In the video: Representatives of the Jewish community in Baku (PR)
"The tenth day of May marks the 100th anniversary of Heydar Aliyev's birth. The revered president of Azerbaijan. In the eyes of us Jews, he was a politician who forged an alliance with Israel, an alliance with the Jews; this was not a temporary decision for him – tactically. Heydar Aliyev was well acquainted with history and decided to deepen and upgrade the bond that had existed between our peoples for centuries as a strategic decision wholeheartedly. We are blessed to have won and his son, President Ilham Iliev, continues on this path," said the rabbi of the Georgian Sephardic community, Rabbi Zamir Isayev, at a memorial event held in the community to mark the birthday. According to the rabbi, it is very symbolic that this year two dates fell almost side by side - 75 years to Israel and the centenary of the birth of the revered leader.
The Jewish community in Azerbaijan received a gift from the local authorities: renovation and upgrading of the synagogue and school of the community in Baku (Photo: PR)
The Jewish community in Azerbaijan received a gift from the local authorities: renovation and upgrading of the synagogue and school of the community in Baku (Photo: PR)
Rabbi Isayev thanked the Azerbaijani authorities for the birthday gift received by the Jewish community; Renovation and upgrading of the synagogue and school of the community in Baku. He added that "President Haider Iliev was well acquainted with the main political figures in Israel: Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres, Benjamin Netanyahu, Ariel Sharon, Ehud Barak, Avigdor Lieberman and many others. And these personalities also greatly appreciated his attitude toward Israel."
The Jewish community in Azerbaijan received a gift from the local authorities: renovation and upgrading of the synagogue and school of the community in Baku (Photo: PR)
The rabbi recounts the history of recent decades in the close contacts between Heydar Aliyev and the Israeli leadership. "The contacts began in 1995 in various international locations. Heydar Iliev then met with Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. In 1996, as part of the OSCE summit in Lisbon, he held his first meeting with Netanyahu. In August 1997, Netanyahu made a brief visit to Baku. In a meeting with him, Heydar Iliev emphasized that: "The Jews in Azerbaijan have lived with their neighbors in the country for hundreds of years in friendship and respect. Jews today are full citizens of Azerbaijan, and it is their homeland. This is the ground on which the peoples grew together, which creates good opportunities for our cooperation."
The Jewish community in Azerbaijan received a gift from the local authorities: renovation and upgrading of the synagogue and school of the community in Baku (Photo: PR)
The Jewish community in Azerbaijan received a gift from the local authorities: renovation and upgrading of the synagogue and school of the community in Baku (Photo: PR)
On one occasion, Shimon Peres said of Azerbaijan and its leader: "For me, this is a special country, which I'm sure I can count on. It has its own deep cultural roots. And President Heydar Aliyev is trusted and respected by his people and all those who know him for being extremely humane, quite modest, educated, refined. Nice to talk to him... Israel fully supports the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan."
Rabbi Isayev said, "Today, Heydar Iliev's son, President Ilham Aliyev, continues in his father's footsteps. It strengthens ties with Israel and with the entire Jewish world, especially with European Jewry. And thank God we celebrate on this day the true brotherhood of both peoples."
David Berger, in collaboration with Shova Israel
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