By COLlive reporter
The Jewish community in Azerbaijan, a former Soviet republic, celebrated the holiday of Chanukah with much fanfare under the leadership of Rabbi Shneur Zalman Segal, Chabad Shliach and Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi.
Jews of all ages filled the synagogue in the capital city of Baku, famed for its medieval walled Inner City, to light the Menorah, sing Jewish melodies, play dreidel and enjoy a festive kosher meal.
The country is one of the most friendly Muslim states towards Jews and its president Ilham Aliyev has been open about his warm friendship and appreciation for the Jewish residents of his country.
That and his growing relations with the State of Israel have made Aliyev the target of antisemitic propaganda. One tweet originating from the neighboring Islamic-led country of Iran portrayed him as a stereotypical religious Jew, resembling Nazi brainwashing.
This cartoon, captioned, “Rabbi Ilham Aliyev,” was first published on Twitter by Ahsan Mobhadian, an employee of the Institute of International Relations at the University of Tehran. And a video on Iranian television said Azerbaijan was a “Zionist entity.”
Aliyev and his government don’t seem concerned. Last month, the parliament of Azerbaijan voted to open an embassy in Israel. “With the decision to open an official embassy in Israel, the sky’s the limit for relations between the two states and nations,” said Deputy Foreign Minister Fariz Rzayev who visited Israel this week.
Rabbi Segal said he was honored to live in Azerbaijan, saying it was one of the few Muslim countries where a person dressed in the traditional clothing of a religious Jew can fearlessly walk the streets without fearing antisemitic harassment.
Go Rabbi Shneour