Exploring Azerbaijan's Attitude Towards Jewish People

Azerbaijan has a long history of Jewish settlement, with Mountain Jews, the largest and most ancient group, having lived in the country for close to 1,500 years. Today, Azerbaijan is considered a friend of Israel and the Jewish people, with the two countries sharing strong diplomatic and economic ties. However, there have been concerns about antisemitism in Azerbaijan, particularly in the wake of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Armenia. While Azerbaijan has been historically enlightened regarding religious pluralism, incidents such as the desecration of a Jewish cemetery in Baku have raised questions about the country's attitude towards its Jewish community.

Azerbaijan's relationship with Israel

Azerbaijan and Israel have a strong relationship, with cooperation in the political, economic, and military spheres. In recent years, the two countries have grown closer, with Israel providing military support to Azerbaijan and Azerbaijan increasing its energy supply to Israel. Israel is one of Azerbaijan's top weapons suppliers, and Azerbaijan is a key source of oil for Israel.

The relationship between the two countries has a historical and cultural foundation. Azerbaijan is home to the last remaining Jewish community in the Caucasus, known as Krasnaya Sloboda ("Red Town"), and a large community of European Jews has lived in the country, mostly in Baku, since the late 19th century. The history of the Jews in Azerbaijan dates back many centuries, and the country has been described as a model of interfaith harmony.

However, Azerbaijan's relationship with Israel has caused some tension with other countries, particularly its neighbours Russia, Iran, and Turkey. Azerbaijan has had to walk a fine line between maintaining its ties with Israel and managing its relationships with these other key regional players. For example, in 2018, Turkey and Israel expelled each other's ambassadors over Israel's killing of Palestinians during protests on the Gaza-Israel border. Despite this, Azerbaijan has worked to improve relations between the two countries, and in 2022, Turkish and Israeli leaders exchanged visits and worked together to disrupt Iranian plans for kidnapping and attacking Israelis.

In addition to the diplomatic challenges posed by its relationship with Israel, Azerbaijan has also faced internal challenges. While the country is known for its religious tolerance, there have been instances of rising antisemitism and violence against Jews, particularly during the Soviet dissolution and independence of Azerbaijan. As a result, many Azerbaijani Jews emigrated to Israel or the United States. However, in recent years, the Azerbaijani government has taken steps to improve relations with the Jewish community, and several synagogues and Jewish schools have been established in the country.

Jewish history in Azerbaijan

The history of Jews in Azerbaijan dates back to the 7th century AD. Over the centuries, a distinct ethnic group of Mountain Jews formed. Mountain Jews are the most sizable and ancient group, followed by Ashkenazi Jews and Georgian Jews.

In 1811, the first Ashkenazi Jews settled in Baku, with their mass immigration to the area beginning in the 1870s. The first religious meeting house in Baku was built in 1832 and was reorganised into a synagogue in 1896. The first choir synagogue in Baku opened in 1910.

In the 1920s, a few hundred Mountain Jewish families from Azerbaijan and Dagestan left for Israel, settling in Tel-Aviv. In 1970, 41,288 Jews resided in Azerbaijan, which was the demographic peak for Azerbaijani Jews after World War II. However, most of the Azerbaijani Jewish population fled amid rising antisemitism and violence during the Soviet dissolution and independence of Azerbaijan. The majority of Jewish refugees emigrated to Israel or the United States.

In 2002, the total number of Jewish residents in Azerbaijan was 10,000 people, with about 5,500 of them being Mountain Jews. In 2010, the total Jewish population decreased to 6,400. Jews mainly reside in the cities of Baku, Ganja, Sumqayit, Quba, Oğuz, and Goychay. The town of Qırmızı Qəsəbə is the only town in the world where Mountain Jews constitute the majority and the only fully Jewish town outside of Israel.

Azerbaijan has been described as a "true friend of Israel and the Jewish people". It is one of the few Muslim-majority countries that have diplomatic relations with Israel. The two countries have strong bilateral relations, with Israel providing modern cellular infrastructure and de-mining technology, and Azerbaijan providing 40% of Israel's gasoline.

Azerbaijan has been touted as a model of interfaith harmony, with locals stating that antisemitism is scarce and that the nation embraces and protects its Jewish community. There are currently seven synagogues in Azerbaijan: three in Baku, two in Quba, and two in Oğuz.

Antisemitism in Azerbaijan

Historical Context

The history of Jews in Azerbaijan dates back many centuries, with various subgroups such as Mountain Jews, Ashkenazi Jews, and Georgian Jews. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Baku became a centre of the Zionist movement in the Russian Empire. During the short-lived Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan (1918–1920), Jewish cultural and political life flourished. However, with Sovietization, Zionism-related activities were banned, and many Jewish families emigrated to Israel or the United States.

Recent Developments

In the 1990s, during the Soviet dissolution and independence of Azerbaijan, rising antisemitism and violence against Jews led to a significant exodus of the Jewish population. A 1992 survey of antisemitism in the former Soviet Union showed that Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan had the largest surge in antisemitism, attributed mainly to Islamic nationalism and envy of Jews as a stereotypically wealthy and privileged group. This trend was also noted by Israeli officials, who prioritised the immigration of Azerbaijani Jews due to the perceived threat of violence.

However, more recently, there have been efforts to portray Azerbaijan as a "role model for multicultural tolerance". The country has a small but significant Jewish population, with around 6,400 Jews as of 2010, mostly concentrated in the cities of Baku, Ganja, Sumqayit, and Quba. There are currently seven functioning synagogues in Azerbaijan, including three in Baku, and a Jewish school.

Incidents and Tensions

While Azerbaijan has been generally considered more tolerant than neighbouring countries, there have been reports of anti-Semitic incidents. For example, the desecration of a Jewish cemetery in Baku and the presence of a Hezbollah stronghold in the town of Nadraran, just 15 miles from the capital, are causes for concern. Additionally, Azerbaijan's partnership with an increasingly anti-Semitic Turkey and its utilisation of Syrian mercenaries with extremist ties have raised questions about the country's commitment to religious tolerance.

International Relations

Azerbaijan's relationship with Israel is strong and cooperative. Azerbaijan provides a significant portion of Israel's gasoline, and Israel offers various forms of technological support. The two countries also have close diplomatic ties, with Israel being one of the first nations to recognise Azerbaijan's independence. This relationship extends to the treatment of each country's Jewish communities, with both nations prioritising interfaith harmony and cultural exchange.

In conclusion, while Azerbaijan has a history of religious pluralism and a relatively small but established Jewish community, there have been concerns about rising antisemitism, particularly during periods of political upheaval. The country's international relations, especially with Israel, seem to influence its domestic approach to Jewish citizens and shape its perception on the global stage.

Azerbaijan's relationship with Turkey

Azerbaijan and Turkey have a strong relationship bound by ethnic, cultural, and historic ties. The two countries refer to their relationship as being "two states, one nation". Turkey was the first country to recognize Azerbaijan's independence in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the two have since forged robust economic ties. Turkey is the main conduit for Azerbaijan's oil and gas exports, and Azerbaijan has become a major investor in Turkey.

Turkey has supported Azerbaijan in its territorial dispute with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Turkey has no diplomatic relations with Armenia and sealed its border with the country in 1993 in solidarity with Azerbaijan. In 2009, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made the establishment of formal ties with Armenia conditional on its withdrawal from Nagorno-Karabakh. Turkey has provided military training to Azerbaijani officers and is a significant supplier of military equipment to Azerbaijan.

In recent years, Azerbaijan has strengthened its relationship with Israel. In 2023, Azerbaijan became the first Shi'ite Muslim country to open an embassy in Israel, and Israel was one of the first nations to recognize Azerbaijan's independence in 1991. Azerbaijan provides 40% of Israel's gasoline, while Israel provides agricultural technology, modern cellular infrastructure, and de-mining technology to Azerbaijan. There is also a significant Jewish community in Azerbaijan, with around 20,000 Jews living in the country, making it the largest Jewish community in the Muslim-majority world. Synagogues and Jewish schools in Azerbaijan are not flanked by security details, and locals tout the country as a model of interfaith harmony.

Azerbaijan's relationship with Armenia

Azerbaijan and Armenia have had a strained relationship, with no diplomatic relations between the two countries. The roots of the hostility can be traced back to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which has resulted in five wars over the past century. The most recent conflict occurred in 2023 when Azerbaijan seized the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, leading to the displacement of almost the entire population of Nagorno-Karabakh, who fled to Armenia.

The history of conflict between the two countries dates back to the early 20th century, with the Armenian-Tatar massacres of 1905-1907, where both sides committed atrocities, resulting in thousands of deaths and the destruction of villages. The two nations briefly enjoyed formal governmental relations from 1918 to 1921 during their independence from the collapsed Russian Empire. However, territorial disputes led to the Armenian-Azerbaijani War between 1918 and 1920, which ended when both countries were annexed by the Soviet Union.

During the Soviet era, relations between the two countries' authorities were generally peaceful and friendly, with occasional confrontations. However, the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the subsequent independence of Armenia and Azerbaijan reignited tensions, particularly over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The First Nagorno-Karabakh War from 1988 to 1994 resulted in the de facto Armenian occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people.

The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan has continued into the 21st century, with clashes occurring as recently as 2022. Despite the long-standing animosity and repeated disappointments in peace negotiations, there is still hope for a long-term accommodation between the two countries. In 2023, for the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the two countries made a joint statement without an intermediary, agreeing to exchange prisoners. Additionally, Armenia and Azerbaijan have participated in international summits and negotiations, indicating a potential path towards a peace treaty and the normalization of relations.

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