Introduction

Azerbaijan is a country of 7.5 million people located at the southern edge of the Caucasus, bordering Russia, Armenia, Georgia, Iran, and the Caspian Sea. Largely populated by Turkic speaking Shiite Muslims, Azerbaijan also has large populations of Armenians and Christian Lezgins, as well as approximately 30,000 Jews. Azerbaijan has been amongst the slowest of the former Soviet republics to move towards democratization, primarily because of the problems associated with the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Armenia. Since 1988, thousands have died and around 700,000 Azeri refugees and internally displaced persons have not been able to return to their homes. War, social instability and general economic collapse have brutalized the state-controlled Azeri economy. Production and construction had declined steeply across the region due to strikes, political turmoil and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Though a small private sector has been emerging to take advantage of the area's abundance of oil, gas, and cotton, much of the economy remains in the state's hands and continues to struggle under breakdowns in central planning, rampant corruption and ineffective reform efforts. Azerbaijan's currency has been weakened by substantial inflation that occurred in 1994, and at least two-thirds of the population live below the poverty level.

Jewish Life

The Jewish population of Azerbaijan, three-quarters of whom live in the capital Baku, is divided into Ashkenazi Jews and Jews of Persian origins, who are known as Mountain Jews. The Mountain Jews moved to Baku after centuries of a traditional mountain way of life and have become extremely assimilated. However, a community of 3,500 Mountain Jews still maintains a historic way of life in Kuba. An organized Jewish community has grown in the environment of governmental tolerance. The new state constitution, mandating no state religion, allows for all faiths to practice their religion freely. In Baku there are three synagogues. The Israeli Center there offers many educational programs, and a Hebrew language school has nearly 300 students. The Jewish community has also published a Jewish newspaper and established a theater club. Welfare, health, educational and cultural activities are provided by the Jewish Women's Organization of Baku, and a Jewish day school is being planned by a Hasidic rabbi from Israel. Azerbaijan has also established full diplomatic ties with Israel. In January 1995, the Academy of Sciences in Baku received a special Israeli library. The government also showed its support for the commemoration of Holocaust Remembrance Day in April 1996 with a letter from President Heydar Aliyev to the Jewish community read at an event covered on television and the local media. Emigration to Israel by Jews continues, due to the poor economic situation and uncertain political situation. About 40,000 Jews have left Azerbaijan for Israel, though the trend has slowed (Jewish Telegraphic Agency, June 23, 1995). The government recognizes freedom of emigration and its constitution, since 1995, requires no exit visa for foreign travel and allows all citizens to freely choose their place of residence.

Overview:Antisemitism

Though antisemitism has not historically been a problem in Azerbaijan, there has been both a Muslim revival and a rise in nationalism which have embraced anti-Armenian and anti-Russian sentiments. Because Jews are seen as ethnically Russian, the situation for Jews must be monitored. Generally, antisemitism has not been as overt in Azerbaijan as in other regions of the former Soviet Union, but is manifested in a personal, street level form, or included in general hostilities towards all non-Azaris. The Jewish community has thus become more cautious in some of its activities, particularly in its reluctance to aggressively fight for return of Jewish property. Jewish emigration out of Azerbaijan increased during the 1993 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict; Jews feared both becoming casualties of war and becoming the targets of hostility that had previously been directed at Armenians, most of whom had fled the republic.

Return of Jewish Communal Property

Though many Jewish buildings have not been returned to the Jewish community, some communities have been successful in regaining some communal property.

In Baku, after a great number of requests made to the appropriate government agencies by the Jewish community, none of the 100 buildings formerly belonging to the Jewish community has been returned (Ariel Levine, Chief Rabbi of Georgia, Summer 1996 Report, Caucasus-American Bureau on Human Rights (UCSJ)).

However, in 1996 the government finally offered to return a former synagogue to the Baku Jewish community that had been used as the National Theater for Song and Dance. The community, afraid that the return of the synagogue might anger the general population, decided not to accept the building- Country Reports: Inside the Former Soviet Union, National Conference on Soviet Jewry 1996

The city of Kuba used to have 13 active synagogues. Now, while all 13 are still standing, only one remains operational. The Kuba Jewish community is currently restoring it. In the small town of Auguz, with approximately 800 Jews, the synagogue was returned to the community and its renovations are nearly complete, including plans for a classroom and a library. The synagogue, built in 1906, was closed in 1930 under Soviet rule, and then used until recently as a warehouse.

The Georgian synagogue in Baku, which closed after the 1991 civil war drove many Georgians to emigrate to Israel, was reopened in 1996 with a large, public celebration.-Country Reports: Inside the Former Soviet Union, National Conference on Soviet Jewry 1996

Crimes and Attacks against Individuals or Jewish Communal Property

The following are selected incidents of crimes or attacks made against individual Jews or Jewish communal property:

On December 18, 1995, an elderly Jewish couple was murdered in the small town of Goi-Chi, northwest of Baku. Six other Jewish families live in the town.-Israeli Consulate Bulletin, January 1995

On January 1, 1995, a 71 year-old Jewish man was killed and his wife injured when hooligans attacked them at a Baku open-air market. They were just about to emigrate to Israel and had gone to the market to sell the last of their possessions. -Israeli Consulate Bulletin, January 1995

Refugees reported that emigrating Jews often are the target of militia groups who extort bribes from them and who impede their departure if they do not comply.-The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, Survey of Jewish Refugees from the Newly Independent States July 1, 1995- December 31, 1995

In February 1995, in Baku, a gang of young Azeris attacked Alexander Taranov, a 30-year old Jewish man. A man followed Taranov to the subway, harassed him there, and then grabbed him at the subway exit and loudly announced that Taranov had a Talmud and a bomb in his briefcase and that he was going to blow up the subway. People surrounded Taranov and began to severely beat him shouting "Zionist-terrorist!" Then they brought him to the Militia precinct where he was interrogated and ridiculed for three hours. They refused to listen to his complaints. He suffered damage to his kidneys, and for several days after the attack was afraid to go to a hospital.-Olga Bardokova's report to the American Association of Jews from the Former Soviet Union on October 15, 1995

In early April 1995, about 50 graves were partially opened in the Jewish cemetery in Baku. Officials suspect that the vandals were seeking gold fillings.-Israeli Consulate Bulletin, April 1995

Antisemitic Media

The following are selected examples of antisemitic media in Azerbaijan:

In early March 1995, the Government of Iran beamed anti-Israel programs into Azerbaijan using a Baku television station placed at its disposal. The broadcasts occurred several days after a special Azeri Muslim Party prayer ceremony on February 24, which marked the alleged "Israeli conquest of the Muslim Holy places in Jerusalem."-News Watch, National Conference on Soviet Jewry, May 1995

Rivalry between Israeli and Iranian officials over influence in Azerbaijan has intensified. In August 1995, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati, during a visit to Baku, warned the Azeris that their growing relationship with Israel was "not in your interest." Later that month, the Iranian news agency reported that "a senior Mossad delegation" had secretly visited Baku and that Israel was working to restructure the local secret services.-Jerusalem Report, September 21, 1995

Refugees reported that the Islamic Party of Azerbaijan routinely disseminates antisemitic messages through their newspapers, leaflets and radio channels, with statements such as "Throw the Jews out!" and "Jews should go where they belong or be destroyed." A daily two-hour television show broadcast directly from Iran encourages listeners to "Get rid of the Zionists. Jews are our enemy."

Refugees recounted seeing leaflets distributed by a nationalist group called Musavat that said "Kick the Jews out" and "Don't buy apartments from Jews, they belong to you." -The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, Survey of Jewish Refugees from the Newly Independent States, July 1-December 31, 1995

Obstacles to Freedom of Religion

Though historically, Azerbaijan has a good record on respect for religious liberty, there have been some indications that such freedom could be eroding, for example:

A non-denominational Protestant congregation, the Word of Life Center in Baku, was denied church registration by the Ministry of Justice in early May 1996. Word of Life is one of the largest Protestant congregations in Baku, with over 600 attendees. Other minority religious groups have officially registered as churches. The Congressional Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe sent a letter on May 27, 1996 to Azerbaijan President Aliyev, noting that the decision to deny the registration of Word of Life "may impinge upon the freedom of religion for the minority Christian community and that such a decision could serve to stifle the freedom of religion expressly protected under the various agreements of the OSCE, of which Azerbaijan is a participating state." According to recent reports from the region, various missionary groups are beginning to experience a slow increase in government suppression.-Congressional Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), News Release, June 11, 1996

Human Rights

The human rights record of the Azerbaijan government remains poor. While the government of former Communist KGB General Heydar Aliyev, elected president on October 3, 1993, condones some activity by opposition parties, it has significantly stifled freedom of speech, press, assembly, association and privacy. Prior to the 1993 elections, as an intimidation tactic, members of opposition parties were arrested and accused of criminal activity. During a coup attempt in March 1995, opposition forces ultimately raised a white flag but continued to be shot at by Government forces. Aliyev also strictly enforces censorship of the media and press. On November 12, 1995, Azerbaijan held its first parliamentary elections since becoming independent in 1991. However, many observers questioned the legality of the election process and charged that ballot boxes had been stuffed with false ballots after the polls closed and that, in some cases, Western observers where either banned from monitoring assigned polling sites or forced to leave the towns completely. Human Rights Watch/Helskini, in a 1994 report, said there were brutal human rights violations on both sides of the four-year long battle by Nagorno-Karabakh to break away from Azerbaijan and unite with Armenia. During the conflict, which escalated in 1992-93, there was indiscriminate shooting of citizens and rampant looting and hostage taking. Twenty-five thousand people were killed and nearly 1 million people (from both sides) became refugees.-Washington Post, September 19, 1995

Conclusion As an ethnically Muslim state with a troubled economy, a rise in nationalism and a general environment of hostility against all non-Azeris, the situation for Jews in Azerbaijan should continue to be monitored.

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