Academic delegation from Central Asian Muslim republics visits Israel amid war

A delegation of academics from Central Asian Muslim republics is touring Israel in a scholarly delegation led by the Ben-Zvi Institute for the Study of Jewish Communities in the East and funded in large part by the Diaspora Affairs Ministry. 

The delegation centers around the study of Jewish communities in Central Asia, as well as Jewish and Israeli history.

The Jerusalem Post reached out to Dr. Zeev Levin from the Ben-Zvi Institute, as well as two of the participants from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, to learn more about the delegation and their experiences.

“After the war started, we at the Ben-Zvi Institute tried to come up with ways to promote our main academic area of study, which is Jewish communities in the East – with the ongoing reality. So we came up with this idea of bringing a delegation of academics from Central Asian republics to receive training on Jewish and Israeli communities and the history of the conflict, with much-appreciated help from the Diaspora Affairs Ministry,” explained Levin.

The group consists of nine lecturers and academics whose areas of expertise range from political science to history and culture, who hail from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, all Muslim-majority countries and part of the former Soviet Union.

According to Levin, the delegation is designed to expose the participants to issues related to the history of the State of Israel, Judaism, the conflict, and more.

“The unfortunate reality nowadays is that, despite the centuries-long presence of Jewish communities in Central Asia, there is hardly any research being carried out in these countries’ academic scene regarding Jewish history in their region,” Levin said.

“So, one of our goals here is to arouse awareness and curiosity among our guests and their students, to conduct research and study these unique communities, such as Bukharan Jewry and the way they coexisted in a Muslim majority environment.”

Levin spoke to the Post following the delegation’s meeting with members of the local council of Ramla, a mixed city in central Israel where Jews and Arabs live side by side.“We just met with two local council members; one was Mr. Eduard Mordukaev, a Bukharan Jew himself, and the other one was Mr. Ibrahim Abu-Laben, a Muslim, and they were talking about coexistence in the city,” elaborated Levin.

“Many came with some stereotypes about the situation, and these kinds of meetings are real eye-openers for those who were sure that everything here is a war, and everyone hates everyone.”

The group also toured the Old City of Jerusalem, arriving at the Western Wall, Temple Mount, and Al-Aqsa Mosque. “Many stereotypes about the State of Israel and the conflict were surely broken in this trip,” he added.

When asked whether the war changed their plans, Levin commented: “There were some who canceled the participation due to the situation. When we organized the trip many months ago, we thought that by September things would calm down, but here we are in another round of escalation. Despite this, our nine guests arrived and they are happy to be here.”

The program includes, in addition to visiting the Old City and meeting people in mixed cities, a trip to the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Knesset. “We brought the best lectures who will explain the Israeli story, involving direct meetings with Jewish and Muslim figures alike.”

Referring to the delegation, Levin added: “They are all well-known and esteemed professors and lecturers in their countries. They had an image about Israel, but it’s their first time visiting here.”

“Some of them covered the conflict in Afghanistan, and they’re all aware even in their own countries that if there is anything dangerous in this world, it’s religious fanaticism and radicalism, as well as unbridled organizations who take over entire countries, and now they understand better who Israel’s adversaries are,” he continued.

Dr. Vladimir Paramonov, Uzbekistan: 'It's our job as academics to visit these places'

Dr. Vladimir Paramonov is a senior research fellow on political science from the Uzbek Academy of Science. He specializes in international relations and leads the department of the Center for Contemporary History of Uzbekistan.

“I’m interested in leading a unique project to develop Central Asia’s ties with Israel. We have an interesting format named “Central Asia+,” which we lead with several countries on the political, academic, and scientific levels, and hopefully, this format will also be developed with Israel,” Paramonov explained, expressing his hopes for the development of relations between his homeland and Israel.

“Zeev Levin is a good friend of Uzbekistan and an expert on Central Asian affairs. We were in contact with him and focused on international relations. This is the first time I have ever visited here,” he said.

“Though I did know a bit about Israel, this visit is great and eye-opening. It is very interesting to hear from people who live together and in cooperation in mixed cities. And it’s also very moving to visit the holy places in the Old City of Jerusalem, which makes this a spiritual journey as well.”

Paramonov commented that prior to arriving in Israel, he felt a bit worried. 

“This is because of what the international media portrays. The situation seems very dramatic and very dangerous. It is true that there are dramatic things happening, but we arrived and saw for ourselves that the situation inside is not what it seems.”

“Many people around me were very worried about me going to Israel, but I believe that experts and academics must go to any place that has any effect on international politics. I myself have visited Afghanistan and Pakistan in areas that aren’t exactly stable. But it is our job to visit these places, especially if we see ourselves as academic experts trying to improve relations and solve problems to benefit all sides.

Regarding Uzbekistan’s relations with Israel, Paramonov commented: “They are good relations; Uzbekistan has good relations with most if not all countries. Surely, one can always improve relations, and we are here to see how this can be done.

As researchers, we have the duty to find these solutions and bring people from both countries to be more involved in improving relations for the benefit of all people. The Bukharan Jewish community plays a central role in the relations between the countries, and my hope is that they continue in doing so.”

Dr. Mukhitdin (Moshe) Sabirov, Tajikistan: 'My dream of visiting Jerusalem came true'

Dr. Moshe Sabirov is a lecturer at the Tajik National University. The sole Jewish participant in the delegation, he is also the representative and CEO of the tiny Jewish community in the country, which numbers a handful of dozens. He is also a teacher, a tour guide, and a photojournalist for the Bukhara Times, who seeks to represent Israeli technology in his country and to represent his country for those who haven’t heard of it.“This is my first time in Israel. A colleague at the Tajik National University invited me and I am very happy to be here. I feel like this is a perfect place for the Jewish people, where they can feel free to practice their beliefs and develop their culture,” he said.

“I came to explore this place, to know more about the culture. I always dreamed of visiting the Western Wall and the holy places, putting a note in the Western Wall – and now this dream came true.”

When asked about the reaction of his community to his visit to Israel, he answered, “It’s an interesting question; it really depends on who was talking to me. There were some who asked why I’m going and claimed that it’s ‘not a good place.’ Others said it was not safe to come here, but there were many who said that I had to seize the opportunity and go.”

Sabirov concluded: “I want to say to the Israeli people that I am very happy to be here, and I encourage you all to come to Tajikistan too; you are all welcome there.”