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Riyadh laments ‘unfortunate’ incident where visiting US rabbi told to remove kippah

By Jacob Magid 12 March 2024, 8:41 pm 3 Edit

Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief

Rabbi Abraham Cooper, center, of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, speaks in front of civic and faith leaders outside City Hall, May 20, 2021, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Rabbi Abraham Cooper, center, of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, speaks in front of civic and faith leaders outside City Hall, May 20, 2021, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

WASHINGTON — Saudi Arabia weighs in for the first time on what it calls an “unfortunate” incident that took place yesterday in which a rabbi leading a US delegation visiting a holy site in Saudi Arabia was told by local authorities to remove his religious head covering.

“The matter was escalated to senior officials, and HRH the Ambassador [Reema Bandar Al-Saud] had the opportunity to speak with the Rabbi,” reads a statement from Saudi embassy in Washington, without expressly voicing regret over the incident. “We look forward to welcoming him back to the kingdom.”

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) said Monday it cut short its visit to Saudi Arabia after Rabbi Abraham Cooper “refused their requests that he remove his religious head covering” during a visit to Diriyah, a historic town that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

“No one should be denied access to a heritage site, especially one intended to highlight unity and progress, simply for existing as a Jew,” Cooper said in a statement.

The USCIRF statement said Cooper and its vice chair Reverend Frederick Davie were invited to tour the site last Tuesday as part of their official visit when, after several delays to the tour, officials requested that Cooper remove his kippah “while at the site and anytime he was to be in public, even though the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs had approved the site visit.”

Saudi Arabia “is in the midst of encouraging change under its 2030 Vision,” Cooper noted. “However, especially in a time of raging antisemitism, being asked to remove my kippah made it impossible for us from USCIRF to continue our visit.”

The USCIRF said it was particularly regrettable it happened to the representative of “an American government agency that promotes religious freedom.”

The commission is a US government advisory body mandated by the US Congress.

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