Bahrain’s only Jewish parliamentarian addressed a packed audience at the Lauderdale Road Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue.

Nancy Khedouri, elected to the country’s legislative assembly in 2010, attended the landmark event organised by the Bahrain Embassy, shul and Board of Deputies.

“The Jewish community of Bahrain is able to live and worship freely. Bahrain is a model in the region and wider world for peaceful co-existence and mutual respect,” she said.

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The Board of Deputies president stressed the importance of “coming together in good faith. “In what seems like an increasingly polarised and divided world it is the relationships between communities and peoples, coming together in good faith, which hold the key for a better tomorrow,” she said.

A spokesperson for the Bahrain Embassy hailed the “historic and wonderful” event. “Religious tolerance and coexistence has a long history in Bahrain and it’s something that we have taken for granted,” the spokesperson said.

“Given what is happening in the region, tonight was a historic and wonderful opportunity to honour that heritage. Bahrain is proud of its Jewish population and the contribution it has made. H.E. Nancy Khedouri is an amazing example of this. We look forward to deepening links with the UK Jewish community.”