Bahrain Mirror: A New York synagogue will be the first Jewish congregation to visit an Arab country in the Persian Gulf during its upcoming mission to Bahrain.

"At the invitation of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Rabbi Marc Schneier of the Hampton Synagogue on Westhampton Beach, Long Island, New York, will lead a congregational mission to Bahrain," according to World Israel News (WIN) website.

It will be the first visit by a Jewish group to an Arab Gulf country, the website further noted.

Schneier, described on his synagogue website as "a trailblazer in the field of Muslim-Jewish relations," has maintained a relationship with the Bahraini monarch over several years. In 2011, he was the first rabbi to be received by King Hamad at the royal palace.

The congregational mission was announced during the recent Jewish New Years "Rosh Hashana" services. The purpose, Schneier told The Jerusalem Post, is to "set a paradigm for what we hope and pray for this time of year during the High Holidays."

"We pray for peace in the Middle East and cooperation between Israel and its neighboring countries," he continued.

"We are seeing changes in the Gulf and my hope is that this mission will inspire other congregations and Jewish organizations to recognize that as the children of Abraham, Muslims and Jews share a common faith and a common fate," Schneier added to the Israeli daily.

The Israeli news website said that "King Hamad is also a groundbreaker in interfaith relations, particularly in the Arab world", and noted the Bahrain Declaration on Religious Tolerance, which was released earlier this month with the Jewish "Simon Wiesenthal Center" Los Angeles, in presence of the King's son Nasser bin Hamad.

Arabic Version