Archive

Baku, Azerbaijan

Description

Baku is alleged to have had Jewish inhabitants in what is today its old city center since it became an administrative capital of the Savafids under the Shirvanshah's in the early 12th century, replacing another important cultural center which had a long-standing Jewish community, Shamakhi.

At the beginning of the 19th century Baku began to see an influx of Jewish communities from around the region, including both Hasidic and Litvak Ashkenazi communities. With the development of oil as a commodity, the Jewish community's business relations connected its Jewish community extensively with that of European Jewry and the community continued to expand. Even a community of Kurdish Jews seems to have moved into the city as a part of the oil boom.

In the 20th century, Baku's communites had some degree of religious practice and cultural identity even under Soviet rule. One anecdote relates that during Passover, government bakeries would make matzah for the bread allowance for its Jewish denizens.

In the late 20th century, its community began to dwindle as various hardships befell the community and as moving to Israel became a more viable option. In part due to loss of identity under the Soviet Union, particularly among Ashkenazi Jews, detailing the current size of the community is difficult but it is estimated that upwards of 8,000 Jews live in Baku today.

There are three active synagogues and there is a keen interest in the Azerbaijani government to support the remaining communities cultural and religious activities.

 

Click on the links below to learn more about Jewish sites in Baku.

Old Jewish Cemetery: http://archive.diarna.org/site/detail/public/3004/

Jewish Cemetery #2: http://archive.diarna.org/site/detail/public/2974/

Former Synagogue, now theater: http://archive.diarna.org/site/detail/public/2836/

Mountain Jews Synagogue: http://archive.diarna.org/site/detail/public/2834/

Kurdish Jews Synagogue: http://archive.diarna.org/site/detail/public/3005/

Ashkenazi and Georgian Jews Synagogue: http://archive.diarna.org/site/detail/public/2833/

 

Baku, Azerbaijan