A burnt shul in Dagestan, Russia after terrorists set it afire.
By ISRAEL TSVAYGENBAUM
My name is Israel Tsvaygenbaum, an artist of the fine art, resident of Albany since 1994. I was born in the city Derbent, the Republic of Dagestan, Russia. It is located on the Caspian Sea. It is the southernmost city in Russia, and it is the second-most important city of Dagestan. In Derbent and the entire Dagestan live a Muslim majority. Most Jews in Derbent are Sephardic Jews. They are also known as the Mountain Jews or Caucasus Jews. The Jewish community of Derbent is the oldest in the North Caucasus and dates to the 7th century. Most Derbent Jews immigrated from the mountain and steppe villages of the northern Caucasus. Total population of Derbent Jews is between 1,000 and 1,345.
The tragic events that occurred on Sunday, June 23, in the cities of Derbent and Makhachkala, in the Republic of Dagestan, Russia, where the Islamic terrorists burned synagogues and Christian churches and killed a priest in Derbent, shook me to my core. Terrorists mercilessly killed innocent people. 16 police officers and five civilians, along with at least five perpetrators were killed.
I Knew This Synagogue
Derbent used to have many synagogues, but during the Soviet Union’s leadership there was only one left. The Derbent Synagogue was consecrated in 1914. In 2009 the synagogue was dismantled and reconstructed using old stones and new materials. The synagogue’s reopening was on March 22, 2010. The building of the new synagogue was multifunctional. There was the Jewish Community Center, the religious school, the daycare, and the Jewish Museum.
Unfortunately, I have not seen the rebuilt one. Many who saw the new Derbent synagogue have told me that it had a gorgeous interior and had featured beautiful old Torah scrolls. They were from a rare collection. Torahs destroyed.
I remember well the older synagogue, where my father regularly prayed on Shabbat and all Jewish holidays, and my older brother and I had bar mitzvah. As a young boy, I used to sometimes bring on Friday chickens to a shochet, to be slaughtered, to make them kosher. This is so imprinted in my memory that I even dedicated my painting “The Shochet with Rooster” to this in 1997.
The former Derbent synagogue before it was attacked by Islamic terrorists.
In my memoir, “My Secret Memory,” there are stories of my youth, where I described the Derbent synagogue, my memory about the shochet, and how my father in the separate room of the synagogue read Yizkor — The Memorial Prayer— with the Ashkenazi Jews, because the Mountain Jews on Yom Kippur don’t have the custom to read it. There I also describe kapparot, a customary atonement ritual practice on the eve of Yom Kippur and the day-to-day life of Derbent’s Jews.
During my youth in Derbent, Jews did not have major problems with the Muslim population. Jews lived next door to them, studied and worked together and served in the same units in the army. I personally had no problems with them. I had Azerbaijani friends.
Russia Should Monitor
The main problems appeared when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, and the Muslim people became Islamized. Lately, some young people began to sympathize with ISIS, Hamas and Hezbollah. This gave rise to extremism and anti-Semitism.
The current war between Israel and Hamas has exacerbated the situation. Plus, war between Russia and Ukraine has weakened Russia’s human resources and the state in this situation does not have full capability to monitor internal problems with the growing number of Islamic extremists. It gave more grounds for terrorists to bring unrest in the Republic of Dagestan, with incitement to hatred of Jews and Christians. Usually, the main problems have as focus— Jews. It is very rare when Christians get attacked.
Makhachkala is the capital and the biggest city of the Republic of Dagestan, Russia. It’s 2.5 hours away from Derbent. The terrorism in both places happened at the same time.
I still have relatives and friends who live in Derbent who went through the stress during and after this horrific tragedy.
The resilient Jews of Derbent, despite the fear that the terrorists wanted to sow, have already decided to rebuild their synagogue again and continue to pray and enjoy life.
Lessons For Here
Events in Derbent and Makhachkala may remind us Jews in the United States that lately we have been seeing arrogant, rabid anti-Semites sympathizing with Hamas. They unceremoniously call for the extermination of the Jews. Jews in the United States feel like they are on a powder keg, that at any moment their lives could be in danger. The growth of anti-Semitism in our country is increasing. Unfortunately, Jews in the USA do not feel that our government is doing enough to stop anti-Semitic marches on the streets, in colleges, etc.
The tragedy of Derbent and Makhachkala is not guaranteed may be repeated here in our country— the U.S. — unless our country takes tough measures to punish anti-Semitism. Let’s hope that our country will take care of its people and will not allow people who openly call for violence against Jews to go unpunished.
