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Solly Wolf is a Jewish businessman residing in the
UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
. He is the president of the
Jewish Community Center of UAE The Jewish Community Center of UAE is a community led by the Chabad Rabbi Levi Duchman and community president Solly Wolf. History Since the formation of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 1971, a small Jewish community grew and lived in the UA ...
.


Life


Early life

Wolf was raised in the English city of
Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
. In an interview with
Ami Magazine ''Ami Magazine'' ( he, עמי, "My people") is an international news magazine that caters to the Orthodox Jewish community. It is published weekly in New York and Israel. The magazine was launched in November 2010 by Rabbi Yitzchok Frankfurter ( ...
, he recalled:
“We had a traditional home. My zeidy 'Grandpa''was a
Sadigura Sadhora ( uk, Садгора; german: Sadagora; pl, Sadagóra; ro, Sadagura; yi, סאדיגורא Sadigora, also Sadagura and Sadiger) is a settlement in Ukraine, now a Sadhirskyi District of Chernivtsi city, which is located 6 km from the ...
chasid with a long beard. My father was also traditional. He davened and put on
tefillin Tefillin (; Modern Hebrew language, Israeli Hebrew: / ; Ashkenazim, Ashkenazic pronunciation: ), or phylacteries, are a set of small black leather boxes with leather straps containing scrolls of parchment inscribed with verses from the Torah. Te ...
every day, and even donated a few
sifrei Torah A ( he, סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה; "Book of Torah"; plural: ) or Torah scroll is a handwritten copy of the Torah, meaning the five books of Moses (the first books of the Hebrew Bible). The Torah scroll is mainly used in the ritual of Tor ...
to shuls, but he wasn't a chasid. In my college there were approximately 150 students from all over the world. In those years it was still before the
Iranian Revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...
, and a lot of
Iranian Jews Persian Jews or Iranian Jews ( fa, یهودیان ایرانی, ''yahudiān-e-Irāni''; he, יהודים פרסים ''Yəhūdīm Parsīm'') are the descendants of Jews who were historically associated with the Persian Empire, whose successor s ...
were sending their children outside the country to get a good Jewish education. There were also students from
Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
and South America. "
After his Graduation, he launched a jewelry business in Piccadilly Circus, London.


Arrival to Germany

Wolf eventually moved to Germany, where his wife's family was from. Although he lived in
Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
, his in-laws lived in the town of
Rosenheim Rosenheim is a city in Bavaria, Germany. It is an independent city located in the centre of the district of Rosenheim (Upper Bavaria), and is also the seat of its administration. It is located on the west bank of the Inn at the confluence of the ...
, Bavaria. He would visit Rosenheim regularly. Wolf recalled that Jews were so rare in Rosenheim, that locals would say phrases like, "I'm going to shop by the Jew". His father in-law was referred to by the Moniker of " Herr Jude". After a year and a half, Wolf sold his Jewellery business in London to start a Textile shop in
Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
with his wife; which became very successful. Wolf said:
Then in the early ’90s I began to notice that many of my customers were extremely wealthy
Arab women The roles of women in the Arab world have changed throughout history, as the culture and society in which they live has undergone significant transformations. Historically, as well as presently, the situation of women differs greatly between A ...
. Every year they’d arrive in July and August and buy like crazy. The whole street would be blocked by their black limousines, chauffeurs and bodyguards. I didn't know exactly who they were, but they had big money and they were spending it."
Wolf eventually realized that they were Royals from
Arab countries The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western As ...
. Most of his customers were from the
United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
, but there were many from countries like
Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...
,
Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...
,
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
, and
Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...
.


Move to the United Arab Emirates

After a while, some of Wolf's Emirati customers invited him to visit the
UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
for business. Wolf accepted it reluctantly at first, but after visiting Dubai he decided that he was impressed. He moved to the Emirates shortly after.


Activities in the UAE

Solly Wolf has praised the
Abraham Accords The Abraham Accords are a series of joint normalization statements initially between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain, effective since September 15, 2020. Mediated by the United States, the initial announcement of August 13, 2020, ...
, and was one of those who helped accommodate for the U.S.-Israeli Delegation to the country when the deal was signed. Wolf also told Israel's Channel 12 that such a deal had already been widely expected in the United Arab Emirates. In addition, he has promoted Israeli Tourism in the UAE.


Personal life

Wolf is fluent in many languages, including
Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
. He has met with many members of the Emirati Royal Family, including
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum ( ar, محمد بن راشد آل مكتوم, links=no; ; born 15 July 1949) is the Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, vice president, prime minister, and minister of defence of the United Arab Emir ...
. He has also met Israeli Politician
Omer Yankelevich Omer Yankelevich ( he, עוֹמֶר יַנְקֵלֵבִיץ׳, born 25 May 1978) is an Israeli attorney, educator, social activist, and politician. She was the Minister of Diaspora Affairs and was a Member of the Knesset for the Blue and White ...
. He has a close relationship with
Naum Koen Naum Koen (Russian: Наум Коен) is an UAE-based Israeli-Ukrainian businessman and philanthropist who is the founder and CEO of NY Koen Group. Koen is the chairman and founder of the Jewish Community Center of UAE. He was named Honorary Ch ...
.


See also

*
Naum Koen Naum Koen (Russian: Наум Коен) is an UAE-based Israeli-Ukrainian businessman and philanthropist who is the founder and CEO of NY Koen Group. Koen is the chairman and founder of the Jewish Community Center of UAE. He was named Honorary Ch ...
* Ross Kriel *
Levi Duchman Levi Duchman ( hלוי דוכמן}, aحاخام ليفي دوخمان}) is the first resident chief rabbi of the United Arab Emirates. Since his arrival in the UAE in 2014, he has established Jewish communities in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and a numbe ...


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wolf, Solly English Jews Emirati Jews Emirati businesspeople Living people Year of birth missing (living people) People from Brighton