Israel’s most valuable Muslim ally

by Rabbi Mark Diamond

Jews worldwide will soon mark the onset of a Jewish New Year with the specter of rising anti-Semitism in Europe and the Middle East. Amid the preponderance of daily bad news, it is uplifting to celebrate narratives of tolerance and respect. 

Earlier this month, I was one of 12 rabbis meeting with two distinguished Los Angeles-based diplomats, Consul General of Israel David Siegel and Consul General of Azerbaijan Nasimi Aghayev. We broke bread together and discussed our shared goal of shining a positive light on the unique story of Azerbaijan, a Muslim nation that enjoys positive relations with the United States, Israel and its own Jewish community.

World Jewry has a special relationship with Azerbaijan, home to a nearly 2,000 year-old community of approximately 15,000 Jews. Azerbaijan has been a haven of tolerance and respect of Jews through centuries of persecution and exile in many other countries.  It remains so today, a remarkable achievement given the current state of Muslim-Jewish relations in the Middle East and elsewhere. Azerbaijan is a predominately Shia Muslim nation that sits directly north of Iran and has enjoyed more than two decades of diplomatic relations with Israel.  

During the luncheon, we learned a great deal about how and why Azerbaijan invests in and supports its Jewish community and Jewish heritage. The republic is home to one of the largest all-Jewish towns outside Israel, the centuries-old Red Village of Azerbaijan, whose Mountain Jews meet and pray in several stately synagogues.  

Azerbaijan’s capital city of Baku features a state-of-the-art Jewish day school with more than 300 students. Baku’s Chabad rabbi, born and raised in Israel, recently decided to become a citizen of Azerbaijan, a nation he is proud to call his new home. Baku has a beautiful new synagogue for the Mountain Jews, built in 2011 and paid for by the Azerbaijan government.  

“Azerbaijan serves as a critical link for outreach to the Muslim world for our partners like the United States and Israel,” said Azerbaijan Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, addressing American Jewish Committee’s 2013 Global Forum in Washington, D.C. His nation’s close, friendly relations with Israel are “reinforced by the strong bonds between our peoples.”

Indeed, the foreign minister said, the bilateral relationship goes “well beyond” diplomatic ties. Azerbaijan is Israel’s biggest trading partner in the South Caucasus, and some 40 percent of Israel’s oil imports come from Azerbaijan.

We do well to celebrate the bonds that link Azerbaijan and the Jewish people. Our social media is inundated with alarming news about anti-Semitic violence in Germany, France and Belgium, and Islamic terrorism in Gaza, Syria, Iraq and elsewhere. Azerbaijan is a rare blessing and a ray of light in our deeply troubled world. 

It is unfortunate that most Jews have never heard of Azerbaijan and the positive example it could be for other Muslim nations. A nation that has protected its Jews for two millennia and is an ally of Israel and the United States deserves our friendship and support.  

Storytelling lies at the heart of Jewish life, lore and tradition. Jews discuss and debate the Akedah — the narrative of Isaac’s near sacrifice — on Rosh Hashanah. Yom Kippur highlights tales of Temple sacrifice and Jewish martyrdom. This year, let’s include the modern-day tale of Azerbaijan, an inspiring true story of harmonious relations between Jews and Muslims. Our world would look much brighter if other nations would emulate Azerbaijan’s historic model of peaceful coexistence.

Bakudaily.Az