The Sephardic Rabbi of Baku visits the U.S. at the invitation of Jewish communities

Published: 2025-05-18 11:09

Last week, the Sephardic Rabbi of Baku, Zamir Isayev, visited the United States at the invitation of Jewish communities. The reason for the invitation was growing interest in Azerbaijan, driven by discussions about its potential accession to the Abraham Accords and the mediation efforts of President Aliyev, who seeks to prevent a confrontation between Israel and Turkey in Syria.

Rabbi Isayev held about ten meetings with leaders of Jewish communities and organizations, who were interested both in the topic of Azerbaijani-Israeli partnership and in the history of nearly 1000 years of peaceful Jewish life in the country.

Rabbi Isayev brought and presented Azerbaijani textbooks that include the modern Western definition of antisemitism, provide an accurate account of the Holocaust, and emphasize that Israel is a progressive country striving for peace. Azerbaijan is the first Muslim country in the world to have textbooks without any antisemitic references or slurs.

According to the rabbi, based on his conversations, negative perceptions of Azerbaijan in various American circles stem from a complete lack of knowledge about the region, unawareness of the alliance between Baku and Jerusalem, and hostile propaganda, which clearly has foreign sources. A number of Jewish leaders expressed a desire to assist in outreach efforts and plan to contact pro-Israel congressmen and senators who, for some reason, hold anti-Azerbaijani positions, asking them to review their stand.

Among the prominent Jewish figures Rabbi Isayev met with were businessman Leon Goldenberg, President of NORPAC Stanley Stern, Chair of the Board of the Jewish Community Relations Council in New York Cheryl Fishbein, Executive Vice Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations Malcolm Hoenlein, and CEO of the American Sephardi Federation Jason Guberman.

Several Jewish leaders also plan to appeal to the Trump administration and Congress with a request to repeal Section 907 of the United States Freedom Support Act, which prohibits any form of direct U.S. aid to the Azerbaijani government.

By Azerbaijani-Israeli Alliance Global News