History of the Jews in Azerbaijan
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Mountain Jews, Ashkenazi Jews, Georgian Jews. |
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The history of the Jews in Azerbaijan dates back many centuries. Today, Jews in Azerbaijan mainly consist of three distinct groups: Mountain Jews, the most sizable and most ancient group; Ashkenazi Jews, who settled in the area during the late 19th-early 20th centuries, and during World War II; and Georgian Jews who settled mainly in Baku during the early part of the 20th century.
Distribution
Historically, Jews in Azerbaijan have been represented by various subgroups, mainly
History
Archaeological excavations carried out in 1990 resulted in the discovery of the remains of the 7th-century Jewish settlement near Baku, and of a synagogue 25 kilometres to the southeast of Quba.[1] The first religious meeting-house in Baku was built in 1832, and was reorganized into a synagogue in 1896; more synagogues were built in Baku and its suburbs in the late 19th century. The first choir synagogue in Baku opened in 1910.[4]
From the late 19th century, Baku became one of the centres of the
After
A friend of mine was approached by a gang of Azerbaijanis. He said he wasn’t Armenian, and they said, 'But you are Jewish, right? So we will beat you for the Arabs.'
I myself was attacked and cut on the face when I tried to help an Armenian friend. That’s when we began to think seriously about emigrating.
—Nathan V. Yeremeyev, a Jewish refugee and witness of the 1990 Baku pogrom.[5]
Most of the Azerbaijani Jewish population fled amid rising antisemitism and violence against Jews during the Soviet dissolution and independence of Azerbaijan. The majority of Jewish refugees from Azerbaijan emigrated to Israel or the United States. Israeli PM Yitzhak Shamir expressed hope that the Azerbaijani Jewish refugees could be settled in occupied West Bank. However, Israeli diplomat Miron Gordon, who oversaw issuing visas, welcomed Azerbaijani Jews regardless of whether they settled in Israel or the occupied territories. Gordon stated that of all the collapsing Soviet republics, the Jews in Azerbaijan faced the greatest threat of violence, and thus their immigration was prioritized by the Israeli Consulate.[5]
In a 1992 survey of antisemitism in the former Soviet Union, which compared results of a similar survey in 1990, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan displayed the largest surge in antisemitism. The causes were primarily attributed to Islamic nationalism and envy of Jews stereotyped as having wealth and privilege.[6]
Many Jewish émigrés from Azerbaijan settled in Tel-Aviv and Haifa. There are relatively large communities of Mountain Jewish expatriates from Azerbaijan in New York City and Toronto.
A new Jewish synagogue, which became one of the biggest synagogues in Europe opened in Baku on 9 March 2003. There is also a
In 2017, an
Mountain Jews
Mountain Jews are believed to have moved north making way to mass migration of
According to the 1926 Soviet census, there were 7,500 Mountain Jews in Azerbaijan (roughly 25% of the country's entire Jewish population).
Mountain Jews currently dominate the entire
Ashkenazi Jews
1811 is the year when the first Ashkenazi Jews settled in Baku, but their mass immigration to what is now Azerbaijan did not start until the 1870s. Their immigration was relatively steady leading them to outnumber the local Mountain Jewish community by 1910. They settled mostly in the booming oil-rich city of Baku. The Caspian-Black Sea Company, one of the leading oil companies in the Russian Empire, was established in Baku by the wealthy Rothschild family of German Jewish origin. Ashkenazi Jews continued immigrating to Azerbaijan until the late 1940s, with a number of them being World War II evacuees from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus who chose to stay in their country of refuge.[1]
Ashkenazi Jews were particularly active in Azerbaijani politics. Dr.
The post-1972 aliyah largely affected this subgroup of Azerbaijani Jews, as among all they were more exposed to emigration. This resulted in the decline of their number, making Mountain Jews the largest Jewish group of Azerbaijan by the mid-1990s. Today there are about 500 Ashkenazi Jews living in the country.[16]
Similar to many immigrant communities of the Czarist and Soviet eras in Azerbaijan, Ashkenazi Jews appear to be linguistically Russified. The majority of Ashkenazi Jews speak Russian as their first language with Azeri being spoken as the second. The number of Yiddish-speakers is unknown.
Rabbi Shneor Segal serves as the Chief Rabbi of the Ashkenazi community since 2010. He is a member of the Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States and the top Chabad emissary to Baku.
Other Jewish subgroups
It is not clear whether local Jewish communities had established ties with Georgian Jews before the Czarist epoch, however by the 1910s the Georgian Jewish diaspora in Baku already accounted for its own educational club. Today there are a few hundreds of Georgian Jews living in Azerbaijan.[1]
In 1827 first groups of
Krymchaks, who nowadays number only 2,500 people worldwide, consequently remained in quite low numbers in Azerbaijan throughout the 20th century. There were only 41 of them in the country in 1989. Bukharian Jews numbered 88 persons.[17]
Gerim and Subbotniks
Life of the community
In the Soviet era, Jews in Azerbaijan displayed high rates of marriage outside their community. In 1989, 48% of Ashkenazi Jews and 18% of Mountain Jews were married to non-Jews.[19]
Beginning in the 1960s, Azerbaijan's Jewish community experienced cultural revival. Jewish samizdat publications started being printed. Many cultural and Zionist organizations were reestablished in Baku and Sumqayit since 1987, and the first legal Hebrew courses in the Soviet Union were opened in Baku.[1]
Education in Jewish languages was discontinued by the Kremlin in the 1930s and the 1940s, and teaching in Yiddish and Juhuri was replaced by that in Russian. After the fall of the Soviet Union, a yeshiva opened in Baku in 1994 and an Ohr Avner Chabad Day School was established in 1999. In 1994, Hebrew was studied at one state university and offered as a course choice in two secondary schools.[1] On 31 May 2007, a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the Ohr Avner Chabad Centre for Jewish Studies took place in Baku. The centre is intended to include a day school, a kindergarten, residence halls, a scientific centre, a library, etc.[20]
According to the Report on Global Anti-Semitism released by the USA Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor on 5 January 2005, "Cases of prejudice and discrimination against Jews in the country were very limited, and in the few instances of anti-Semitic activity the Government has been quick to respond. The Government does not condone or tolerate persecution of Jews by any party".[21] Jews do not suffer from discrimination, and the country is remarkably free from anti-Semitism.[22]
In 2005
As of 2017, there are seven synagogues in Azerbaijan: three in Baku (one for each community, the Ashkenazi, Mountain and Georgian; the second one being the largest in the Caucasus), two in
A delegation of the World Jewish Congress visited Azerbaijan in September 2016 where during the talks with the Azeri President Ilham Aliyev emphasis was put on "Excellent relations with Jewish community and Israel".[23][24]
Azerbaijan was also visited by John Shapiro, executive director of the American Jewish Committee, in January 2017, shortly after the visit of Benjamin Netanyahu to Baku. During the interview, Shapiro said that "the delegation met with the Jewish community in Azerbaijan and saw they are very happy and feel very comfortable living in the country".[25]
In 2020, the
Historical demographics
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1886 | 10,357 | — |
1897 | 8,430 | −18.6% |
1926 | 59,768 | +609.0% |
1939 | 41,245 | −31.0% |
1959 | 46,091 | +11.7% |
1970 | 49,057 | +6.4% |
1979 | 44,345 | −9.6% |
1989 | 41,072 | −7.4% |
1999 | 8,916 | −78.3% |
2009 | 9,084 | +1.9% |
Source:
|
Famous Azerbaijani Jews
- Hero of Azerbaijan.
- artistic gymnast, he won the team gold and all around bronze with the Unified Team in the 1992 Olympicsin Barcelona.
- Max Black, British-American philosopher, who was a leading influential figure in analytic philosophy in the first half of the twentieth century.
- Misha Black, British architect and designer.
- Bella Davidovich, American pianist.[37]
- Larisa Dolina, Russian (former Soviet) jazz and pop singer and an actress.
- Dov Gazit, chief-commander of the IAF (Israeli Air Force) Technical School in Haifa, while serving in Africa, he acquired a lion cub, which became the first lion in Dr. Aharon Shulov Jerusalem Biblical Zoo.
- Parliament of Azerbaijan.[38]
- Lena Glaz, chess player, Israeli Woman International Master (WIM, 1985). She is a winner the Israeli Women's Chess Championship (1980).
- Solomon Grobshtein, One of the founders and organizers of the Azerbaijani oil industry.
- Yuli Gusman, film director and actor. He is the founder and CEO of the prestigious Nika Award.
- Sarit Hadad, Israeli singer. In October 2009, the Israeli Music TV Channel (Channel 24) crowned Hadad "best female singer of the 2000s".[39]
- Lala Hasanova, science fiction writer.
- Zarakh Iliev, billionaire property developer.
- lengthening limb bones and for his eponymous surgery.
- Telman Ismailov, Russian-Turkish entrepreneur and businessman
- World Chess Champion, writer, and political activist, considered by many to be the greatest chess player of all time.[40](father's side)
- radio journalist, publisher, and translator.
- Mirra Komarovsky, American pioneer in the sociology of gender.[41]
- Lev Landau, physicist who made fundamental contributions to many areas of theoretical physics, he received the 1962 Nobel Prize.[42]
- Ella Leya, Azerbaijani-American composer, singer, and writer.[43]
- Yagutil Mishiev, writer, author. The distinguished Teacher of the Republic of Dagestan and the Russian Federation.
- Lev Nussimbaum, writer and journalist[44]
- God Nisanov, property developer, philanthropist and Vice President of the World Jewish Congress. [45]
- Teimour Radjabov Azerbaijani chess grandmaster, his father Boris Sheynin was a Jew.
- Timur Rodriguez, Russian showman, singer, TV and radio personality. (mother's side)
- Vladimir Abramovich Rokhlin, mathematician
- Yosef Shagal, politician and former journalist, since 2012 he is the ambassador of Israel to Belarus.
- Zechariah Sitchin, author
- Grandmaster and the president of the Association of Chess Professionals.
- Boris Vannikov, Soviet government and military official, a three-star General.
- Lotfi A. Zadeh, mathematician, electrical engineer, computer scientist, creator of "fuzzy logic" artificial intelligence researcher and professor emeritus of computer science at the University of California, Berkeley.(mother's side) buried at 1st Alley of Honor in Baku in 2017.
- Woman Grandmaster, and the 1993 Senior Women's World Chess Champion.
- Russian Revolution.
See also
- Azerbaijan–Israel relations
- Jewish National Council (Azerbaijan)
- Judaism by country
- Ohr Avner Chabad Day School (Baku)
- Qırmızı Qəsəbə, the only completely Jewish town outside of Israel and The United States
- Religion in Azerbaijan
- Synagogues in Azerbaijan
- Quba mass grave
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Азербайджан". eleven.co.il. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
- ^ (in Russian) Ethnic Composition of Azerbaijan According to the 1999 Census by Arif Yunusov. Demoscope.ru
- ^ "The Jewish Population of the World (2010)". Jewish Virtual Library., based on American Jewish Year Book. American Jewish Committee.
- ^ a b "Баку". eleven.co.il. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
- ^ a b Hamilton, Masha (30 January 1990). "Jews Join Exodus From Azerbaijan : Soviet Union: Some tell tales of threats and violence by Muslims. Most want to emigrate to Israel or the U.S." Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 1 July 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
- ^ Simon, Stephanie (12 June 1992). "Survey Finds Anti-Semitism on Rise in Ex-Soviet Lands : Prejudice: Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan are cited. Researcher warns of 'dark, primitive feelings.'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2 February 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
- ^ a b "Sinaqoqlar". scwra.gov.az. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
- ^ "New synagogue ready for Passover". The European Azerbaijan Society. Retrieved 15 April 2017.
- ^ "God Nisanov and Zarakh Iliev open Mountain Jews Community Center in Moscow". Arutz Sheva. 6 January 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
- ^ "European Values Bought and Sold: An exploration into Azerbaijan's sophisticated system of projecting its international influence, buying Western politicians and capturing intergovernmental organisations" (PDF). Civic Solidarity Platform. Freedom Files Analytical Centre. March 2017. pp. 12, 63. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
- ^ Azeri Jews: Centuries of coexistence in Azerbaijan by Gabriel Lerner. The Jewish Journal. 11 August 2007. Retrieved 23 February 2008
- ^ The All-Soviet Population Census of 1926 Archived 10 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Demoscope.ru
- ^ "The Eurasian Jewish Congress: the Jewish Community of Azerbaijan". Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
- ^ (in Russian) From the History of the Jews of Dagestan Archived 28 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine by I.Semenov
- ^ (in Russian) Polyethnicity in Dagestan by L.Landa
- ^ В Баку схлестнулись горские и европейские евреи. Haqqin.az. 18 August 2016.
- ^ "The All-Soviet Population Census of 1989: Azerbaijan". Demoscope.ru. Archived from the original on 28 July 2011. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
- ^ Brief Report on the Expedition to Azerbaijan in June 1997 Archived 16 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine by V.Dymshits. Centre for the Creation of the Jewish Museum in Saint Petersburg
- ISBN 9657088585, 9789657088586.
- ^ (in Russian) Mehriban Aliyeva Participated in Groundbreaking for Jewish School. Day.az. 1 June 2007. Retrieved 25 June 2007
- ^ "Report on Global Anti-Semitism released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, January 5, 2005". State.gov. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
- ^ United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. "Azerbaijan: Update to AZE19547.E of 26 January 1995, on the treatment of Jews, particularly in Baku, and available protection, UNHCR". Unhcr.org. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
- ^ "World Jewish Congress". worldjewishcongress.org. World Jewish Congress. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
- ^ "Ronald Lauder: I highly appreciate respectful and warm attitude of Azerbaijani people and Azerbaijani leadership towards Jewish community". Azertag. 16 September 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
- ^ "Azerbaijan-US-Israel partnership very important (exclusive)". Trend.Az (in Russian). 30 January 2017. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
- ^ ""Azərbaycan Yəhudi Media Mərkəzi" yaradıldı - Sumqayıtda". 19 April 2021. Archived from the original on 19 April 2021. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
- ^ "население азербайджана". ethno-kavkaz.narod.ru.
- ^ "Приложение Демоскопа Weekly". Demoscope.ru. 15 January 2013. Archived from the original on 12 October 2013. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
- ^ "World Jewish Population, 2002" (PDF). Retrieved 24 October 2022.
- ^ "Powered by Google Docs". Retrieved 14 April 2013.
- ^ "Ethnic composition of Azerbaijan 2009". Pop-stat.mashke.org. 7 April 1971. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
- ^ YIVO | Population and Migration: Population since World War I. Yivoencyclopedia.org. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Milli Mejlis of Azerbaijan Republic – Abramov Yevda Sasunovich
- ^ Lerner, Gabriel (11 January 2008). "Azeri Jews: Centuries of coexistence in Azerbaijan". The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
- ^ Hilary Leila Krieger (16 May 2006). "Azerbaijan to open trade office in Israel". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
- ^ Adelson, Robert. "Biography: Bella Davidovich". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 April 2010.
- ^ "Гиндес Евсей Яковлевич – знаменитый бакинский детский врач" [Gindes Evsey Yakovlevich – famous Baku pediatrician]. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
- ^ Mitz'ad He-Asor (Decade Parade), Israeli Channel 24, October 2009.
- ^ Barden, Leonard (19 January 2008). "Bobby Fischer". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
Most experts place him the second or third best ever, behind Kasparov but probably ahead of Karpov.
- ISBN 0-674-01488-X.
- .
- ^ "Ella Leya: American Jazz By Way Of Azerbaijan". NPR. 1 April 2011. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
- ^ Abbas Abdulla, "Research" Nussimbaum is a Jew from Kyiv" in Adabiyyat Qazetti (Literature Qazette), No. 48:3643 (Baku: 19 December 2008), p.6 as quoted in "Frequently Asked Questions about the Authorship of Ali and Nino," FAQ No. 54: But was Lev Nussimbaum (Essad Bey) actually born in Baku?" in Azerbaijan International, Vol. 15:2–4 (2011), p. 65 and Endnote 119 on page 109.
- ^ Papadopoulos, Anna (5 November 2019). "CEO Spotlight: Interview With Real Estate Mogul God Nisanov". ceoworld.biz. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
External links
- Free Political Journal
- Official Web-Site of Azerbaijani Jews
- Humanitarian Association of Jewish Women of Azerbaijan
- Chabad centres in Azerbaijan
- Jewish Azerbaijan
- The Jewish Community of Azerbaijan, The Museum of the Jewish People at Beit Hatfutsot
- Union of Councils for Soviet Jews. FSUMonitor:Azerbaijan