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Although a Jewish community in the geographical area of Bahrain (Bahrayn) is referred to in the Talmud, in Arabic sources, and by the twelfth-century travler Benjamin of Tudela, the modern Jewish community traces its origins to the late 1880s, when Saleh Eliyahou Yadgar left his home in Basra and settled in Manama, the capital.  Subsequently, Jewish families from Basra, Baghdad, and other places in Iraq, and from Iran settled in Manama, and a synagogue and at least two Hebrew schools were established.Jews faced few social or economic restrictions in Bahrain, enjoyed excellen…

Houda Ezra Ebrahim Noono (Ar. Hudā ʿIzrā Ibrāhīm Nūnū), born September 7, 1964, is a Bahraini diplomat and civic leader. In July 2008, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa (Ḥamad bin ʿĪsā Āl Khalīfa) appointed her Bahrain’s ambassador to the United States. As such, she became the first Jewish ambassador of any Arab country. She is also the first female Bahraini ambassador to the United States, and only the third female Bahraini ambassador to any country. In 2006, the king  appointed Noono to Bahrain’s Shura Council, the upper house of the National Assembly, where she ser…