Dubai Emissaries: "We Wish for Safety Everywhere Like Here"

Nearly two months have passed since R' Levi (23) and Nechami (22) Levitin arrived to live in Dubai and manage the local Chabad House. Two months is not considered a long period, but as they note, what they have seen in that time, and the number of Jews they have met, is massive, much more than one might imagine.

Many touching moments have been etched in their memory during this short time. One of them is the moment of lighting the Chanukah candles in the tallest building in the world - the Burj Khalifa. "We had the privilege to light Chanukah candles there publicly, and we received fascinating reactions from quite a few Emirati locals who participated in the lighting," they recount. R' Levi notes that one resident, dressed in a keffiyeh, approached them and asked, "How is it possible that even I feel part of the Jewish people?" "I was quite embarrassed," Levi admits with a smile. "The truth is, I didn’t really know what to answer him."

In another instance, they went to conduct a Torah lesson with a group of Jews, right in the heart of the dark desert. "It was one of a kind," he recalls excitedly. "The words ‘we came to banish darkness’ suddenly took on much deeper meaning, and the learning was far more spiritual and profound."

The Life of Emissaries

Levi and Nechami are actually a young couple, married for only half a year. "I was born in the settlement of Givat Ada," Levi shares about himself. "It’s a non-religious settlement located in the Haifa district. My parents are Chabad emissaries in the settlement, so I was born and raised in a home of emissaries. Of course, being an emissary in Israel is completely different from abroad, but it has its own characteristics and uniqueness."

According to him, after completing a full eight years of study in yeshiva, he went on a mission that lasted about a year in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand. He has only good and moving memories from there: "For half a day, I taught at the local Talmud Torah to the children of the emissaries, and in the other half, I assisted Israeli travelers who came to the Chabad House. They had, of course, many and varied needs—starting with kosher food, prayers with a minyan, putting on tefillin, and support in various situations. The work was endless."

About his wife, he says: "She also grew up in Israel, at the home of emissaries. Her parents are Chabad emissaries in Beitar Illit. Before the wedding, like me, she flew abroad for a mission, but she was at the other end of the world – at the Chabad House in Prague, where she helped with various activities and served, among other things, as a kindergarten teacher."

The news that they were selected to serve as emissaries in Dubai was received not long ago. "In fact, only a month before we took off, we received the surprising offer," he says. "Clearly, we were surprised. How could we have thought about it in advance? After all, until a few months ago, no citizen in Israel imagined that a peace agreement was about to be signed. It was a surprise for all of us."

But the moment the offer reached them, they didn’t think twice. "We had no doubts at all; this is our dream and life's aspiration. We knew this was our destiny, and when we first met, it was clear to both of us that one day we would open our own Chabad House. "The truth is, my initial plan was to open a Chabad House in Israel," he reveals, "but when the offer came to us and we heard its details, it seemed completely suitable to us."

Jewish Life in a Muslim Country

You arrived in Dubai at the beginning of the month of Kislev, which means you have been there for over a month. What does your role actually include?

"We did not arrive into an empty space," Levi wants to clarify. "There is the country’s rabbi here – Rabbi Levi Duchman who has been operating here for six years and established a splendid community. The Jewish community he leads is quite diverse – there are business people, mainly Americans and French, but also a few Israelis. We, meanwhile, mainly focus on the Israeli, Hebrew-speaking audience. Our activities are aimed at those who have made this their residence for business purposes as well as the many travelers who continue to arrive even at this time, despite the lockdown in Israel, and although it is unclear when they will be able to return home or if they will be required to quarantine or not. People are drawn to Dubai like a magnet, and we feel that this is our mission, like in every Chabad House worldwide. We have the privilege to be the address for every Jewish matter – both spiritual and material."

Have you already made contact with the authorities and the royal families?

"The connections with the authorities are under Rabbi Duchman’s authority, so we were not required to introduce ourselves to them, and we just enjoy the wide connections he has already forged. Just last week, Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, Shlita, the first to Zion, arrived here for a historic visit as Rabbi Duchman’s guest to develop the needs of the Jewish community, and he was received with great respect by the ministers and the royal family. Nevertheless, the feeling is of real freedom of religion, and it is wonderful. We feel the government respects us greatly and allows Judaism to flourish without any problem. Even the citizens themselves receive us with open arms. We wish for all Jewish communities in Europe to feel as safe as we do here."

Honestly – you’re young, without much experience, and you come into a role of significant magnitude. Aren’t there fears?

"Of course there are fears, after all, it’s natural. But we don’t come in our own strength. Hashem stands behind us and we also have the blessing of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, who has always sent Chabad emissaries to spread the faith in Hashem. As such, the fear fades away as if it never was. My grandparents risked their lives in communist Russia for the dissemination of Judaism, so lack of experience is not something that would hinder us in fulfilling our role."

Being emissaries during COVID-19 is undoubtedly especially challenging. How does COVID-19 affect your role?

"The pandemic certainly brings its challenges: concern, masks, and social distancing. But our goal is to connect souls to draw closer to Hashem. We strive to do everything within the existing legal frameworks without being stopped, slowed, or alarmed."

Levi pauses for a moment, then seeks to add: "Every mission has its uniqueness. I think what’s so special about us is the fact that we have the privilege to host such large groups of Israelis and to show them what seems so unexpected—vibrant Jewish life existing in a Muslim country, and it's very exciting."