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Jewish communities of Azerbaijan appealed to Jews and Jewish organizations around the world

23 October 2020 00:18 (UTC +04:00)

Jewish communities in Azerbaijan appealed to Jews and Jewish organizations around the world, APA reports.

The appeal reads:

"Azerbaijan is a country with rich historical, cultural, and multicultural values. Anyone who obeys the law, regardless of nationality or race, can live in peace and security in this country. We, the Jews of Azerbaijan, have been living here in peace and security for almost 2000 years. We can state with full confidence that Azerbaijanis are peaceful, tolerant people being strongly committed to values of multiculturalism.

Azerbaijan has synagogues, Jewish schools, and kindergartens. In our country, representatives of different peoples live in an atmosphere of friendship and solidarity. The state of Azerbaijan is tolerant and hospitable to its citizens, including various minority peoples. However, we should note that Armenia which has been occupying the territory of Azerbaijan for almost 30 years, has repeatedly tried to sow the seeds of enmity between the peoples living in Azerbaijan, but to no avail. Provocations and crimes implemented by the Armenian state against the civilian population in parallel with the martyrs we gave in the war zones further strengthen the bonds of unity and brotherhood between us.

We regretfully note that the Armenian state is unwilling to give up provocations periodically committed against civil and military facilities as well as citizens of Azerbaijan. On September 27, 2020, the Armenian armed forces violated the ceasefire and intensively fired at populated areas on the front line from large-scale artillery installations. As a result of a successful counteroffensive which continues up today, the Azerbaijani army succeeded in having liberated a considerable part of the Armenian- occupied territories. Unable to digest the military failures, the Armenian armed forces fired rockets at Azerbaijani cities located dozens of kilometers from the front line, especially Ganja (2nd largest city) where the large Jewish community is living today. Many civilians were killed in the city of Ganja, which came under rocket fire twice. Nevertheless, we are very disappointed and alarmed by the news that some Jewish organizations still do not have the correct information about the aggressor state Armenia which continues to violate international humanitarian law having ignored peace and stability in the region. Therefore, we as a Jewish community living in Azerbaijan, call on you, our dear compatriots, not to follow the provocations of the aggressor Armenia, including misinformation aimed at misleading the world community, to stand on the side of the friendly Azerbaijani people and state in their just struggle and to do everything possible to influence on Armenia for the immediate liberation of occupied Azerbaijani territories."

The appeal was signed by the chairman of the Mountain Jews Community of Azerbaijan Milikh Yevdayev, the chairman of the Ashkenazi Jewish Community of Azerbaijan Alexander Sharovsky, the deputy chairman of the Georgian Jewish Community of Azerbaijan Rabbi Zamir Isayev, and the director of the American Jewish Organization Vaad L'hatzolas Nidchei Yisroel in Azerbaijan Rabbi Shmuel Siman Tov.