Become a Member
World

Chabad, Hamas and bagels in Doha: My Qatar Shabbat experience

The World Cup host is an anxious and uncertain place to be Jewish says Josh Glancy

December 1, 2022 12:55
Josh Qatar world cup 1
5 min read

It was Friday morning in Doha and I had a craving for some challah. Perhaps because I was 4,000 miles from home, perhaps it was the sound of the muezzin ringing around the rooftops, or perhaps I was just hungry for something fluffier than pita bread. Either way, only challah would do.

I’d heard a rumour that Rabbi Eli Chitrik of Istanbul was on the ground here giving out heimishe food, so I messaged the anonymous “Kosher in Qatar” Instagram account, saying I wanted in.

“Got any gear?” I inquired (I’m paraphrasing here).

“With pleasure,” came the response, along with instructions for where to meet.

The hotel, whose exact location remains under wraps, was walking distance from my World Cup apartment. I wandered over, unsure of what to expect.

Eli was standing outside the hotel, tzitzit flowing, black hat on his head, juggling two mobile phones, the very picture of a young Lubavitch rabbi. He welcomed me in and shoved two freshly baked challot into my hands.

Walking through the lobby of the hotel, a tall, nondescript Israeli man wished us Shabbat Shalom. “They put me in with the Israeli security guys,” Eli grinned.

In his hotel room were two huge containers full of challah rolls. In the wardrobe, where most people might hang their shirts, was a small pile of wrapped and filled bagels. Most of them had already been snaffled. “The demand has been insane,” Eli explained, handing me a couple.

In many ways, this is part of an encouraging Jewish World Cup story. People are making kosher food in Doha, despite it also being home to Hamas’s leadership-in-exile. Elsewhere in this tournament, we’ve seen Israeli journalists reporting, and clearly Israeli security are operating on the ground.

Flights are coming from Tel Aviv with Israeli and Palestinian football fans on them. The Lubavitchers are being their usual enterprising selves.

And, most importantly, I was able to take challah sandwiches to the England vs USA game, which cheered my gentile colleagues up to no end amid a dispiriting Three Lions performance.

Eating fresh bagels that had been cooked in Qatar Airways ovens felt miraculous to me. Was this the greatest Jewish baking triumph in the Middle East since Hebrew slaves decided to skedaddle from Egypt?

It’s tempting to place this story in an uplifting normalisation narrative, part of the greater acceptance of Israel in the region, reflected by the Abraham Accords. Arab countries may not like the Jewish state, but in the Gulf at least, they are willing to do business with Israel and acknowledge its existence.

The United Arab Emirates has synagogues now, where services include a prayer for the ruling family. There is a kosher restaurant in Dubai’s Burj Khalifa.