“We take very seriously the serious anti-Semitic events in Yerevan, Armenia – the Ministry of Diaspora and the Fight against Anti-Semitism works in cooperation with the government ministries in front of the authorities in the various countries in order to ensure the peace of their Jewish citizens and to prevent events with an anti-Semitic background such as those that happened in Yerevan” – this is how he responded Minister of Diaspora and the Fight against Anti-Semitism” Amichai Shikli to MK Simon Moshiashvili’s proposal for order following the desecration of the synagogue in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, for the fourth time since last October.
Over the weekend, the only ‘Mordechai Navi’ synagogue in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, was attacked. Unknown persons threw stones and smashed a window in the synagogue. The local Jewish community published photos documenting the damage, and noted that a criminal case had been opened for an “intentional attack on a religious place”. This is, as mentioned, the fourth attack on the place since the ‘Iron Swords’ war. The synagogue suffered similar attacks and in one case the building was set on fire with Molotov cocktails by an Armenian terrorist organization that claimed responsibility.
Minister Shikli added that “We take very seriously the serious anti-Semitic events in Yerevan, Armenia”, according to him, “Since Israel’s arms agreement with Azerbaijan, more obvious anti-Semitic attacks have begun in Armenia, and there is an increase in the desecration of Jewish symbols, such as the desecration of a memorial to the victims of the Holocaust and synagogue”.
MK Simon Moshiashvili said that “if we have always suffered from waves of anti-Semitism, then since the massacre at Simchat-Torah, known as the ‘Seventh of October’, a murky and dangerous wave of hatred is sweeping Europe.” America too, but mainly Europe.
“Six months ago, on the occasion of “International Holocaust Day”, a summary report on anti-Semitism in 2023 prepared by the Diaspora Ministry with the participation of the Zionist Organization and the Jewish Agency was submitted to the government. The relevant sentence from the report, which as sad and depressing as it is, reflects a picture of the situation: “However, against the background of the events of the seventh of October and as the war intensified – there was a dramatic increase in the extent of anti-Semitism worldwide, when in the months of October-December it is possible to point to a six-fold jump in anti-Semitic incidents compared to For the number of events registered in January-September. If that was the case six months ago, imagine how much worse the situation is today.
“This is the fourth time that this synagogue has been attacked since the ‘Iron Swords’ war. In one case, Molotov cocktails were thrown that set the building on fire. You don’t need to be a great scientist to guess the hard feelings among the members of the Jewish community in Yerevan. There are speculations as to the rioters’ motives, possibly due to the proximity between Israel and neighboring Azerbaijan, as written in the anti-Semitism report I mentioned, and in any case, the bottom line is anti-Semitism, and the victims are Jews and Judaism.”
MK Moshiashvili praised Israel’s ambassador to Moldova, Yoel Leon, who is also the commissioner for Armenia; “He does not incite riots, but he does not turn a deaf ear to the events and conveys the right message to the government in Armenia – from Jerusalem, the holy city and the capital of Israel, I wish to strengthen the hands of the Jews in Armenia, and at the same time demand that both the government in Israel and the government in Armenia do everything to ensure the safety of the Jews.”
The Jewish community in the capital of Armenia numbered in its heyday more than a thousand souls, and today it numbers less than 200 souls, and it is shrinking. Historians claim that the Jews came to Armenia in exile in Babylon. 150 years ago, Jews from Georgia settled in Armenia.