The Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism’s bilingual declaration

Yet, for STAR-K Certification, conducting Kashrus business in the UAE is nothing new. For about six years - before the “Abraham Accord” was even a thought - the agency has been traveling to Dubai to attend the Gulfood trade show, the world's largest annual food and beverage trade exhibition. It is the crossroads for STAR-K’s regional presence in the South Asia region.

Where Mideast, Far East, and West Meet

STAR-K Kashrus Administrator Rabbi Avrohom Mushell heads the agency’s Far East & South Asia Division and has participated in the show alongside his STAR-K-Asia team, Rabbi Amos Benjamin and “Rabbi Joel” Weinberger - who run the STAR-K Far East and India/Sri Lanka offices, respectively - in addition to STAR-K’s Cochin office associates. STAR-K’s work in Dubai, he mentions, led to a further development -- its strong base in India, which has helped STAR-K branch out by setting up contacts in Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

“Rabbi Joel” Weinberger (in bright blue) with STAR-K-Asia Team

“The Gulfood trade show puts Dubai on the map of food industry production and distribution worldwide,” notes Rabbi Mushell. “We have used Dubai as a uniquely placed venue for working with countries in Asia and the Middle East.  Many Indian vendors use Dubai as a launching point for their products to enter the Middle East. As a result, business opportunities for production and distribution continue to grow there.”

Cousins Unite                                                        

STAR-K Kashrus Administrator Rabbi Tzvi Rosen describes the trade show as having a very Western feel, rather than a Middle Eastern one. His whirlwind trip had him leaving Baltimore on a Monday red-eye flight which landed in Dubai on Tuesday morning.  He worked the show the entire day and the next, and enjoyed eating dinner with the STAR-K-Asia team and the Cochin office associates before taking a direct flight home on Thursday, 3 a.m. He was back in STAR-K’s Baltimore offices for mincha that afternoon.

Mentions Rabbi Rosen, “I wasn’t really in Dubai long enough to interact – although I did manage to pose for a photo with my new friend, Abdul Abdelak. He invited me to his booth and when I asked him what the name of his business is, he told me, ‘AMAZOUN’.  ‘Oh,’ I said, like “mazon” (food in Hebrew)?’ ‘NO!’, he said, ‘AMAZON’!  He was a food distributor in Dubai.

“When I visited his booth the next day, he was so happy to see me he introduced me to all his friends,” continues Rabbi Rosen.  “I had a very nice time with him and got a very positive impression of Dubai residents.”

STAR-K Kashrus Administrator Rabbi Tzvi Rosen and Abdul Abdelak at the Gulfood trade show in Dubai                                                              

Checking Out Chocolate and More

STAR-K Kashrus Administrator Rabbi Chananya Jacobson visited the agency’s certified companies in the UAE, pre-COVID. He paints the scene of what his mashgiach experience was like in Dubai.

“Dubai is a very interesting place; it is full of startling juxtapositions. Walking down the street, you are just as likely to see men wearing kanduras and ghutras as you are suits and ties. The factories are all on the outskirts of town. Although it is a really a built-up metro city with impossibly tall buildings, it suddenly stops and turns into desert - there’s nothing but sand.”

STAR-K Kashrus Administrator Rabbi Chananya Jacobson meets with a UAE company rep

One of Rabbi Jacobson’s assignments while in the UAE was doing an initial inspection of a state-of-the-art chocolate company.

“I’ve been to several food manufacturers in India and other countries, and they are usually little offices tucked away in an industrial plot. This office looks like it’s Facebook or Google. It is a very modern, open, all glass-walled office, complete with a game room and a cafeteria where the employees can snack on chocolates. They are doing things differently there than they are in India and China, which made an impression on me – there’s a lot more flash.”

STAR-K-certified state-of-the-art chocolate factory

While in Dubai, Rabbi Jacobson davened in one of two Orthodox shuls in the city, and provides a glimpse of that experience.

“I toured the shul with fantastic people, community residents Ross and Elli Kriel, with whom I had a nice chat,” shares Rabbi Jacobson. “The shul is housed in a villa; the bedrooms host guests from around the world. There is a community kiddush on Shabbos, prepared in the shul’s kitchen. In the Aron Kodesh, I saw something which must be unique for an Ashkenazi shul: a sefer Torah with a mantel that is inscribed in Arabic! [The back of the cover displays the English translation, also stitched in gold letters: “This Torah is dedicated in honor of His Excellency Mohamed Ali Alabbar, whose vision and character have inspired his friends, Country and generation.”] It’s a nice out-of-town shul and every person that davens there has a story – I guarantee it!”

Davening in “The Villa” shul in Dubai

The Kriels have played an integral role in their community. Ross Kriel is the founder and president of the Jewish community of the Emirates; his wife, Elli, is the founder of Elli’s Kosher Kitchen, a STAR-K-certified company which she launched in 2019 during the inauguration of “The Year of Tolerance”.

“We are proud to welcome Elli’s Kosher Kitchen - which offers recipes infused with locally sourced flavors popular in the Emirati culture, prepared under the strictest kosher supervision – to the STAR-K family,” remarks STAR-K President Avrom Pollak. “We are also excited about the numerous inquiries that we are getting from UAE companies that manufacture food chemicals and other specialty foods suitable for export.”

Talking Turkey in Dubai

STAR-K’s Director of Development Steve Sichel traveled to Dubai for the first time when he was invited to present a Kosher seminar at the Gulfood trade show to Turkish exporters; it was arranged through the Turkish government. “It was really a whirlwind tour. I had flown to Sri Lanka to do inspections, spent Shabbos in Cochin, and then flew to Dubai. It was interesting giving the presentation because many of the people in the audience did not know English; I had a translator.”

Mr. Sichel got to daven in the Chabad shul in Dubai which allowed him not to miss saying Kaddish for his father-in-law -- as he had been, wherever he traveled for STAR-K around the world.

Moving Forward…

Remarks “Rabbi Joel”, “We certify a variety of products- from dates to baklawa (see them in Dubai Duty Free) and aluminum pans to gum acacia. Active in Dubai - since 2014 - we play the role of a partner and supporter of the community as it develops in both its physical and spiritual growth. We look forward to growing in the region and continue exemplifying what we do best - with a smile.”

Rabbi Mushell concurs, “STAR-K is proud to have been a long-standing source of support to the fledging Dubai Jewish community and we look forward to continued growth throughout the region.”