History. History. 36 Jews live there in 2009. They wanted to use the synagogue not used since 1948 for religious purposes as a commercial property, but King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa would not allow it. He wanted it protected. He also named a Jewish woman, Nancy Khedouri (Houda Ezra Ebrahim Nonoo), as his ambassador to the United States, the first Jewish ambassador posted abroad by any Arab country. The king visited London and the US to ask expatriate Jews to return to Bahrain. Source [August 2009]
"In a Landscape of Tension, Bahrain Embraces Its Jews. All 36 of Them." NY Times 5 Apr 2009 with photo
CEMETERY: "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." Source: [December 2002]
A small Jewish cemetery except for a pile of construction debris in the corner is clean and well tended. Source and photo of cemetery. [August 2009]
map [January 2010]