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AZERBAIJAN: GOOD FOR THE JEWS?
Baltimore Jewish Times
July 17 2014
July 17, 2014
BY Diana Cohen Altman
The true story of Jewish Azerbaijan past and present has Hollywood
written all over it. Two ancient cultures meet on the same land. One
is Muslim and one is Jewish. But here is the twist: The land is
overflowing with natural riches, from fruits to "black gold" (oil),
and the cultures work and live harmoniously. Not only that, but they
forge new, vital forms of culture, government and commerce. And pay
attention Hollywood: Almost no one outside of Azerbaijan has heard
this story. Those who have are amazed and want to know more.
What is today the Republic of Azerbaijan, bordered by Russia, Georgia,
Turkey, Iran and Armenia, has been home to Jews since Late Antiquity.
Many of these early Jewish settlers came during the Persian Empire
and settled in the north of what is today Azerbaijan, in an area
called Guba.
Over the centuries, Jewish practices, beliefs and traditions held
the Jews together even during low points. Shared family lives and
business relationships, particularly in agriculture and trade, kept
the neighboring Jewish and Muslim towns functioning as close neighbors.
After breaking away from the Soviet Union in 1991, Azerbaijan found
quick recognition by Turkey and then by Israel. The Azerbaijan-Israel
strategic partnership today plays a vital role in the security of
both countries.
A venerated and beloved figure in Azerbaijan is a young Jew
named Albert Agarunov. Agarunov fought valiantly in the battle for
Azerbaijan's sovereign territory in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict that
continues to plague the country today. Agarunov died at the hands of
Armenian forces during the 1992 occupation of the town of Shusha,
a center of Azerbaijani culture. Azerbaijani authorities buried
Agarunov in Martyrs' Lane in Baku and posthumously awarded him the
title of National Hero of Azerbaijan, the country's highest honor.
Surely Hollywood would accord Agarunov top consideration for a Jewish
Azerbaijani lead. But other Jewish Azerbaijanis too have a place on
the big screen; a movie about colorful Baku-born Nobel Prize-winning
(1962) physicist Lev Landau is already in the making.
In Azerbaijan, the close, even seamless relationships among residents
are a powerful balm against any perceived societal ills. Friendships,
weddings, businesses, all show signs of Jewish-Muslim closeness
and solidarity.
When pressed about Azerbaijan's unique cultural oasis, many
Azerbaijanis cite "Ali and Nino," the romantic novel based in Baku
from 1918 to 1920. The book, virtually embedded in Azerbaijani
consciousness, is believed to have been authored by 20th-century
writer/historian Lev Nussinbaum, a man of mixed Jewish-Russian
background from Baku who adopted a Muslim pen name, Kurban Said,
and assumed Azerbaijani identity. In this Baku of old, East and West,
Muslim, Christian and Jew and ancient and modern appear in a seemingly
impossible yet complementary weave of elements. To many contemporary
visitors and residents, that is Baku.
Hollywood, are you listening?
Diana Cohen Altman is executive director of the Washington D.C.-based
Karabakh Foundation, a U.S. cultural charity focused on Azerbaijan.
http://jewishtimes.com/25590/azerbaijan-good-for-the-jews/#.U8iE1NJOXIU
Baltimore Jewish Times
July 17 2014
July 17, 2014
BY Diana Cohen Altman
The true story of Jewish Azerbaijan past and present has Hollywood
written all over it. Two ancient cultures meet on the same land. One
is Muslim and one is Jewish. But here is the twist: The land is
overflowing with natural riches, from fruits to "black gold" (oil),
and the cultures work and live harmoniously. Not only that, but they
forge new, vital forms of culture, government and commerce. And pay
attention Hollywood: Almost no one outside of Azerbaijan has heard
this story. Those who have are amazed and want to know more.
What is today the Republic of Azerbaijan, bordered by Russia, Georgia,
Turkey, Iran and Armenia, has been home to Jews since Late Antiquity.
Many of these early Jewish settlers came during the Persian Empire
and settled in the north of what is today Azerbaijan, in an area
called Guba.
Over the centuries, Jewish practices, beliefs and traditions held
the Jews together even during low points. Shared family lives and
business relationships, particularly in agriculture and trade, kept
the neighboring Jewish and Muslim towns functioning as close neighbors.
After breaking away from the Soviet Union in 1991, Azerbaijan found
quick recognition by Turkey and then by Israel. The Azerbaijan-Israel
strategic partnership today plays a vital role in the security of
both countries.
A venerated and beloved figure in Azerbaijan is a young Jew
named Albert Agarunov. Agarunov fought valiantly in the battle for
Azerbaijan's sovereign territory in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict that
continues to plague the country today. Agarunov died at the hands of
Armenian forces during the 1992 occupation of the town of Shusha,
a center of Azerbaijani culture. Azerbaijani authorities buried
Agarunov in Martyrs' Lane in Baku and posthumously awarded him the
title of National Hero of Azerbaijan, the country's highest honor.
Surely Hollywood would accord Agarunov top consideration for a Jewish
Azerbaijani lead. But other Jewish Azerbaijanis too have a place on
the big screen; a movie about colorful Baku-born Nobel Prize-winning
(1962) physicist Lev Landau is already in the making.
In Azerbaijan, the close, even seamless relationships among residents
are a powerful balm against any perceived societal ills. Friendships,
weddings, businesses, all show signs of Jewish-Muslim closeness
and solidarity.
When pressed about Azerbaijan's unique cultural oasis, many
Azerbaijanis cite "Ali and Nino," the romantic novel based in Baku
from 1918 to 1920. The book, virtually embedded in Azerbaijani
consciousness, is believed to have been authored by 20th-century
writer/historian Lev Nussinbaum, a man of mixed Jewish-Russian
background from Baku who adopted a Muslim pen name, Kurban Said,
and assumed Azerbaijani identity. In this Baku of old, East and West,
Muslim, Christian and Jew and ancient and modern appear in a seemingly
impossible yet complementary weave of elements. To many contemporary
visitors and residents, that is Baku.
Hollywood, are you listening?
Diana Cohen Altman is executive director of the Washington D.C.-based
Karabakh Foundation, a U.S. cultural charity focused on Azerbaijan.
http://jewishtimes.com/25590/azerbaijan-good-for-the-jews/#.U8iE1NJOXIU