'No Issues' for Jews in Saudi Arabia: Rabbi Herzog on growing openness and Israel normalization prospects

Rabbi Jacob Israel Herzog, founder of Saudi Arabia’s first Chabad House, says that for the kingdom, normalization with Israel is a diplomatic rather than a religious issue – and that for Jews in Saudi Arabia, “there are no problems.”

“I essentially changed the entire awareness about Saudi Arabia by helping people understand their attitude toward Jews and the broader picture of what’s happening there,” Herzog told Ynet.  “As a result, many Jews today walk openly in Saudi Arabia, and they have no issues – not just in one area. There are no problems.” 

In August 2023, Herzog claimed that Saudis were very welcoming to other cultures and religions.

“Everywhere I go, in Sunni areas, Shia areas, all over the country, the Saudis are very welcoming to other cultures, to other religions. They have a very deep knowledge of who the Jewish people are, what the Jewish people are all about… Thank God, they have been very welcoming and very respectful,” Herzog said at the time.

The rabbi told Ynet that a considerable number of Jews, relatively speaking, work full-time in Saudi Arabia today.

“There are about 2,000 Jews working in Saudi Arabia full-time,” he said. “Doctors, diplomatic staff, curious tourists – there’s a healthy number of Jews there, and that number has been rising in recent years.”

Ynet asked the rabbi whether he has observed any signs of increased openness toward Israelis in Saudi Arabia in the past two years, especially given the fact that, in the rabbi's own words, there is “no love for Israel” in the country.  

“Many of the Jews who travel to Saudi Arabia are also Israelis, and the Saudis know it,” Herzog responded. “Their passports say they were born in Israel. During COVID, people came with documents from Israeli health funds, and it wasn’t a problem. This is a diplomatic issue – not a religious one for them. They don’t have a fundamental problem with Israelis. It’s a diplomatic matter that will eventually work itself out.”

The rabbi stressed that he believes the road to normalization does not rely on a “Trump deal” but on Israel itself. 

 “I don’t think it’s a matter of chance. The State of Israel must create a reality where Saudi Arabia pursues us – not this obsession we currently have with a deal. That’s not how things work in the Middle East or in negotiations. The Saudis could teach the world how to negotiate,” Herzog said, giving his opinion on what might make the Saudis pursue Israel’s favor:

“I would suggest that we, here in Israel, create a situation where they come running after us. And we know what they want: defense pacts, financial benefits. I trust the people running this country and its leaders to know how to create that situation. Why on earth should we be the ones chasing them?”

On his Instagram account, Herzog calls himself the “Chief Rabbi of Saudi Arabia,” although no such official title exists. He divides his time between Israel and Saudi Arabia and says that in the past two years he went back for reserve duty as a rabbi in the IDF.

“In the past two years, I’ve spent quite a few days here in Israel doing reserve duty. I go wherever I’m needed,” he told Ynet, adding, “Even when I’m away, I have people there [in Saudi Arabia] handling everything, and thank God, we’re moving forward. This week, with God’s help, we’re completing a new Torah scroll for Saudi Arabia, which we’ll soon dedicate.”

Asked whether the Saudis had any trouble with his military reserve duty, the rabbi responded,

“Not at all. They see it as something that adds to my stature. The Saudis, like others in the Gulf, have great respect for strength. They understand that I’m not just a rabbi – I also know how to defend myself, my homeland and my people. So they say, ‘Wow,’ and it adds another level of respect to the role."