A delegation representing the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations of the USA visited Baku last week. The delegation included more than 80 Jewish leaders, who were welcomed at the Ohr Avner Chabad School in Baku by Rabbi Avraham Berkowitz, the Executive Director of the Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS, and Rabbi Meir Bruk, the Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi of Azerbaijan and Director of the Ohr Avner Chabad Educational Complex.
Headed by Chairman Harold Tanner and his deputy Malcolm Hoenlein, the delegation arrived on February 10th. During their stay, the guests have met members of the Jewish community in Azerbaijan and visited local Synagogues and Jewish organizations. Members of the delegation discussed numerous issues with local leaders, including the dynamic changes in the FSU countries, their influence on the life of the Jewish community, and the living conditions for Jews.
During their stay in Baku, the American Jewish leaders also met with Azerbaijani officials and public figures, including Foreign Affairs Minister Elmar Mamedyarov and the Chairman of the Department of Caucasus Muslims, Sheikhulislam Hadji Allahshukur Pashazade. The visitors also met with Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev, as well as Israeli Ambassador Arthur Lenk and USA Ambassador Rino Harnish.
Apart from visiting the country's capital, the guests also had the opportunity to see ancient Jewish settlements in the Kuba Region, where Mountain Jews reside for the last three hundred years and to meet with leaders of these respective Jewish communities including Rabbi Yonah Yakubov who was recently posted to Kuba as the Chabad Lubavitch representative.
The local Ashkenazi Jewish Community and Chabad Rabbis organized the guests' accommodation and kosher meals while in Azerbaijan. Upon leaving the country, the delegation have graciously donated about 100 kg of Kosher food, including dairy and meat products, cookies and sweets to Baku Jewish day school which the guests brought with them on a specially chartered plane from Israel.
Afterwards, the delegation will depart for Jerusalem to partake in the Annual Conference of Presidents of Israel's Leadership Mission, which will take place from February 14th through 18th.
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