soon as that ambassador is prepared to issue a pledge of allegiance to the State of Israel, as is required of all diplomats
FYI, Israel had a Druze consul in SanFrancisco a few years ago
, Deputy Speakers of Israeli Knesset.. and diplomats:Israeli diplomats (from left) Deputy Consul General in Houston Belaynesh Zevadia; Consul General in Atlanta Reda Mansour; and AMBASSADOR TO GREECE REDA MANSOUR.. Happy Now...!!!
Israel has already had several Arab Ambassadors and a Druze Vice-President.
"...she never experienced religious prejudice in her home country. “... im glad - for her - and for bahrein. not all goes wrong on this planet.
She is the exception to the rule! Most jews in Arab countries are definitely not thriving
Did you see that there are only 36 Jews there. Did you read that the "Manamba MASSACRE"resulted in all the Jews leaving. That she never heard of the Holocaust, one of History's main tragedies, until she was 14. So obviously, Bahrain's schools are not exactly teaching History as it is.