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Ariella Steinreich, Senior Vice President at Steinreich Communications joins co-hosts Robert Curtis & Fleur Hassan-Nahoum on this episode of the Abraham Accords. Ariella has been working in the Middle East long before the normalization agreements and has been part of telling the ongoing narrative by helping companies, organizations and individuals communicate in the region. She shares her personal stories seeing the growth in tolerance, how PR and communications are driving the Abraham Accords and a review of some of the achievements of peace as we head to the first anniversary of the signing of the agreements.
On the White House lawn 09/15/2020, the peace agreements brokered by The United States Of America between Israel, The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain were signed. The peace agreements between the nations would be known as the Abraham Accords in homage to the biblical patriarch of both Jews and Muslims. The Accords have ushered in a new era for Israel and the Gulf Region, enabling diplomatic relations, trade, commerce, tourism, and cultural exchange. The Accords have the potential to impact the trajectory of the Middle East. The Abraham Accords podcast will your source of quality conversation for anyone interested in the region with weekly guests on a range of topics from all signatory nations. My name is Robert Curtis, and I will be co-hosting this podcast with Fleur Hassan Nahum, Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem and my co founder of the UAE Israel Business Council.
On the White House lawn 09/15/2020, the peace agreements brokered by The United States Of America between Israel, The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain were signed. The peace agreements between the nations would be known as the Abraham Accords in homage to the biblical patriarch of both Jews and Muslims. The Accords have ushered in a new era for Israel and the Gulf Region, enabling diplomatic relations, trade, commerce, tourism, and cultural exchange. The Accords have the potential to impact the trajectory of the Middle East. The Abraham Accords podcast will your source of quality conversation for anyone interested in the region with weekly guests on a range of topics from all signatory nations.
Speaker 1:My name is Robert Curtis, and I will be cohosting this podcast with Fleur Hassan Nahum, Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem and my co founder of the UAE Israel Business Council. Thank you for joining us. We're back with another episode of the Abraham Accords podcast. I'm so excited to be back on the mic with you, Fleur.
Speaker 2:I know Rob, what happened to us?
Speaker 1:I know, well, I decided to take off for three weeks to Cyprus, so I'm actually back in quarantine for seven days until they can release me, even though I've had about five tests in twenty four hours and they're all negative.
Speaker 2:It doesn't matter, Robin. Now you don't have to feel alone because the whole country has to go into isolation for seven days. So it's not only Cyprus, it's everything now, practically, even The United States. Which brings us to our incredible guest this week, who I'm very proud to call a close friend, Ariella Steinreich, who is senior vice president at Steinreich Communications. And Rob, as you mentioned earlier, the woman telling the narrative, telling the story, creating the story of the Abraham Accords.
Speaker 2:So Ariela, it's been it's so nice to have you, and it's been a while since we wanted to have you. So we're very happy that you're with us. Thank you so much. So I guess the first question is because I think you have something I realized that most people don't have in terms of the narrative of the Abraham Accords. You have a before.
Speaker 2:You have life after the Abraham Accords. We all have kind of life after the Abraham Accords. But you really kind of actually saw, touched, and felt the buildup to it. Can you tell us a little about that?
Speaker 3:Sure. Absolutely. So I've been coming here to the GCC for the almost a full decade at this point. And I like to joke when I'm talking with Israelis and say that I was here in the days of the sand dunes, because everybody else thinks that The Gulf just started up last fall, but nonetheless, I have been here. I came here for work.
Speaker 3:You know, as most people do, you come for oil and gas, and in my circumstance, I came doing oil and gas PR, and I really just fell in love with the region. I mean, it's very hard not to. You've been here, you see the people, they're just
Speaker 2:But Ariela, you're a girl from Teanek, right? Religious, nice religious Jewish girl. Is it that you like so much?
Speaker 3:Did it happen? Yeah. Where did I turn wrong? No, so like I said, I mean, I've been coming out here. In the beginning, I never stayed for Shabbat, your point.
Speaker 3:Like, I didn't even know there was a community. And then I learned that there was a community here in The UAE, and primarily I was really here for most of it. And then slowly but surely at the community in Bahrain. There is not yet as big of a community in Saudi Arabia, but I have spent Shabbat there as well, and that's definitely a unique experience.
Speaker 2:Woah, Shabbat in Saudi Arabia, what does that look like?
Speaker 3:It's pretty unique. You know, the guy who kind of like, you know, is with us during, you know, to make sure everything is handled, he actually noticed that I was eating, you know, just like fruits and vegetables, and he said, he knew we kept Shabbat, and so he said, What time do you want me to pre order your room service, your salads for? And ironically, he's actually a really lovely guy, his name is Abdallah, and he was trained in like a diplomatic school in Baku in Azerbaijan, where I've also been, so we had a lot to kind of catch up on. And he's kind of the person that's been assigned to, you know, ever since. So we've become good friends.
Speaker 3:He's always asks me to bring him kosher food, which is very funny. And he even wishes me still to this day, a Shabbat Shalom every couple of weeks, I get a text from him that says it, even when I'm not there. But yeah, I mean, the last ten years, The Gulf has matured in many ways, not just Jewish life in The Gulf, but in general, as they go from being so dependent on oil to trying to create new economies, and that's across the board. I mean, obviously everybody knows, you know, the joke in Dubai is if you go away for a month, there's a new skyscraper that's built when you get back. But, you know, in Bahrain and in Saudi, they all have these vision, you know, 2030 plans to kind of to make some tweaks to their economy and even rehabilitate their economy in some cases.
Speaker 3:And in order to do that, you have to have, you know, we have to bring in outside, you know, companies and you have to create new industries, etc. So through that maturation process, you're starting to see, more Jews there. I'm definitely not the only Jew who's been to Saudi Arabia, and I've met some who are there as well. And can walk into the hotel on Shabbat in Bahrain and see other Jews there sometimes too. Obviously here, I mean, here there's like more Hebrew being spoken in Dubai than I Oh
Speaker 2:yes, you're trying to get away from the Jews in Dubai. But
Speaker 3:I'll tell you something really cool. June 2019, I was in Bahrain for the White House's Peace, The Prosperity Conference. And so there were a lot of Israeli journalists who were there. So, know, Barak Ravid. So we actually were catching up in the lobby of the hotel, and we sat there, you actually just heard Hebrew, and I've never heard Hebrew being spoken in Bahrain in those days.
Speaker 3:Wasn't it, you know? And it was like, it was really mind blowing. And even here, you know, if I think about certain pivotal moments where I was like, you know, there's such a shift. I mean, you know, you've heard of the community here, you know, that they used to daven for Shabbos in the villa. And so somehow, Le Chaddodi would always coincide with the Muslim prayer call.
Speaker 3:That's so funny. Yeah, so saying Le Chaddodi on the backdrop of that was just incredible. And yeah, and now here we are today where there's kosher restaurants popping up right and left. I'm sure you've seen some of them when you were here. And there's multiple shuls and Jewish life is really, really booming here.
Speaker 3:And it's exciting to see, there's a lot of interest when the flights pick up for Bahrain. I think a lot of people want to go there too. And as Flora knows, Bahrain has special place in my heart. And so I'm excited. And I think that I really do believe that more will come on board.
Speaker 3:I really do believe so.
Speaker 1:What what I think is interesting is you mentioned there, and maybe you'll give a little sort of sixty seconds on you and the company and the work you're doing in the region specifically, but you mentioned obviously the Peace to Prosperity conference. This work was taking place is what we're hearing well before the sort of, you know, announcement that we were all pleasantly shocked by on that day. Because no, you know, the world didn't see it coming. But some people did. And you could certainly see those sort of foundation stones being put in well beforehand.
Speaker 1:What was what was your experience from, I guess, all perspectives in that sort of US UAE Israel prism in that in that leader? Because obviously Peace to Prosperity was regional, but it got quite narrow because that sounded like it was the deal that could be achieved.
Speaker 3:Absolutely. Look, Peace to Prosperity also had US involvement in it, and it's worth noting that. So it did have a little bit of flavor of the West, so to speak. And for me, what I do, I'll just go back a second, but what we do is we, I work for a PR firm, I head up our Middle East Division, and we help our clients to tell their stories about leadership and things like that. So I'd already been going for a while, and you already saw the tone start to change in general in this region, right?
Speaker 3:Meaning you've heard before of the year of tolerance in The UAE, that was a real shift here. And I remember when the Pope came to kick it off, that was really the Christians came to the streets. I mean, meant a lot to them. And and the Christians and the Catholics, I mean, it was almost kind of like everybody, even the Jews were excited because it meant that this was the beginning of something that was much greater, and everybody knew that. And you saw everybody walk around feeling inspired, feeling full of hope, feeling that they were part of this next step for this region as a whole.
Speaker 3:So you know, you could already kind of identify there that this was what was going on. And in terms of, you know, Peace to Prosperity, that was a unique situation. It took place in Bahrain, and Bahrain is a very focused on coexistence. They have a Jewish community there, they've always been openly Jewish, and it's not an issue like that. So the extent of excitement that you felt there was a little different.
Speaker 3:It wasn't so much necessarily about religion as much as something's going on, because the fact that they would host a conference talking about Israel was a really, really big deal. And so if I were to look back and say, if somebody said to me, like, were some of those moments where you knew that it was happening? That was definitely the one. I couldn't tell you it was gonna happen the next day, but I knew we couldn't have been too far off because, you know, around here you have to read the tea leaves, right? That's like a very big thing, know, you have to read between the lines a lot.
Speaker 3:And so no country around here would host a conference focused on developing another country if they didn't ultimately want to have some type of relationship with them. And I think that that was really It was just you felt it in the room, and The US had an incredible presence there, they really did help to usher this in. I think now what you're seeing though, is the countries in the region saying, we can carry this through now a little bit on our own too. And that's important because, you know, you can absolutely, you know, The US can help to orchestrate this, but you really need to have the parties who are involved day to day, you want to empower them, and you want them to feel empowered to carry it on without outside, you know, influence.
Speaker 1:I'm not sure if there's any choice. I mean, obviously, the landscape has changed, you know, and it doesn't have to be so political, I'm going to say, but you had a Trump White House that this was their baby. You know, even to the extent of saying today that they can't even bring themselves to say the Abraham Accords, normalization agreements. So there is a different landscape, but that's not necessarily a negative thing. We've got to try and sort this out together in our own backyard ultimately as Israelis and I
Speaker 2:agree, but also more than that, think, and Ariela has also been pivotal. She's one of the founding members of the UAE Israel Business Council that this has got its own legs now. I mean, this is running forward unaided by the governments. People are excited. They're thirsty.
Speaker 2:They want this, and they're running towards each other. Ariana, did you expect Israelis and the Miratis, you know, and and then Bahrainis, of course, to be so excited, to be so, you know, in context so quickly, and the relationships that have been developed, was that surprising to you? Or you just thought, Meh, Middle Eastern people, that's how we are?
Speaker 3:I thought that as soon as it would happen, there would be a light switch effect, right? And I think that is what you've seen. But there's so many similarities. You know, it's funny. I was even talking just in our office, we were talking about some even some business culture is so different between The Gulf and Israel.
Speaker 3:There's But some things that actually are like very similar in terms of ways of working. Not, I wouldn't say culturally, and I definitely wouldn't say communication wise, but in terms of sometimes like, you know, some of the things related to timelines and administrative tasks, there's actually a lot in common, but, you know,
Speaker 2:think it's sort of things. It'll be okay, we'll get it done. Exactly,
Speaker 3:the last is the key phrase. But no, look, I think in general, this region is really moving forward very, very fast at a rapid pace. And listen, I can't tell you it's quicker than it was thirty years ago. Wouldn't be able to comment on that, but I do think that they're moving forward at a rapid pace. And I think one of the things you're seeing is the next generation here really, really step up, and they really want to contribute to their own country, to their own region as a whole.
Speaker 3:I know that you've had even some of my friends here on the show like Al Anud. I mean, people are absolutely exceptional, and any country should be proud to have their own. And yeah, and I think by the way, and I think you see that on, you know, on the Israel side too. I mean, there are groups who are doing incredible things on the social sphere. You know, but to Fleur's point, what I can say is on the business side, I think that it's, like the UAE Israel Business Council has done unprecedented work.
Speaker 3:I mean, we always tout the numbers, right, of how many businesses are part of this. But I think what's so exceptional is the fact that it's a fiftyfifty split. Okay, that is really important. I mean, councils can have tons of members, but if it's one-sided, it's pretty irrelevant. So I think that contributes to the success because we have people who really like, again, this is the theme of the day.
Speaker 3:They pull up their chair and they say, Let's do something.
Speaker 1:But it sort of comes to what ultimately that word tolerance. And, you know, Fleur and I have had some really amazing guests on the show from the Emirati side, and it comes right from the top of their leadership, this axis of tolerance versus, you know, if you draw a line across the Middle East, the axis of intolerance. And that realpolitik as well of an Iran that's spreading its tentacles on that side of the fence. They've got a new, even more radical president sworn in today versus this amazing family unity. And it really does feel like that across the accords and even beyond in those countries that may be thinking about it or just a part of that wider sphere.
Speaker 1:I guess you see that with clients who want to present that message from all spheres.
Speaker 3:Well, absolutely. And I'll tell you, to your point about the region in general, I'm also a founding member of the Gulf Israel Women's Forum, which Shefler and Justine founded. And there are women in there that are not even just part of the Abraham Accord countries. I think that's really important. We have Saudi represented there.
Speaker 3:We have countries who you wouldn't think. But again, it goes to show that this region in general is just moving forward at a much, much quicker pace. Now, I've been asked before, why do I think they're kind of more open to it? And I think one of the reasons is that you're starting to see more and more people here being educated in the West. And if you're educated in the West, then you go to school with Jews and you see that all the stereotypes that maybe you had seen on TV or seen on the internet, whatever it might be, you see that they're not true.
Speaker 3:And then you work with them on school projects and then you say, hey, we could work together on school projects, why can't we work together in real life? And I think that this is all part of this process so that, God willing, the next generation, they will never know that there really was this chasm that divided us before because they'll go, you know, an Israeli will go into an Israeli college campus and they'll see an Emirati and a Bahraini and God willing, other countries as well. And then when they want to do a semester abroad, they're going say, Hey, let's go to Abu Dhabi for a semester. That's gonna be so normal that we're gonna sit here laughing and saying like, guys don't even know what people had to go through to kind of get So I think it's hard. Absolutely.
Speaker 2:I mean, to go to a lot and to go to Dubai, to be honest, you know, I think Dubai is probably more affordable.
Speaker 1:But it's but I I think what you say, Ariela, is really, really insightful, and and it's it goes to a lot of what Fleurs' work leads to in terms of, you know, textbooks and education in Israel with the Palestinian or Israeli Arabs, and PR, ultimately, you're the PR guru, but PR starts in the classroom. When we start changing message of how peoples can live together, the history of our peoples together, that just follows through the life chain, through the food chain.
Speaker 2:That's very perceptive, Rob. But it's very funny because when I we have a mutual friend of mine and Ariela's who's a big influencer. And I asked him, I said, when did the school curriculum change here? And he said, you know what? About ten, twelve years ago.
Speaker 2:And so imagine that. So it took ten, twelve years to kind of clean out the bias where and and you're a 100% right, I realize. It is about people going to the West and studying and meeting Jews and say, hey, they're normal to the Jews are just like us. I think it it is all that. But I there was a conscious effort, which we now see in Saudi Arabia by the government to take out incitement from the classroom in order for in ten years for people not to feel resentful and and not to feel any type of a there's an incitement in their day.
Speaker 2:But I realized now the way you see things and you have multiple clients, not just clients, of course, in the, you know, in the private sector, but you have some organizations, community, and all sorts of other people. How do you see, you know, now that we've gotten through the first year, how do you see this moving forward? Where do you see this moving to?
Speaker 3:Well, first off, mean, exciting is that that we're already at the one year mark? I mean, in some ways, right? I mean, you know, we will all remember where we were on August 13, you know, 2020 and 09/11/2020 and 09/15/2020. But I think also we really take a step back and say, like, holy cow, it's been a full year. And in some ways, I actually think that it might have been more successful than anybody would have imagined, because, you know, the model for peace in the region, candidly was not as strong, right?
Speaker 3:I mean, it really wasn't as strong if you take a look at, you know, at Egypt and at Jordan. And now we have a model I think we all hope other countries are going to say, look at this, like, you know, if we sign up, this is what happens. We have 200,000 tourists that come in a year, okay? Any year everybody wants that,
Speaker 2:but that's in a bad year, that's a corona year.
Speaker 3:Exactly, that's exactly what I was gonna say. Meaning that's amazing. You know, when you hear about like half $1,000,000,000 worth in business deals alone in The UAE and Israel, who doesn't want that? I mean, think about all the issues that are going on in this region for other countries. In so many ways, this is like the key that unlocks the success and turns around for them.
Speaker 3:So I think first and foremost, it's, you know, congratulations and a round of applause for everybody for this last year, because, you know, our governments, you know, showed us that this is possible, and we showed our governments we support it, right? So like, this was really all around, this was a success. And I think in terms of where we go from here, there's literally only one direction and it's up. And as long as we all work together, know, hand in hand to help bring these things forward and and in a balanced approach, not just business, but also cultural, not just cultural, but also social. As long as we do this all together, I really think that the sky's the limit.
Speaker 1:I think we haven't even dreamed yet of the things that will be possible over the next ten, twenty, thirty years, if we continue on this trajectory. You know, I'm talking big things, you know, we could build tunnels through a lot straight through to the rest of the region, we can, we can connect in ways that we haven't even envisioned yet.
Speaker 2:Could drive to Saudi, honestly, we had to Saudi, You could drive to Saudi for the weekend. I mean, to to areas of Saudi. I mean, it's it's crazy how close we are and how part of a region we are and yet how separated and isolated we were. And now for me, the most exciting thing is that we can face regional challenges as a region and not Israel on its own. You know, that for me is the most exciting thing.
Speaker 2:Realize anything you worry about.
Speaker 3:No, I really do believe, and maybe I drink the Kool Aid and that's fine, but I really do believe that if we all continue at the pace that we're going, and if we all continue to look out for one another and look forward to working with each other hand in hand, I don't really think we're going to have an issue. And I think the proof in the pudding is, we talked earlier, you mentioned about the textbooks, right? And how it starts in school, but it also starts at home. It's like the conversation that probably every one of your kids teachers have had with you, right? Like how you have to reinforce whatever they're teaching at home.
Speaker 3:But that's what's so cool about what's happening here. You could change textbooks. In fact, you could even change the movies on Netflix. We could have a whole conversation about how Netflix doesn't necessarily do us all justice either. But the point is, is that what we're seeing here is this real societal change, and that is imbued down to the next generation of children.
Speaker 3:And in turn, this is just going to become their new normal, the same way that for the generations before us, that the old school approach was that normal, right? I remember people saying like, oh, how are they gonna fix the Middle East? First off, what's cool about this is now the Middle East is saying, we don't need you guys fix us. We can do it. We can partner together.
Speaker 3:And I think that as the one year mark comes up, and then as the two year mark comes up, and then three, four, five, I mean, can you imagine? Could have the same conversation in ten years. In fact, let's put it in our calendars to Mark, we could talk about it then. I'm telling you that well, yeah, right. Well, there are going to be many more countries that come on board because it's so hard to deny the success of these accords, not just financially, but for the people.
Speaker 3:The people are so happy about them.
Speaker 2:So care to bet, Ariela, I know that you might be here conflicted a little, countries that may come on board?
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Oman, for example, small country, you know, young, new monarch, an MBZ, an MBS type of type.
Speaker 3:Yeah. Mean, let's just remember that Oman and Kuwait are, to your point, they've got new leadership. Let's give them a little time to kind of get their sea legs under them. I know everybody always asks the big three letter question about Saudi, KSA, and I do think we're getting closer. I'll give you an interesting thing.
Speaker 3:Many times when this conversation comes up and they ask me about Saudi and they say, what do the Saudis need to do it? Do you ever hear that question?
Speaker 2:People say, what do they need to push? What's
Speaker 1:you? What's stopping
Speaker 3:Just like, tell us what it is and we'll fix it. And it almost implies like the Saudis haven't said it over and over. But if any of the podcast listeners here are as much of a GCC nerd as I am, then you'll know that the Saudis have actually repeated the same line like a thousand and a half times, right? They want the Palestinians to come to the table, meaning they want there to be some discussion going on in order to do it. Now, politic aside on that, what I will tell you is that if we get to that stage where there is conversation, and maybe that is a place where the new administration can help because the Palestinians sometimes find that they have allies on the democratic side.
Speaker 3:But the point is, if they come to the table, then I think we have a real shot at the Saudis now coming to this broader table. And I think again, everybody here watches what goes on in the region. So they know exactly, like every time there's another announcement about another economic milestone that this has hit, I mean, they all see it. And the Saudis are very dedicated to Vision 2030, and it's out there in the public that they know that they need to work with the Israelis in order to achieve Vision 2,030. So I think that it will happen.
Speaker 3:Would I tell you that it's gonna happen in the next month or two? No, but I do think it will happen. And there's been many things in the last couple, within the last year actually, there have been many kind of mile markers, so to speak, that have come up. Terms of your question, look, I think if Saudi comes on board, I think that it has impact not just for GCC countries. Because remember, Saudi, you know, is very important in Islam.
Speaker 3:So theoretically, if Saudi comes on board, you have a much easier time getting countries like Indonesia and Malaysia to come on board as well. In some ways, like the kingpin piece in terms of, again, from a much more regional perspective.
Speaker 1:I think economically, there's block that's being formed as well. And that will play a huge role in getting people to come to a table. Money is a big motivator.
Speaker 2:Sure. But I think that more than money, I the way I see it is is the realignment of the Middle East between countries that want peace and prosperity, want real modernization, and countries that don't, you know, countries that that literally don't. So, this new realignment with Israel in the picture, I think, is the most significant thing to happen diplomatically in this region for decades. I don't think anybody can compare this to anything. And it's kind of sad, think, I realize that in America, not more of a bigger deal was made out of this in terms of really what it did.
Speaker 2:And I I wonder what your thoughts are on that. Americans aware of how significant this is? Do they care?
Speaker 3:So, you know, it's funny because I right. Like I said, we're recording this as we're about to hit the one year anniversary. And to the point you guys have made, we do a lot. We have a lot of clients who are involved in various aspects of the accord, I'm speaking with the media. So I spoke with a journalist yesterday afternoon, my time in Dubai, that's like New York in the morning.
Speaker 3:And the person said, Oh, that's coming up already? That was literally the way that they said it. Oh, that's coming up? And this ties in also with your earlier point, Flor. I truly do believe that this will be one of the biggest things in my generation will ever see.
Speaker 3:And I do think it is probably one of the biggest shifts that we will see in The Middle East. Right, and why? Because I actually, I don't believe that it was just the Abraham Accord V1, so to speak, right? Version one in 2020. Like I do believe this is going to be, there's gonna be a domino effect here.
Speaker 3:And so the Abraham Accords are gonna carry on, not just in terms of the sharing of everything that's going on with these countries already, but I do think other countries are gonna come on board. And so to the point about America, I wish more people were excited about it, to be honest. Sometimes it feels a little bit like a party of one, but Not three.
Speaker 2:It was two of them.
Speaker 3:In America, when I'm like there, so much of my world is wrapped around this because of opportunity and the excitement around it. And so it's just so funny, literally when this person, this
Speaker 2:is
Speaker 3:a well respected journalist goes, Oh, that's coming up already? Like they just forgot. But look, I think in America, the two communities who are really excited about it were the Jewish community and the evangelical community. I do think it's worth pointing out on the American Jewish community, American Jews, like British Jews, like European Jews, always had access to come to the GCC. I'll tell you one of the reasons that we kind of became the place, the shop, so to speak for all this stuff that's going on here is because it was about the time that I had moved over into my father's firm where Jews realized, wait, we can do stuff there.
Speaker 3:It's just the Israelis who can't. But there was always many people, there was always this like security concern, right? Like, can I go? Can I openly be Jewish? That type of thing.
Speaker 3:And they were looking for somebody who understood the region and who really understood their values and kind of helped marry the two as they went into do business here. And so when it comes to the American Jews, I think it's worth noting that some of the benefits the GCC gets out of these Abraham Accords is access to those Western Jewish communities because, you know, it always safe for them. But when you hear that now that there's hotels here with kosher food, even people who don't keep kosher, they say, wow, that's an acceptance of my religion and people's religious practice within my religion. So it really opened the door that way. And I can tell you, I just told this to somebody, I just flew back from New York to Dubai, and there was a Satmar Hasidish man on the flight, like strimal and all.
Speaker 2:And we see some of them around Dubai, God help them with the heat, but we see
Speaker 3:But that's not something you would have seen the baseball hat move, right? Like that's always kind of what I call it, the baseball hat move. You still see that in some of the countries around here that are not Abraham Accord countries. But I will say that I do think on the whole, wearing a kippah is not as eccentric, okay, in any of these countries as it was five years ago, ten years ago.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, I would say that Europe is actually, you know, you're playing, you're gambling with your life. But in the GCC, or at least the countries that I've experienced on the contrary, I mean, there's a famous they they they interviewed me, and I said that my husband was wearing a kippah on a Friday night, and we had a taxi stop and go welcome Jews. So, you know, I think it's quite the opposite and not and I would even go as far as saying something more that the ultra orthodox Jews that are there, certainly the ones coming from Israel, the Chabadnikim that are there, the the people who visibly look Jewish. I think the Emiratis actually have a a real respect for people in their religious garb because that's the type of respect that they expect and they as they should get back. So I would actually say they respect the people who respect themselves.
Speaker 2:And when they see an ultra orthodox person, then they say, oh, okay, they can relate to that, which I think is
Speaker 1:There's famous Jonathan Sacks line on that, that There is. I can't I can't remember it verbatim, but non Jews respect Jews who respect themselves. A very just seeing
Speaker 2:that actually. Yeah, yeah, yeah, no, 100 I
Speaker 3:also think that there's a lot of commonalities between religious Muslims and religious Jews. Absolutely. Fleur, to your point, actually Fleur and I had dinner that Friday night together. We were walking back from Amapad. And you'll remember that there was an Emirati, Loi, and we said, want to say something?
Speaker 3:And we thought he would just say something. And he literally gave it to our Torah.
Speaker 2:He gave it to our Torah better than you or I, Rob. Much
Speaker 3:for that day school education. But nonetheless, and he, by the way, he learns, I just had actually, just saw him a few weeks ago. He learns with Rabbi Abadi. I mean, he's really committed Amazing. To Yeah, think that we all recognize the commonalities.
Speaker 3:You know, Friday is a significant day for as it is for Jews. You know, I'll tell you.
Speaker 2:Sunday is the first day of the week for them like it is for us.
Speaker 3:Absolutely. But Fleur knows this, the Association of Gulf Jewish Communities, which is a fantastic organization here, and they really provided a lot of resources to the Jews in The Gulf. Basically they have representation for, there actually are Jews in all six Gulf countries. So for those who are listening, that's Jews in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, The UAE, Qatar, Oman, and Kuwait. And they've done incredible things.
Speaker 3:I mean, they shipped six fifty pounds of matzah in. I mean, think about that for a second, full stop. Would you ever think we'd have a conversation about shipping six fifty pounds of matzah into the juice?
Speaker 2:And getting it there on time.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and getting it there on time. But the point is like, this is the stuff that they're doing. So they started this thing, this hashtag before Shabbat, and it goes, the hashtag is literally hashtag Shabbat with A G J C. And anybody who's listening is welcome to search in Twitter and see the responses. But forget about the fact that it's now gone so viral outside of the GCC.
Speaker 3:I mean, we've got Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, and it's crazy what's happening. But we actually have Muslims, Emirati Muslims and Bahraini Muslims who are sending in their pictures and writing Shabbat with AGGC. I mean, how amazing is that? And you see Jews here and Jews now even globally, let alone regionally, wishing them aid Mubarak and things like that.
Speaker 1:So I
Speaker 3:think what these accords have done is they've actually made us all more educated in terms of other cultures and religions around us. And they've put this sense within us that we have the ability to help move these to fruition. And we're all really excited about it.
Speaker 1:I want to come back to something you said a few minutes ago, which is about opportunity. Because obviously, you are taking the and seizing the opportunity that is in this region from a, obviously, strategic communications perspective, working with different types of companies, organisations, individuals, I presume as well, across the region. What's your playbook, I guess your strategy, your what are the pillars behind Ariela's PR, I guess, roadmap or blueprint for helping companies and individuals win in the region from a PR perspective?
Speaker 3:So PR is really the art of storytelling, right? So whether it's a new product, a new service, a thought leader, right, who has a new perspective on things. So it's all about telling the story. And sometimes I say PR is kind of like an algebra problem, right? A plus B equals C.
Speaker 3:So if you think about the A as the person and you think of the B as the story, then you'll get the right result, The person being the journalist. So, you PR is not like a, you don't just like say, Oh, let me go to everybody here. You really have to find the right journalists to tell the right story too. And so if you take a look at some of the people who I think in general in this region are real thought leaders, Fleur herself, right? I mean, Fleur has really, has a narrative that she's been able to share with media.
Speaker 3:By the way, Arabic media, English media, TV media here, you know, all that.
Speaker 2:I wonder who hooked me up.
Speaker 3:Me too, I wonder. Did I get her name?
Speaker 2:Who told me all those interviews?
Speaker 3:But I'll tell you, again, I think in general around here, there's really an interest in telling these stories. You can read many stories from journalists based here talking about kosher food. There's a real fascination with kosher food. Why? Because again, halal is so important to them.
Speaker 3:We want to learn about kosher because it's so important to you. Know, one of my friends here, this just happened about a couple weeks ago, told me that they go whatever, go every summer to Italy for vacation, she and her husband, and their favorite restaurant happens to be a kosher restaurant. Why? Because it's very hard to get halal food, so they eat kosher when they're on the road.
Speaker 2:And also, actually, that's a really a lot of emiratis say to me, they can get halal, but they're normally these little, like, you know, shawarma joints. It's not a restaurant. You can sit down, and so they all go to kosher restaurants in Europe.
Speaker 3:And it's very it's, like, very, very popular. You know? I was in I was in New York last week, and so I I was actually at dinner with my siblings celebrating. My sister just took the bar. And so I was there and there was the Charaka group was there.
Speaker 3:And it so cool to be able to actually introduce my family in America to one of my really good friends here in The UAE who was in town. And she was saying how much she liked the kosher restaurant. There's just so much that really bonds us together. So in terms of telling the story, I think you have journalists who really do wanna tell these stories. And in many cases, you'll hear them say that they've wanted to tell these stories for a long time.
Speaker 3:Not that they couldn't before, but just that now they have more leeway to really tell them.
Speaker 1:There's an audience. There's an audience who wants to hear it.
Speaker 3:And a local audience who wants to hear it even. But I'll tell you something really cool. Few years ago, was Becky Anderson from CNN. So I had a client on there. Actually, was exactly when the, it was the time when the Pope was here.
Speaker 3:And so she put up a map on the screen and she said that it was about Jewish life in the region growing. And so she put up a map and she highlighted the countries where there's Jewish life. And the countries were The UAE, Bahrain, and Qatar actually, because Qatar, they claim they have about 100 Jews on campus at one of their universities. It's like an amalgamation of a bunch of universities in The States that are all there. So between faculty and students, it's about 100.
Speaker 3:Anyway, so he's on air doing the segment and one of her interns comes up to me and he says, I I grew up in Bahrain, I actually know the Bahraini Jews. And fast forward, by the way, he now works for me out here. But he was like so excited to see Bahrain highlighted on the map because he had gone to school with them again, had such great experiences. And now he's one of the people who's helping me to tell these stories about the Muslims and the Jews coming together to do things. Fleurs has been there, but one of the things that's just so remarkable, and this is a moment that if you told me ten years ago would happen, I wouldn't have seen it coming, but we helped to launch a new Holocaust exhibit here in The UAE in a museum that is owned by an Emirati.
Speaker 3:And just stop and take that in for a second. I mean, an Emirati said, It is important that we educate people about the Holocaust. And he brought in artifacts and he created the narrative, he brought in the right people to help tell that story. And the media here, I think we're equally as amazed that they would be Zoha, so to speak, to be in a position to tell a story like that. It's so mind boggling for people who have been Mind boggling.
Speaker 3:So many years.
Speaker 2:It's mind boggling. But I don't see as any less mind boggling the fact that this man, way before the Abraham Accords, had Jewish artifacts in his museum telling the story of the Jews of the region and saying and declaring Jews are indigenous to the Middle East. And look. Here's the proof. That to me is equally as mind boggling.
Speaker 3:That's true. You know, somebody said to me the other day that when Muslims and Jews in this region work together, you know, eons and eons ago, they brought culture, they brought all different types of things. And then all of a sudden, wherever this outside force of this, like this hatred that kind of seeped in. But I think what we're seeing now is we're seeing kind of like, we're all banding together and saying, we want to go back to that golden age, and we want to bring it forward at the same time. So, yeah.
Speaker 1:I think what's super interesting is and Fleur, maybe you'll know more about this. I want to see more of this storytelling here in Israeli schools with Israeli children learning about the Arab lands and what's happening in the region, because I think there might be an imbalance. Maybe it's coming, maybe
Speaker 2:it's Well, let me just be tell you, as the only Sephardi in this group, that in general in the Israeli education system, there's very little on the heritage of the Sephardi Jews
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:From Completely agree. The different Arab countries. So already there's like Ashkeno normality, they call it Ashkeno morality, whatever, that we need to face. And and this is the reason why I'm I'm working towards a museum of the story of Jews from Arab and Muslim lands, and Ariella knows because she helped us put together an event with this very same museum where we were celebrating a common heritage. But that Rob is, you know, the problem is the fact that we have, we in our own education system don't talk enough about it, which is a real shame.
Speaker 3:Well, I think you just touched on a very important point. And I will admit that somebody kind of had to call this out to me even a few years ago. But in Israel, you hear the Arabs, right? That's like a phrase, the Arabs. What people don't realize is there actually are Arab Jews.
Speaker 3:And it's very important to keep that in mind. The Bahrainis are, they're Arab Jews. They are part of Arab lands. Arab is a really, it's a geotag. It's not a religion.
Speaker 3:And so sometimes I think when the media in Israel or when colloquially people just kind of say the Arabs, we're all kind of, you're doing a disservice, so to speak, because it's really important to be able to show that, you know, have an Arab heritage as well. To Fleurs point, there are Jews all over this region who do, and we have to remind ourselves, we have to remind, you know, the next generation and even the generation above us that when we lump people together, that's kind of where problems begin, right? We have to look at people as individuals and we have to look at them as their contributions to society. And so I hope that we'll start moving away from just using this blanket phrase of Arabs, okay, when candidly very often in Israel it comes with a little bit of a negative connotation. And I hope that we'll move away from that.
Speaker 3:But I think it will happen because again, Israelis are so excited. Somebody said to me, who's more excited? It's so hard to gauge that
Speaker 1:It's a contest of who is more excited.
Speaker 2:Guess the 200,000
Speaker 3:came here proved one We're
Speaker 2:not letting anybody in for God's sake. Said to
Speaker 3:you a few weeks ago, let me know when you want the Americans back.
Speaker 2:Well, Ariely still hasn't been able to go. There's already been three Emirati groups, but they don't let Ariely in. It's true. Speaking of
Speaker 3:the Emirati groups, I mean, let's just say we were talking about all these exciting developments that have actually physically taken place here, like these Shabbat dinners. But let's also not forget that iconic image of some of our dear friends, Fleur, like Majid lighting the menorah at the Kotel.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes. And how he got a standing ovation by people just standing there. People are very excited on both sides. Can't overestimate how excited people are.
Speaker 3:100%. But I'll tell you a funny story. You're talking about like, kind of people, Israelis having to kind of learn the culture a little bit. So one of my friends was on a different group who was there and came in his national garb and somebody said, Your Majesty, because they thought like a gentleman. Everybody was royal.
Speaker 3:Yeah, like Candora was right. So I think, and she wasn't offended, was cute, but it there's these little kids. But the point is that I think, what I hope results from this, and we talked before about textbooks, is I hope that there's also a curricula that goes to kids in both sides, And really teaches them about the other. Because if we break it down, we'll actually see that we're so much more alike than people think. Right?
Speaker 3:But if we teach that to the kids at a young age, then it will be so natural.
Speaker 2:A 100%. I'm with you, Ariela. Ariela, it's always a pleasure chatting to you. We could probably go on for another hour. Right, Rob?
Speaker 1:Absolutely. This is
Speaker 2:Anybody who speaks more than me, Rob?
Speaker 1:It's certainly
Speaker 2:a good
Speaker 1:contest. It's certainly a contest.
Speaker 3:When we get together. Yeah. Exactly.
Speaker 2:But we get together. Nobody can get a word in entries. We have our own, like, internal little jokes that only she and I find funny.
Speaker 1:Well, I feel honored then that I managed to speak.
Speaker 2:You're one of the girls now, Rob.
Speaker 1:Exactly. Always was.
Speaker 3:Yeah, no, it's true. Fleur came for Shabbos, actually the Jerusalem Post Conference that weekend, she stayed for Shabbos. And I think everybody was just like blown away when the two of us together were quite the dynamic duo as they say. But just to kind of, I guess, wrap up, I mean, that is also something really iconic, which we should discuss because this was really important to Fleur and I that there be a joint media conference between the two countries, because media plays such a vital role, such a vital role. And in some cases, I think that the media is overlooked for how pivotal of a position that they played in terms of helping to change perception and things like that.
Speaker 3:So, we helped to connect to the Jerusalem Post and the Khaleesh Times, and had an absolutely incredible panel, incredible panel. I
Speaker 1:think
Speaker 2:it was the best panel conference, not that I'm biased, but
Speaker 3:I think I was gonna say we might be a little bit biased, but
Speaker 2:We might be a little bit, Ariella emceed this panel, and it was like women in diplomacy, and it was fantastic.
Speaker 3:Well, it's easy to emcee a panel when you've got absolute superstars, but we had Fleur on from Israel, we had Ruth Wasserman Landy from Israel, we had Ambassador Marci Grossman, who's actually the Canadian ambassador here to The UAE, and then we had Ambassador Huda Nunu, who's the former Bahrainian ambassador to America. She's now with the foreign ministry, but she's actually the Arab world's first and only Jewish ambassador. And so it was a really amazing conversation to talk about the role that women played. But I think that, again, to have a conference in The UAE, not Israel, but in The UAE dedicated to these types of discussions is really remarkable. So, you know, yeah.
Speaker 2:Add to that, that it was a week after the conflict, which we didn't know how that was gonna go down. We didn't know how people were gonna react. And I just felt and and I and and Ariel and I were were chatting and debating about whether the timing was right, whether it wasn't right. But ultimately, what I think that conference did was kind of break the ice after the conflict and say, okay, back to business. And that was really, really significant.
Speaker 1:Timing's everything. Timing's everything.
Speaker 2:To be able to have been the, we were the of that, matchmakers of that. And
Speaker 3:Rob, to your point about timing being everything, like we said earlier, again, this happened at the right time. And I think people have to remember that. Like, you hear people say like, oh, it should have happened five years ago. No, it should have happened now. It's very important that we appreciate the way that the timing fell out because you have to go through a process to get to this point.
Speaker 3:And if you jumpstart that process and you go too quickly, you wouldn't have the authenticity that you have now of this relationship. This relationship is not going to break overnight. There's real relationships that are being established. And so that could not have happened if it went in a different order or anything of the sort. Anyway, I hope we get to welcome you, Rob, here.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. Well, I'm looking forward to making my first trip there as soon as possible. Ariella, we joked as we came on air, but there are a few days within the next two months that mark different milestones and anniversaries within the Abraham Accords. We sort of joked that, you know, it's like a three day hug of festivals for this. So it's great to be able to have you on sharing your perspective in the region, what you're hearing from people both culturally, from a business standpoint, and from a PR and storytelling narrative.
Speaker 1:So it's been fantastic having you on the show to mark the first of the anniversary shows that Flair and I will hopefully be sharing over the next few weeks. Thank you so much.
Speaker 2:It's wonderful to have had you, Ariela. Just one, Ariela is not just telling the story, Ariela is an important part of the story.
Speaker 1:She is the story.
Speaker 2:Ariela, we did it. We did it.
Speaker 3:You very much both. Was really a pleasure. Doctor.
Speaker 1:Thank you for joining Flair and I on the Abraham Accords podcast. Remember to subscribe so you can be updated on more episodes.