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Jewish Journal

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September 25, 2018

Israel and Azerbaijan: Yes, Jews and Muslims can be friends!

Leave a Comment / Blogs /
Flags of Azerbaijan and Israel
Flags of Azerbaijan and Israel

 

I have talked a lot and have written many articles about how strong the Azerbaijan-Israel relations are and how these countries are important to each other. Last week marked another important milestone in the development of our bilateral relationship and was special for the Jewish community of the majority-Muslim Azerbaijan. On September 13-17, the Defense Minister of Israel Avigdor Lieberman visited Azerbaijan, as part of his visit to the region, which also included a trip to neighboring Georgia. Lieberman had visited our country before on several occasions, but only as a Foreign Minister. What makes the recent visit special is that it was his first visit to Azerbaijan in his capacity as Israel’s Defense Minister, and compared to his one-day stay in Georgia, he spent full five days in Azerbaijan, holding many high-level meetings. This alone is a striking example of how Israel attaches a great importance to its relationship with Azerbaijan.

A major highlight of Lieberman’s visit was his meeting with the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, under whose visionary leadership the strategic partnership with Israel has been elevated to the current level. He also met the Prime Minister, Defense Minister, Foreign Minister, Interior Minister and other high ranking officials, as well as the country’s Jewish community leaders. At all meetings, successful cooperation between the two countries in various fields was commended. Azerbaijan’s unique model of multifaith tolerance, harmony and multiculturalism was also hailed during the meetings.

As the Head of the Community of the Mountain Jews of Baku, I was honored to meet with Mr. Lieberman to discuss the current status of the Jewish community, as well as the fruitful cooperation between our two nations. I was delighted to present Lieberman with Albert Agarunov Award on behalf of our community. Newly established by the Community of the Mountain Jews of Azerbaijan, this award is presented to Azerbaijani and foreign nationals, who strongly contribute to the strengthening of Azerbaijan’s defense capabilities. It is no coincidence that the award is named after Albert Agarunov. Hailing from “Qırmızı Qəsəbə” (Red Town), which is today one of the largest all-Jewish towns outside of Israel, Albert Agarunov was a Jewish warrior and tank commander. He voluntarily enlisted in the Azerbaijani Army in 1991 and fought in the Nagorno-Karabakh War, defending the territorial integrity of his homeland – Azerbaijan against invasion and aggression by Armenia. Albert was killed in 1992 on the battlefield near the Azerbaijani town of Shusha by an Armenian sniper. He was posthumously awarded the title of National Hero of Azerbaijan and was buried at the sacred Martyrs’ Lane in Baku. The extraordinary and unique story and devotion of this 23-year old Azerbaijani-Jewish hero to his homeland is not only fondly remembered by the people of Azerbaijan, but also by many Jews worldwide. During his stay in Azerbaijan, the Israeli Defense Minister also paid tribute to Agarunov, by visiting his grave and laying flowers.

Azerbaijan and Israel share a unique, time-tested and special relationship, which is based on mutual trust and understanding at all levels. Over the years, a number of Israeli leaders have visited our country, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (1997 and 2016) and President Shimon Peres (2009).

Israel is one of the first countries in the world, which formally recognized and established diplomatic relations with the newly independent Azerbaijan in the beginning of the 1990s, opening an embassy in Baku.

Today Israel and Azerbaijan enjoy an advanced cooperation in the fields of energy, defense, national security, medicine, agriculture, IT, tourism, etc. Many Israeli companies operate in the country. Trade turnover between the two countries is growing each year, and some years ago it even was much bigger than Israel’s trade with France. Israel receives around 40% of its oil from Azerbaijan. Furthermore, the two countries are working closely to fight international terrorism and extremism and to achieve peace in their respective neighborhoods. This, in fact is very important in terms of regional and international security.

Another crucial aspect of Azerbaijan-Israel relations is the Jewish community of Azerbaijan. For over two thousand years, Azerbaijan has been a safe haven and homeland for Jews, where they have lived and continue to do so in an environment marked by zero anti-Semitism. It is because in Azerbaijan, a predominantly Shiite-Muslim country located between Iran and Russia, people of different ethnic and religious backgrounds, including Muslims, Orthodox Christians, Catholics, Protestants, Jews and representatives of other faiths, have been living together in peace, brotherhood and mutual respect for many centuries. There has always been a strong relationship between ethnic and religious communities in the country and ethnic, religious or racial discrimination has never existed in Azerbaijan. Today Jews are represented and take an active part in almost all spheres of life in Azerbaijan, including politics, medicine, education, science and culture. Moreover, seven synagogues, two Jewish elementary schools, three kindergartens and one Yeshiva are operating in Azerbaijan.

This unique bond and partnership between Azerbaijan and Israel and the peoples of the two countries is a clear message for everyone who doesn’t or doesn’t want to believe in the possibility of peaceful coexistence, cooperation and mutual respect between Muslims and Jews. As a Jewish community leader, I will continue to contribute to the further development of this friendship between our nations and promote this heroic model of togetherness for the whole world.

Israel and Azerbaijan: Yes, Jews and Muslims can be friends! Read More »

German Court Allows Kuwait Airways to Continue Barring Israeli Passengers

Leave a Comment / Online, United States /

A German court concluded on Tuesday that Kuwait Airways can continue its practice of barring Israelis from flying on their airlines.

The German appeals court upheld a Frankfurt state court’s ruling on the matter, arguing that while the airlines’ policy is “unacceptable,” any Israelis who boarded the plane would be unable leave the plane once it landed in Kuwait.

Therefore, the court ruled that Kuwait Airways’ policy should be allowed to continue.

“This is a tragic day for German law. Rather than be held accountable before the law, the court has rewarded Kuwait Airways for its anti-Semitism. If, as the court says, the execution of the contract is impossible, the fault for that lies with the racist policy of the airline, not with the nationality of our client,” Lawfare Project Executive Director Brooke Goldstein said in a statement. “It is sickening that in 2018, in Germany of all places, a court has legitimized hatred and discrimination against Jews. We are exploring the options to appeal this decision but in the meantime, the authorities cannot simply stand by in the face of this blatant racism and injustice.”

Richard Grenell, the United States Ambassador to Germany, said, “It is 2018. No airline should be allowed to categorically reject Israelis.”

The case in question involved an Israeli man, identified as Adar M., being denied from boarding a Kuwait Airways flight in 2016 from Frankfurt to Bangkok just because he’s Israeli. The United States concluded in 2015 that such a practice was illegal.

German Court Allows Kuwait Airways to Continue Barring Israeli Passengers Read More »

Trump Speaks to U.N., Slams Iran for Creating ‘Chaos, Death and Disruption’

Leave a Comment / Online, United States /

President Trump slammed the Iranian regime for creating “chaos, death and disruption” in his Tuesday speech before the United Nations General Assembly.

Trump began the speech by stating that his “administration has accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country,” prompting laughter from the assembly.

“I did not expect that reaction,” Trump responded. “That is OK.”

Trump proceeded to tout his administration’s efforts to stand up “for America and the American people, and we are also standing up for the world”:

We are also standing up for our citizens and for peace- loving people everywhere. We believe that when nations respect the rights of their neighbors and defend the interests of their people, they can better work together to secure the blessings of safety, prosperity, and peace. Each of us here today is the emissary of a distinct culture, a rich history, and a people bound together by ties of memory, tradition, and the values that make our homelands like nowhere else on Earth.

That is why America will always choose independence and cooperation over global governance, and I honor the right of every nation in this room to pursue its own customs, beliefs and traditions. The United States will not tell you how to live, work, or worship. We only ask that you honor our sovereignty in return.

On North Korea, Trump highlighted the dismantling of facilities, releasing of hostages and return of the deceased soldiers as progress, but added that sanctions on North Korea would remain until full denuclearization occurs.

Trump eventually turned to Iran:

Iran’s leaders sew chaos, death and disruption. They do not respect their neighbors, borders, or the sovereign rights of nations. Instead, they plunder the nation’s resources to enrich themselves and to spread mayhem across the Middle East and far beyond. The Iranian people are rightly outraged that their leaders have embezzled billions of dollars from the treasury, seized valuable portions and looted the religious endowments to line their own pockets and to send their proxies to wage war. Iran’s neighbors have paid a heavy toll for the agenda of aggression and expansion.

Trump added that this was why he decided to exit from the Iran nuclear deal and re-impose sanctions on Iran.

“We cannot allow the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism to possess the planet’s most dangerous weapons. We cannot allow a regime that chants “Death to America” and threatens Israel with annihilation,” Trumps said. “They cannot possess the means to deliver a nuclear warhead to any city on Earth, we just cannot do it. We ask all nations to isolate Iran’s regime as long as its aggression continues and we ask all nations to support Iran’s people as they struggle to reclaim their religious and righteous destiny.”

Trump also touted the Jerusalem embassy move and leaving the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

“I spoke before this body last year and warned that the UN’s Human Rights Council had become a grave embarrassment to this institution,” Trump said. “Shielding egregious human rights abusers while bashing America and its many friends.”

Trump added that the UNHRC had made no effort to reform itself, prompting the United States’ exit from the council until reform occurs.

The president also said that the United States would be holding the U.N. accountable by refusing to “pay more than 25 percent of the U.N. peacekeeping budget.”

Read the full transcript of the speech here.

Trump Speaks to U.N., Slams Iran for Creating ‘Chaos, Death and Disruption’ Read More »

Why the Holiday of Sukkot Offers a Reminder for Genetic Screening

Leave a Comment / Health /

With the yearly Jewish harvest holiday of Sukkot underway (September 23-30), many in the Jewish community have focused their efforts on building a sukkah , a  dwelling, often in one’s backyard, that essentially serves as places to eat and—for people who choose—to sleep.

While sukkahs (this word is the common English pluralization) differ from home to home, all of them are meant to be welcoming places to gather, to converse, and to celebrate. And, as with many Jewish holidays, celebrating with family is a big part of Sukkot, too. Parents and children often build and decorate their sukkahs together in a fun and shared experience.

So, as we think about the connection from one generation to the next, and the concept of building a home, we are struck by the connection this has to our work helping young couples create families. Not just on Sukkot, but every day of the year, we promote and offer genetic screening, and follow-up counseling, to empower people with knowledge before they have children.

While genetic screening and genetic diseases are difficult topics for some to discuss, these conversations with the follow-through of screening are paramount.

“If a couple knows their carrier status prior to pregnancy, they have ample time to seek genetic counseling, gain information about the disease(s) that they carry, and make family planning decisions that will best suit them,” said Shari Ungerleider, whose son, Evan, tragically died of Tay-Sachs disease.

Within months of his seemingly healthy birth in 1994, Shari and Jeff Ungerleider became concerned as they realized that Evan was not developing at the same pace as other children his age. By the time he was 10 months old, it was clear there was a significant problem. Evan’s condition quickly progressed, and he was soon unable to move on his own, suffered multiple seizures daily, and had respiratory difficulty which required the Ungerleiders to provide chest physical therapy and to suction him regularly. He eventually became blind and deaf. They had a feeding tube surgically inserted so that Evan would be able to stay properly nourished and medicated. He had to undergo several hours a week of physical and occupational therapy so that his muscles would not atrophy. Evan lost his battle with Tay-Sachs when he was almost 4 ½ years old.

The Ungerleiders have shown great courage in continuing to speak out about their experience in the hopes that it will help families learn the important steps they can take towards starting a healthy family. Particularly timely during September—which is also Tay-Sachs Awareness Month—the Ungerleiders and JScreen, a not-for-profit community-based public health initiative, are working to teach anyone who is planning to start a family, whether tomorrow or years from now, that simple, easy genetic testing can help save them from the heartbreak of these often preventable diseases.  

Currently, 80 percent of babies with genetic diseases are born to parents with no known family history of that disease.

JScreen’s expanded screening panel tests for more than 200 diseases, a significant development from a generation ago.  

In July 2008, the United States Senate voted unanimously to name September National Tay-Sachs Awareness Month in an effort to bring additional attention to this deadly disease.  When both parents are Tay Sachs carriers, each child has a 25% of having the disease. While the incidence of babies born with Tay-Sachs has fallen dramatically due to genetic screening, affected babies are still being born to carrier couples who have not been tested.

A simple, at-home spit test can help families avoid the heartbreak of this – and other – devastating genetic diseases, and can provide essential information to help prospective parents make decisions about the future of their family. If a couple is found to be at high risk, JScreen provides invaluable genetic counseling to help them navigate their options for the future.”

It is therefore fitting that the celebration of Sukkot falls during Tay-Sachs Awareness Month. By focusing on issues that matter the most, like family, and building dwellings—like a home— Sukkot helps remind us that there are many steps that can be taken to start a healthy family and to build a happy home.  

For more information on genetic testing, and to see videos on how easy it is to take the test, visit https://jscreen.org/

Karen Grinzaid is an instructor, program director and genetic counselor at Emory University in the Department of Human Genetics. She is director for JScreen, a national online Jewish genetic disease screening program based out of the Department of Human Genetics.

Why the Holiday of Sukkot Offers a Reminder for Genetic Screening Read More »

Sarsour Calls ADL ‘Purveyor of Islamophobia,’ Report Says

Leave a Comment / Online, United States /

UPDATE:

The ADL responded to Linda Sarsour in a statement sent to the Journal:

ADL fights hate in all its forms including anti-Semitism, racism and Islamophobia. We do this through tracking extremists and white supremacists, through our anti-bias programs and through enacting federal and state hate crimes laws across the country. We advocate at the local, state and federal level on a range of issues related to ending racial bias and discrimination in policing and the criminal justice system.

Linda Sarsour has completely mischaracterized and distorted what our law enforcement programs actually do. We are proud to work with law enforcement in the U.S. in an effort to counter terrorism, domestic extremism, hate crimes and implicit bias. Our annual law enforcement mission to Israel provides a few dozen senior law enforcement officials with an opportunity to learn first-hand how police in Israel respond to terror attacks. The curriculum includes trips to Yad Vashem and meeting with a diverse group of members of Israeli civil society. 

ORIGINAL:

Women’s March leader Linda Sarsour criticized the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) as a “purveyor of Islamophobia” earlier in the month, according to a new report from the Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT).

Sarsour uttered the aforementioned statement about the ADL during a panel at the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA)’s 2018 convention and criticized the ADL for bringing police officers to Israel for training.

“If you are part of a criminal justice reform movement, if you believe in the idea of ending police brutality and the misconduct of law enforcement officers across the country, then you do not support an organization that takes police officers from America, funds their trips, takes them to Israel so they can be trained by the Israeli police and military, and then they come back here and do what?” Sarsour said. “Stop and frisk, killing unarmed black people across the country.”

Chris McIlvain, the assistant police chief in Austin, Texas, told IPT that he attended the 2015 training that Sarsour was referencing and that what she described was not accurate:

There was no tactical training and no discussion of forceful or coercive techniques, he said. Police departments must maintain “a state of readiness” for all kinds of threats, from mass shootings to terrorist attacks. Israel has experience with these challenges that can be helpful to police departments here.

“The ADL is a good partner of law enforcement combating hate crimes of all types,” McIlvain said. “The idea is not to divert hate from one group to another, it’s to eliminate it.”

Sarsour called the ADL “an anti-Arab, anti-Palestinian organization that peddles Islamophobia and attacks America’s prominent Muslim orgs and activists” in an April Facebook post when it was announced that the ADL was going to take part in Starbucks’ anti-bias training.

Rabbi Jill Jacobs, executive director of T’ruah, told the Times of Israel, “The ADL has always understood that fighting anti-Semitism is inherently tied to fighting racism, xenophobia and Islamophobia.”

ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt has criticized Sarsour and other Women’s March leaders for their connection to Louis Farrakhan’s Nation of Islam.

The ADL has not responded to the Journal’s request for comment.

Sarsour Calls ADL ‘Purveyor of Islamophobia,’ Report Says Read More »