Fighting Anti-Semitism: Israel gets ready to help Jewish communities

Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Anti-Semitism responds to the proposal for order of MK Simon Moshiashvili regarding the fourth attack on the Synagogue in Armenia since October •  His promise: We will work to assist the Jewish communities.

The Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Anti-Semitism, Amichai Chikli, responded to Member of Knesset Simon Moshiashvili’s proposal to following the desecration of the synagogue in Armenia’s capital, Yerevan, for the fourth time since last October: “We view these grave anti-Semitic incidents in Yerevan, Armenia, most seriously. The Ministry of the Diaspora Affairs and Combating Anti-Semitism works in cooperation with the government ministries with the various state governments to ensure the welfare of their Jewish citizens and to prevent anti-Semitic attacks such as those that occurred in Yerevan.“

Over the weekend, the Mordechai Nawi Synagogue, Yerevan’s only synagogue, was attacked. Unknown perpetrators threw stones and smashed a synagogue window. The local Jewish community published  photographs documenting the damage, and stated that a criminal case had been opened for an “intentional attack on a religious place.”

As mentioned, this was the fourth attack on the synagogue since the outbreak of the Swords of Iron war. The synagogue had suffered similar attacks and in one case, the building was set alight with Molotov cocktails by an Armenian terror organization who claimed responsibility.

Minister Chikli added that “We view these grave anti-Semitic incidents in Yerevan, Armenia,  most seriously.” He said that “since the arms deal between Israel and Azerbaijan, anti-Semitic attacks in Armenia have become more evident. There has been increased desecration of Jewish symbols, like the desecration of the monument in memory of victims of the Holocaust and the attack on the synagogue.”

Member of Knesset Simon Moshiashvili said that “We have always suffered from waves of anti-Semitism, yet since the massacre of October 7th, known as “The Seventh of October”/ 7 October, a murky and dangerous wave is washing across Europe. It’s washing across America, too, but mostly Europe.”

He continued, saying, “Six months ago for International Holocaust Day, a report on anti-Semitism in 2023 was submitted to the government. The report was prepared by the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs with the participation of the Zionist Organization and the Jewish Agency. The underlying sentence from the report, as sad and depressing as it is, reflects the situation: “However, against the backdrop of the events of October 7th, and as the war intensified, there was a dramatic rise in anti-Semitism recorded around the world. The months of October to December point to a leap of possibly six times as many incidents compared to the number of incidents from January to September. If this was the case six months ago, imagine how much worse the situation has become today.”

“This is the fourth attack on this synagogue since the Swords of Iron war. In one of the incidents, Molotov cocktails were hurled at the synagogue, setting the building alight. You don’t need to be a great scientist to imagine the heavy feeling felt among the Jewish community in Yerevan. There are speculations as to the motives of the perpetrators. It may be due to the strengthening of ties between Israel and Azerbaijan, Armenia’s neighbor, as stated in the report on anti-Semitism that I mentioned, and in any event, the bottom line points to anti-Semitism, of which the victims are Jews and Judaism.”

MK Moshiashvili praised Israel’s ambassador in Moldova, Yoel Leon, who is also the consul for Armenia: “He doesn’t encourage riots, but he does not turn a deaf ear to the events and he conveys the correct message to the government of Armenia. From the holy city of Jerusalem and capital of Israel, I wish to send strength to the Jews of Armenia, and at the same time, demand that the Israeli government, as well as the Armenian government, do everything to ensure the wellbeing of the Jewish people.”

In its prime, the Jewish community in Armenia’s capital numbered more than 1,000. Today there are fewer than 200 Jews and the community continues to shrink. Historians claim that Jews arrived in Armenia following the Babylonian exile. One hundred and fifty years ago, Jews from Georgia migrated and settled in Armenia.

This article was written in cooperation with Shuva Israel