By Dr. Mordechai Kedar
Across the Jewish world, people are shocked by the fact that an anti-Semitic mob attacked a group of Jewish students who were on a school bus in London. One 12-year-old student described to the Jewish Chronicle how the mob was swearing anti-Semitic profanities at the group and then threw rocks at them, while screaming “F-Israel. Nobody likes you. F-off you bitches.” This anti-Semitic attack did not occur in a vacuum. From Paris to London to New York and San Franscisco, anti-Semitism is on the rise across the West, leaving Jewish students vulnerable. In such a violent atmosphere, we must appreciate a country like Azerbaijan, where incidents like this simply do not happen.
Jewish civilization in Azerbaijan dates back over 1,500 years. Oral tradition states that Jews first arrived in the South Caucuses country during the 8th Century BCE. Since then, the Jews of Azerbaijan have been living in the country in peace and harmony, without experiencing any anti-Semitism except during the relatively brief invasions by Nadir Shah and the Soviet Union. Since Azerbaijan broke away from the Soviet Union and declared independence, Jewish life in Azerbaijan has been flourishing, especially since Azerbaijan opened up an embassy in Israel last year.
In a world torn apart by anti-Semitic hatred and intolerance, multi-cultural and religiously diverse Azerbaijan stands out as a a role model for other countries. It is an example of how Jews and Muslims can peacefully co-exist and be friends with each other, celebrating each other’s holidays and celebrating the diversity that the South Caucuses country has to offer.
Jewish children who travel home from school in Baku, Quba, Oghuz, Ganja and other Azerbaijani cities are not harassed by anti-Semitic mobsters. They are encouraged to share their culture and way of life with the greater Muslim population as well as the other religious groups that live in Azerbaijan. No one in Azerbaijan taunts them about their connection as Diaspora Jews to Israel. On the contrary, over 40% of Israel’s oil originates in Azerbaijan and over 120 Israeli firms operate within the South Caucuses country, with many more exploring the possibility of relocating.
In fact, Azerbaijanis not only refrain from taunting Jewish students, but they have profound admiration and respect for Israel because they see many parallels between Israeli history and their own. They feel that the United States and France have given Azerbaijan the “Israel treatment” on more than one occasion. Much in the way that the world criticizes Israel’s conduct in Gaza and Lebanon, Azerbaijan had experienced similar criticism during the Second Karabakh War and the subsequent military operation.
Thirty years ago, the Armenians with support from the Russians and the Iranians captured Karabakh and the seven Azerbaijani districts, comprising one fifth of Azerbaijan, in violation of four UN Security Council resolutions, which resulted in close to a million Azerbaijanis being displaced from their homes. For thirty years, Armenian settler colonialists occupied these lands and committed crimes against humanity, while the world looked on silently, as an area larger than Lebanon endured a brutal occupation. However, when Azerbaijan decided to reassert her national sovereignty and enforce international law, the West turned on Azerbaijan, a country which had helped the United States to fight against the Taliban in Afghanistan and who provided Europe with energy security in the wake of the war in the Ukraine.
Similarly today, the same world that cried with Israel as 1,200 Israelis were massacred, mutilated and raped and over 250 others were abducted to Gaza, is now critical of Israel for defending herself in the face of such brutal terrorism. Azerbaijan has great sympathy for Israel’s position because they are in the same position. For this reason, Jews will always need to have friends like Azerbaijan, who stand beside us in our hour of need, and should do everything to stand in solidarity with Azerbaijan.
