The first ever Jewish circumcision ceremony took place on Sunday on an infant in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

Chabad rabbi Yehuda Teichtal, who is from Berlin, oversaw the historic brit for a family who were not named in reports, but who had themselves previously lived in Germany.

They are believed to have moved to the UAE after living in Berlin, Ynet reported.

A small Jewish community has lived in the UAE for some time, but their existence has only become publicised over the past year.

Emirates governments in Abu Dhabi and Dubai have wanted to show themselves as centres of commerce and newfound religious tolerance.

A first synagogue is scheduled to open in Abu Dhabi in 2022 — while one already exists in Dubai.

In May, Rabbi Yehuda Sarna, the chaplain at New York University, became the first chief rabbi of the Jewish community of the United Arab Emirates.