Congregation Ohav Sholom

Island Girl

It would be a stretch to claim that the Jews of the small island of Bahrain had it tough. As in many Arab countries, the Jews of Bahrain were predominantly merchants and had a high standard of living relative to that of the native Arab population. In addition to being merchants or storekeepers, they also worked in the banking field and in the oil industry, as white-collar workers. Bahrain is situated in the Persian Gulf, about 10 miles off the coast of Saudi Arabia. It became an independent country in 1971, after being a protectorate of Britain since 1861. Most of the Bahraini Jewish population had its roots in Iraq in a wave of immigration, which took place in the late 1800's, after a few adventurous Jews from Basra spotted a potentially lucrative business opportunity and set up shop on the island. Before long, Jews from India and from countries around the Persian Gulf, especially Iran, joined their Iraqi co-religionists in Bahrain to produce a thriving and vibrant Jewish community, doing business in a polyglot of languages. To this day, at large gatherings of Bahraini Jewish ex-patriots in England, the U.S., Israel or Canada, one can discern conversations in Persian (Farsi), Arabic (Iraqi dialect), Hebrew and English.

This member of our congregation, Rachel, spent her childhood in Bahrain. It was a life that centered around her immediate and extended family; understandable, given her eight siblings and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins. All Jewish education took place in the home. Parents sent their children to one of three schools: public school, Catholic school or a private "American" school. In the public school, religious instruction centered on the teachings of the Koran. Jewish children were not exempt from attending such classes. The majority of Jewish boys attended public school. The most innocuous of the three options was the American school. However this option was available to girls only. Rachel and her sisters attended the American school because her parents were always against the girls attending the same school as Muslim boys.

The majority of Jewish families in Bahrain, sent their daughters to the American school. Before November of 1947 and in the periods between the various Arab-Israeli wars, life was good to the Jews of Bahrain. But just prior to, during and immediately after the various wars, Jewish existence proved to be somewhat precarious. This was typical of Jewish life in many Arab countries. After the U.N. vote in November 1947, partitioning Palestine into Jewish and Arab states, three days of protests and marches erupted. On the third day, the demonstrators began rioting. The only synagogue on the island, in the capital city of Manama was razed to the ground by Arab rioters and Jewish homes were looted. Life was never the same for the Jews of Bahrain. Yes, on the surface, things returned to normal, shortly after the riots of '47. But one had only to scratch the surface to realize that a sea change had taken place in relations between Jews and Arabs on the once tranquil isle. Gone was the absolute trust that had once existed between the two peoples. With the unspoken, but now always-present threat of more riots, looting and possibly worse (in other Arab countries there were murders), representatives of the Muslim community sent a letter to representatives of the Jewish community "requesting" donations to ease the plight of the Palestinians who became refugees as a result of the 1948 War. Thus the Bahraini Jew, had to rejoice quietly and proudly over the birth of the State of Israel while essentially forced to contribute to those who only months before had tried to vanquish the Jewish State.

Although religious observance gradually faded over the years, following the destruction of their synagogue, and the emigration from the island of some of the more knowledgeable Jews, the Bahraini Jews adhered stubbornly to their faith and traditions as best they could. Once a year, for example, the Jewish community would send for a mohel from India, who would cross the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf to perform a bris on all the Jewish males born since his last visit, the year before.

With each Arab-Israeli war, life for the Jews of Bahrain became increasingly untenable, in turn causing more and more Jewish families to leave the island, mostly for London and Israel and a handful to the U.S. and Canada. Others who had lucrative businesses would relocate only the women and children abroad, while the men would stay in Bahrain to tend to their businesses. Marriage prospects for those who stayed became more and more limited as the number of marriageable Jewish males and females dwindled, to the point, where not infrequently, first cousins would marry. Marrying out of the Jewish religion was frowned upon and rarely done. When today, one hears of such rare occasions from the past, it's always in hushed tones of embarrassment, scandal or just plain disappointment.

At last, Rachel's parents came to the inevitable realization that although economically life in Bahrain was viable, long term prospects for the children as Jews were not rosy. So they packed their belongings and moved to Israel. This was in 1969, not coincidentally, a mere two years after the Six Day War. During and immediately following the war, there were fears of Arab disturbances, as had been the case in previous Arab-Israeli wars. Some of the locals did extend a hand to Rachel's family and to other Jewish families, so that no harm would come to them. But the bottom line was that the family's well being was dependent on the good will of the local Muslim population. Enough was enough. It was time to pack up and leave.

Rachel left Bahrain as a child in 1969 and moved with her family to the land of Israel. There she resided for the next twenty years. In 1980, she met an American who had made Aliyah, a short while before. A brief courtship ensued and the couple became engaged. In 1981, they were wed in Tel-Aviv. The young couple started a family of their own and in 1988 moved to the New York area, with their two children.

I am now fortunate to call that young girl who left Bahrain in 1969, my wife.

March 2002

Michael Rosenbloom is a member of Congregation Ohav Sholom. He can be reached at spidermr@aol.com.

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