Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Meandering through the narrow, crowded streets of the Manama souk Abraham Nonoo pauses outside a perfume shop and waves to a bespectacled octogenarian.
'That's Yacoub Yadgar,' he says. 'His father was the first recorded Jew to come to Bahrain.'
That was in the 1880s, explains Mr Nonoo as he expertly dodges cars and taxis, traders from the Indian subcontinent and locals dressed in neat white thobes and flowing black abayas.
'My grandfather arrived from Iraq shortly after, and started to prosper by buying dresses that Bahraini women didn't want. He took the silver threads from the garments, melted them down and sold them,' he explains as he rapidly winds his way through a network of lanes and alleys.
Over the sound of a muezzin from a nearby mosque, he adds: 'At one point there were so many Jews trading here that the souk was closed on Saturdays for Shabbat.'
A few streets later he gestures to a non-descript, beige-coloured building with two windows and a locked door.
Apart from graffiti scrawled in Arabic that reads 'death to Israel,' there is no outward sign that it is anything other than an ageing Manama house.
But this unassuming single-storey building is the only synagogue in the Gulf.
Like the community it serves, it is tiny, understated and low profile.
Inside the prayer hall is the size of a large sitting room and dusty benches are stacked against the wall.
No one has worshipped there for almost 60 years.
Mr Nonoo's father rebuilt the synagogue after it was destroyed during riots sparked by the creation of the state of Israel in 1948.
'The original temple was built in the 1930s by a French man who was Jewish, and the Jews here used the temple regularly,' explains Mr Nonoo.
But today, he says, it is virtually impossible to get members of the community together to use it and no one has prayed there since it was rebuilt.
'We had every intention to start worshipping here but the location is nowhere near where any of us live and there are very few of us left. It is under my father's and the community's care and it will stay as it is us until the time comes when somebody will use it,' he says.
A few miles across town in Gudaibiya lies the Jewish cemetery, separated by a narrow road from a Christian one.
The football-pitch-sized plot of land was designated by the government for the community and houses roughly 80 graves interspersed with date palms and swathes of bougainvillea.
To outsiders, Bahrain's Jewish community is one of the most surprising religious minorities existing in the kingdom. Although estimates vary, at its peak in the 1940s the community is believed to have numbered more than 1,000. But today it has dwindled to just 36.
The handful of families that make up the community are pillars of society with successful well-known businesses built up over generations.
Mr Nonoo's grandfather started the country's first foreign-exchange business which continues to flourish, the Yadgar family prospered from the textile and perfume trade, and another prominent family the Khedouris are Bahrain's leading importer of tablecloths and linen.
But this tiny Jewish outpost, which is unique in the Gulf and which has withstood the dramatic upheavals of the 20th Century, may soon die out.
Mr Nonoo, now 48, thinks it will vanish altogether within the next 20 years.
'My feeling is that the community is dying. How can it continue if the elders and the ones who knew how to pray are gone, the new ones aren't learning and there are no new people coming in?' he asks.
His thoughts are echoed by Nancy Khedouri, 32, a Bahraini Jew of Iraqi descent, whose book, From Our Beginning to the Present Day, traces the origins of the Bahraini Jews.
'I strongly believe that the Jewish community here is dying out,' she asserts. 'Although life here is very comfortable for everyone, the community is unable to multiply.
'The older generation have already raised their families and as far as the prevailing younger generation are concerned, the singles of marriageable age encounter a hard time finding a suitable Jewish spouse willing to reside in the Gulf, mainly due to their reluctance to leave their existing lifestyle abroad and to settle in a country that has a dwindling community.
'They are not prepared to miss out on interaction with a larger Jewish community and prefer that their children do not lack a Jewish education.'
Bahrain has no rabbi and the last Hebrew school closed its doors decades ago.
The community worship in their homes, coming together for special occasions. Those who are able to conduct ceremonies are too elderly to do so, says Mr Nonoo and the younger generations tend to read from transliterated books.
Mr Nonoo's cousin, Houda Ezra Nonoo, said that the last Jewish wedding in Bahrain was in 1968, and when her sons' Bar Mitzvahs were held a few years ago, a rabbi had to be flown in from London.
And, according to Mr Nonoo who has two young children, there are only seven Bahraini Jews of school age in the country.
Bahrain may be facing the loss of one of its most unique communities but if it is, it is in no way due to domination or discrimination.
Since the arrival of Jews from Iran, Iraq and India at the turn of the 20th Century, they have been integrated into Bahrain's society.
'If you look at the Jewish community here they will tell you that first and foremost they are Bahrainis,' says Mr Nonoo.
Yacoub Yadgar, who was born in Bahrain in 1925 is one of the most senior members of the community. He started a successful textile business in the 1950s, later moving to the perfume trade and continues to manage the family business with his son.
He remembers the pre-oil days before electricity or towering buildings, and says that it was a simple, easy life. 'We have been very happy here,' he says. 'There has never been any trouble and everybody helps each other. It is the safest place in the world. It is an easy life, the government treats everyone the same, and we are very content.'
Although the community has maintained a low-profile, as early as 1934, Bahraini Jews were incorporated into the politics of the country.
Mr Nonoo's grandfather, also named Abraham, was elected to the Manama Municipality - the country's first-ever elected municipal body.
Following the political reforms of 2002, Mr Nonoo was appointed by His Majesty King Hamad to sit in the Shura Council, the parliament's upper house.
'The Shura Council was a forward thinking institution which tried to include as many minorities as possible. They had me and Alice Simaan, a Christian, and it worked very well because it created an inclusive institution which took into account the views of minorities when taking decisions,' explains Mr Nonoo.
Today, his cousin Houda Ezra Nonoo sits on the council and is the first female Jewish representative.
She said: 'The Shura Council reflects the diverse nature of Bahraini society which includes people from all walks of life and we all represent the people of Bahrain.'
She does not share the views that the Jewish community is in decline and in her opinion it continues to thrive.
While religious tolerance is, and was, practised in Bahrain, there have been occasional outbreaks of anti-Semitism, sparked by major political shifts in the region. However, on each occasion, the ruling bodies condemned it.
The creation of the state of Israel in 1948 led to widespread rioting. In her book, Ms Khedouri describes the looting of Jewish homes and shops and the death of a Jewish woman.
But she claims that the violence was perpetrated by outsiders, not Bahrainis.
Her view is supported by Sir Charles Belgrave, a political advisor to the rulers of Bahrain when it was a British protectorate.
He recalled in a memoir: 'The leading Arabs were genuinely shocked by the affair; most of them had behaved very well and when possible, had given shelter and protection to their Jewish neighbours ... It was a most unfortunate affair but it had one surprising affect; it put an end to any active aggression by the Bahrain Arabs against the Jews of Bahrain.'
During the riots the synagogue was ransacked the sacred Torah scrolls were taken. Remarkably, four decades later a man entered the shop of Mr Nonoo's father, and returned the scrolls.
'He said his family had suffered so much death and illness as a result of taking them, he had to return them. Today they are in a synagogue in London,' explains Mr Nonoo.
After the events of 1948 the majority of Bahraini Jews emigrated, some to the UK and US and some to Israel.
Those who left Bahrain were among an estimated 85,000 Jews who left their homes in Arab lands after 1948.
'The families who decided to leave and those who opted to remain did so at their own discretion,' says Ms Khedouri.
Those that went to Israel Sir Belgrave recalled, 'set off with high hopes that they were bound for a land flowing with milk and honey, but soon reports reached those who remained in Bahrain that
life in
Those who remained faced no serious problems until the Six-Day Arab-Israeli war of 1967 which inflamed Muslim-Jewish tensions.
Rouben Rouben, 53, an electronics retailer, remembers: “There were mass demonstrations but the police came to protect us. They stood in front of our shop and told us not to worry or to close the store. I was only a kid but it is such a strong memory.”
He also recalls that when the late Amir died in 1999, his son King Hamad called the community together.
“He brought us together and reassured us, he said you don’t have to fear anything, nothing will change,” he says.
Mr Rouben’s grandfather was also one of the early Jewish settlers in
“There is no prejudice. In business sectors no one says, ‘don’t buy from him because he is Jewish.’
“We are integrated into the Bahraini community and we consider ourselves Bahrainis. That is my nationality and my religion is Jewish and
Mr Rouben does not have children, but his two nieces are studying at
“That is an example of the lack of prejudice here,” he says. “There is a lot to be learned from
Both Mr Nonoo and Ms Khedouri agree.
“It says a lot that I can tell you honestly that not once have I ever had a comment that made me feel out of place, and that is a wonderful thing. If we had experienced any antagonism or animosity we would have upped and left,” says Mr Nonoo.
He attributes the tolerance exercised generally by Bahrainis to an enlightened and strong leadership.
“The leadership here guides the people and the people have been guided not to be antagonistic to minorities,” he says.
Ms Kedhouri believes that the relationship has always been friendly because of the community’s allegiance to
“Although our religion is Jewish, we are Bahraini and consider ourselves Arab,” she says. “Our ruling government has continuously seen their Jewish community as law-abiding citizens, offering allegiance and loyalty to
“We are proud to be Bahraini and hope our government and country are proud of us too.”
There is certainly evidence of that. Ministers and members of the Royal Family have welcomed the continued presence of Bahraini Jews. Although a number of expatriate Jews live in GCC countries,
For Ms Khedouri,
The families who have built their lives here are the keepers of an extraordinary history.
In a region ravaged by religious tensions, the relationship of
“People are fascinated by our story. But we’re not of any size to be fascinated about. What amazes me is the number of religions that are tolerated here. There are Hindus and every kind of Christian, even Mormons,” says Mr Nonoo.
However, if their story does come to an end, it will be because of history’s one constant – all communities in all times and places constantly adapt to new possibilities for life.
But
As Mr Rouben says: “Our community is getting smaller and smaller, but that is simply life.”
