Jewish sukkah rises at base of world's tallest tower in UAE

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Visitors to the world’s tallest building, a tapering cylinder of aluminum and glass that has become emblematic of modern Dubai, may encounter an unlikely sight this week: a small, tent-like structure made of sticks, leaves and twine.

The significance is likely lost on most passersby, but for Dubai’s long-secret Jewish community, the public presence of a sukkah — the temporary shelter where Jews gather to celebrate the weeklong harvest festival of Sukkot — at the base of the iconic Burj Khalifa marks a new achievement.

The sukkah sprouted up last week outside the first kosher restaurant in the United Arab Emirates, following a U.S.-brokered deal to normalize relations between the UAE and Israel.

Rabbi Mendel Duchman, who supervises the restaurant’s kosher standards, told The Associated Press on Monday that Dubai’s Jewish community, which has worshipped for years at an unmarked villa in the city-state, “is being heard more than ever” after the deal.

The agreement, signed at a White House ceremony last month, reflects the changing politics of the Middle East, in which shared concerns about archenemy Iran have largely overtaken traditional Arab support for the Palestinians, who reject the deal as a betrayal.

The accord touched off a flurry of commercial activity. Companies in both countries are striking trade deals. Emirati hotels are launching kosher catering services to feed an expected influx of Israeli tourists and businessmen. On Monday, Dubai’s government announced the UAE and Israel are teaming up to host large-scale Israeli exhibitions and conferences in the emirates by the year’s end. The statement touted plans to develop business partnerships valued at $500 million a year.

The recently opened kosher restaurant at Burj Khalifa, Armani/Kaf, features...