A unique strengthening tour was held across Jewish communities in the United States • Rabbi Isayev to leaders: “We must actively engage in spreading the light of Torah through connection and peace.” According to him, “Now is the time to strengthen the existential bond between Azerbaijan, Israel, and the U.S.”
In honor of the holiday of Shavuot, Rabbi Zamir Isayev, the Sephardic community rabbi of Baku, embarked on a strengthening tour among Jewish communities in the U.S., during which he delivered the message that “especially now, Jewish communities, wherever they may be, must stand by Israel.”
In recent years, and particularly since October 7th, Rabbi Isayev has led an uncompromising stance centered on support for Israel. According to him, in Azerbaijan—a predominantly Muslim country—support for Israel has grown to extraordinary proportions after October 7th.
As part of his visit to the U.S., he held a series of meetings over the past week and visited many Jewish communities. This comes against the backdrop of ongoing discussions surrounding Azerbaijan’s potential entry into the Abraham Accords, mediated by the United States.
Among the prominent Jewish figures who met with Rabbi Isayev were businessman Leon Goldberg; NORPAC President Stanley Stern; Chair of the Jewish Community Relations Council in New York Cheryl Fishbein; Vice Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations Malcolm Hoenlein; CEO of the American Sephardi Federation Jason Guberman; Chief Rabbi Saul K. Kassin of the Congregation Magen David of West Deal in NJ and representatives of AJC.The Jewish communities expressed great interest in the connection between Azerbaijan and Israel, and in President Ilham Aliyev’s efforts to promote peace and stability between Israel and Turkey, in an effort to prevent future conflict in Syria.A fascinating moment occurred during Rabbi Isayev’s meetings in the U.S., when he pulled out official Azerbaijani textbooks: “Look at these textbooks, which clearly and unequivocally define what contemporary antisemitism is. These books include the history of the Jewish people—even during the Holocaust,” he explained.
According to Rabbi Isayev, “From the conversations I had, it’s clear that the negative attitude toward Azerbaijan in some U.S. circles stems from a complete lack of knowledge about the situation in the region, a lack of awareness of the alliance between Baku and Jerusalem, and hostile propaganda likely originating from foreign actors.”
The rabbis he met with expressed a willingness to join and assist in the public diplomacy efforts to deepen the ties between Israel, Azerbaijan, and the U.S. They stated that they intend to reach out to pro-Israel members of Congress and senators who currently hold anti-Azerbaijani positions and attempt to shift their stance.
Additionally, they clarified that they plan to approach the Trump administration and the U.S. Congress with a request to repeal Section 907 of the U.S. Freedom Support Act, which prohibits direct aid to the government of Azerbaijan.
“The Festival of the Giving of the Torah is upon us,” said Rabbi Isayev in his meeting with the rabbis. “It’s worth noting that the Torah emphasizes the giving of the Torah—meaning that even today, after thousands of years, God continues to give us the Torah, and our connection with Him is active and constantly renewed. We too must learn from His conduct and actively spread the light of Torah through connection and peace,” he added.
This article was written in cooperation with Shuva Israel