Episode 19

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Published on:

13th Nov 2020

#19 - Jewanced Presents: Meet the Emiratis!

Join Jewanced for an unforgettable conversation as Benny and Dan host a panel of young, influential Emiratis to learn about life in the UAE and their feelings about their country’s new normalization with Israel under the Abraham Accords.

Following the ratification of the Abraham Accords, what can we anticipate for the people of Israel, the UAE and Bahrain, as well as for the broader Middle East?

Topics covered include:

 o  A day in the life of the average Emirati

o  Emirati culture and cuisine

o  Household economics and the cost of living in the UAE

o  The business environment in the Gulf

o  Islam in the UAE and its integration with a dazzlingly modern society

o  The significance of the Abraham Accords for the young generation of Emiratis

o  Emirati values of tolerance and how it relates to Israeli and Jewish visitors and residents in the UAE

o  Emirati excitement to learn about Israel and the Jewish People

o  And more!

About our panelists:

May Albadi

May is an Emirati food blogger and culture expert, based in Abu Dhabi. She is a co-authoring a cookbook about kosher Emirati cuisine called ‘Kosherati’, together with Dubai-based Elli Kriel, the creator of Elli’s Kosher Kitchen, the UAE’s first kosher catering business.

Follow May on Twitter @MayALBadi

Thani Al Shirawi

Thani is a prominent young Dubai-based businessman where he serves as the vice chairman and deputy group managing director of the Oasis Investment Company. He is a co-founder of the UAE-Israel Business Council. 

Follow Thani on Twitter @Thani75

Norah Alawadhi

Based in Dubai, Norah is a popular Emirati social media influencer. Bursting with positive energy, she is very active in many groups promoting the UAE-Israel relationship and people-to-people connections between the two nations. Notably, Norah became the face of the historic Abraham Accords in the UAE when she was featured as the Emirati woman in the viral UAE-Israel flag photo taken against the stunning backdrop of the Burj Khalifa and Dubai skyline.

Follow Norah on Twitter @thekingnorah

Follow Norah on Instagram

Link to an article about the famous UAE-Israel flag photo

Ahmed Al Mansoori

Ahmed serves as a forensic investigator with the Abu Dhabi police. Since the Abraham Accords were signed, he has made it his mission to learn as much about Judaism, the Jewish People and Israel as possible and is truly excited to see the developing relationship between the two peoples and countries exceed all expectations.

Follow Ahmed on Twitter @Hackmed804

 

For this episode, we are proud to collaborate with our partners:

  • The Jewish Agency for Israel’s Partnershiptogether Western Galilee and associated Jewish Federation Communities in the United States:
  • The Jewish Federation of Ft. Worth and Tarrant County
  • The Jewish Federation of Greater Austin
  • The Jewish Federation of San Antonio
  • The Youngstown Area Jewish Federation
  • The Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton
  • The Jewish Federation of Greater Toledo
  • The Jewish Federation of Omaha
  • The Buffalo Jewish Federation
  • The Jewish Federation of Louisville
  • The Jewish Federation of Greater Des Moines
  • The Jewish Federation of Northwest Indiana
  • The Jewish Federation of St. Joseph Valley
  • The Jewish Federation of Fort Wayne
  • The Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis
  • The Jewish Federation of Peoria
  • The Jewish Federation of Springfield

Be sure to watch our LIVE RECORDING of this episode on YouTube!

As always, make sure to subscribe to Jewanced on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

For more information about Jewanced, visit us at www.jewanced.com

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About the Podcast

Jewanced
A nuanced exploration of Israel, the Jewish world and beyond
Jewanced is hosted by Dan Feferman and Benny Scholder, two guys who grew up in America and live in Israel.
They're curious. They want to discuss. They want to challenge popular conceptions, they want to think critically, examine independently, and most of all, they crave nuance.

Each episode features a different guest. All interesting and original people who strive to break boundaries. Together with Dan and Benny, take a deep dive into politics, foreign affairs, religion, science, technology, food, the arts, business – you name it. Explore the nuanced crossroads of Israel, the global Jewish experience, and beyond.

What's the goal? To create a daring platform where people share their stories, insights, creations, and visions. Jewanced has no talking points, no script, no agenda...just a deeper nuanced understanding of our existence.

Join them on a journey as they explore, think, debate and discuss …. And most of all, listen.

About your hosts

Benny Scholder

Profile picture for Benny Scholder
With over a decade of experience in Israel's tourism industry, Benny has managed sales, marketing, travel content, digital content, and the operations aspects of tour companies and travel agencies. Today, he is the Director of Sales-North America at Kenes Tours, Israel's leading provider of incoming tourism services, where he is proud to deliver transformative, custom-crafted Israel travel experiences designed to exceed expectations.
Originally from Minneapolis, Benny fell in love with Israel as a young adult, moving to the country in 2004. He has an extensive background in everything Israel-travel related, having completed Israel's intensive tour guide course in 2010. His career spans both logistical, content-related, and sales management positions with major and boutique Israeli tour companies alike. Benny lives with his amazing wife Maayan and two incredible children in the charming village of Gedera. In addition to his passion for transformative travel experiences, he's super passionate about food, modern & ancient history, politics, addictive TV, and game-changing podcasts. Contact him at Benny@jewanced.com

Dan Feferman

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Dan Feferman is a Major (res.) in the Israel Defense Forces. For almost a decade, he served as a foreign policy and national security analyst, strategist and adviser in the IDF General Staff; as a special assistant to the Deputy Chief of the General Staff; and a commander in an elite intelligence unit of AMAN's Research and Analysis Division.

He is a fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute, a think-tank focusing on issues of importance to Israel and the Jewish people, where he researches religious pluralism in Israel, trends in Jewish identity and Israel-Diaspora relations. He is also a political and strategic consultant and publishes and speaks widely on the Middle East and Israeli defense and political matters.

He is the author of Rising Streams: Reform and Conservative Judaism in Israel, and of a soon-to-be-published book on the changing face of American Judaism.

Dan holds a BA in International Politics and Middle East Studies from the American University in Washington DC and an MA in National Security Studies from Tel Aviv University.

Originally from Indiana, Dan moved to Israel in 2005. He is married to Elisheva, has three amazing kids, and lives in Rehovot. When taking a break, Dan stays busy with Crossfit, martial arts and cooking.