Rabbi Mendy Chitrik, chief rabbi of Istanbul’s Ashkenazic community and chairman of the Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States (ARIS), was part of a group that paid a most unusual condolence call a week ago Monday. The official purpose of the visit was to pay respects to the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, on the passing of his father, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani. The delegation included Rabbi Chitrik; his son Rabbi Eli Chitrik, chief rabbi of Qatar; Rabbi Yehuda Gerami, chief rabbi of Iran; and Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kozan, chief rabbi of Nigeria. The condolence call, in the Qatari capital of Doha, took Rabbi Chitrik and his colleagues into a lion’s den. Qatar is a prime funder of Hamas and has served as a sanctuary for the terror group’s leaders, such as Khaled Mashal and Ismail Haniyeh.