POLITICS
JEWISH COMMUNITY IN AZERBAIJAN ADDRESSES PRESIDENT ILHAM ALIYEV
‘Dear Mr. President!
The history of the Jewish community in Azerbaijan has closely intertwined with history of Azerbaijani people. All pleasures and sorrows, which fall to share of our state, we divide equally.
Today, the Jewish community in Azerbaijan totals more than 30 thousand people. This is the largest settlement of Jews on Caucasus. On behalf of each of us we thank you, dear Mr. President, for those ample opportunities which we possess for development and preservation our cultural an religious traditions.
Studying the life of Jews in Azerbaijan, we have found out the unknown facts of their mass annihilation taken place during the genocide of Azerbaijani people in 1918-19s of past century, which has anticipated tragedy of the Holocaust of 1939-45s. According to documents and memoirs of eyewitnesses, together with Azerbaijanis, up to 3 thousand of Jews was killed by the bands.
Now, we, owing to the active help of Institute on Human Rights of the National Academy of Sciences, carry out serious work on establishment of names of the Jews who have become victims of ethnic cleanings. Every year, on March 31, on day of memory of the victims of genocide of Azerbaijani people of 1918-19s, we pray for memories of souls of the killed Jewish children, women and men. Now, we continue to carry out work on revealing places of mass burial places and in other regions of our common Motherland - Azerbaijan and establishment of names of the killed.
Dear Mr. President! Reminding about high ethnic tolerance of Azerbaijani people, also proceeding from the sacred principle for Jews “Nobody is forgotten, nothing is forgotten”, we ask your instruction to corresponding state structures to render us assistance in restoration of the historical truth and authorize for establishment of stele in Guba region for perpetuating memory of innocently killed”.