Hundreds attend virtual event hosted by the Touro College and University System to hear from the first and only Jewish ambassador from an Arab country. (Courtesy of Touro College) In a conversation with Touro President Dr. Alan Kadish, Ambassador Houda Nonoo, Bahrain’s former ambassador to the United States, shared that while antisemitism is on the rise in the West, it is not an issue in the Arabian Gulf. Hundreds participated in the virtual event hailing from Bahrain, Brazil, Israel, the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Egypt, South America, and Spain. In a wide-ranging, hour-long discussion as part of the Touro Talks program, Dr. Kadish and Ambassador Nonoo recounted her experience as the Arab world’s first Jewish ambassador, the Abraham Accords and the Bahrain Jewish community’s experience when it was announced that the Kingdom would be participating in the historic accords. Ambassador Nonoo spoke about visiting Israel for the first time in November 2020, when she joined the foreign minister’s delegation. The conversation concluded with a lengthy discussion about the growth of Jewish life in the Arabian Gulf and the role that the Association of Gulf Jewish Communities is playing in providing resources and services to the Jewish communities in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.