On September 2, 2024, a delegation from the State Committee on Work with Diaspora of the Republic of Azerbaijan, headed by Deputy Chairman Elshad Aliyev, visited the Congress of Bukharian Jews of the USA and Canada and the Bukharian Jewish Community Center of New York. The delegation included the head of the Americas, Great Britain, and Israel sector, Salhat Abbasova, and senior advisor of the department, Zaur Salmanov. Javid Ismayilov, diplomat at the Permanent Mission of Azerbaijan to the United Nations, also joined them.
The guests were welcomed by the president of the Bukharian Jewish Center, Leon Nektalov, and the coordinator of the Congress of Bukharian Jews, Rafael Nektalov, who acquainted them with the sights of the Center. They visited the Kanesoi Kalon — the Great Synagogue, built in 2005, where the guests were shown unique Torah scrolls, including one presented to Bukharian Jews by the President of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov. They also visited the library, concert hall, and the editorial office of The Bukharian Times newspaper. Discussions focused on developing people’s diplomacy and conducting joint events in Azerbaijan and New York.
Greeting the guests, Leon Nektalov noted the successful dynamics of developing contacts between the Bukharian Jewish community of New York and the Committee on Relations with the Diaspora of Azerbaijan.
In turn, Elshad Aliyev spoke about the Committee’s activities, noting that Azerbaijan is a multiethnic country where representatives of many nations, including Armenians, live in peace and harmony.
«We are returning to Karabakh, which was occupied for 30 years, and restoring the region’s infrastructure, building airports, bridges, roads, schools, and hospitals. Over 40,000 citizens have already resettled there,» he said.
He noted the uniqueness and prospects of the Committee’s work with the Congress of Bukharian Jews of the USA and Canada, a community that has such interest and respect for the history, culture, and art of Azerbaijan and actively cooperates in the field of people’s diplomacy with this country.
«I was amazed by your beautiful building of the Center and the Congress of Bukharian Jews, located in Queens, the hospitality, and respect that you showed to our entire delegation,» Aliyev said.
Boris Kandov, the president of the Congress, warmly greeted the guests, expressing regret that he could not attend this meeting and invited the entire delegation to a festive banquet to be held in the evening at Troyka restaurant in Forest Hills on the occasion of the 33rd anniversary of the Republic of Uzbekistan, a nation with which Azerbaijan recently established «allied relations,» as documented by a treaty signed in August 2024.
Rafael Nektalov, who hosted this meeting, introduced singer and composer, Yuhan Benyaminov, who spoke about his many years of work with Azerbaijani singers and composers in the USA and Azerbaijan, joint projects, and presented a song he wrote to his own lyrics «Baku,» performed by him in the Azerbaijani language, Azeri.
Salhat Abbasova could not hide her surprise and admiration not only for the melody and orchestration of the song but also for the correct pronunciation of Azerbaijani words and could not believe that it was performed by the author of the music himself, who was sitting opposite her.
Elshad Aliyev suggested that Yuhan give an interview for the television channel operating under the Committee on Work with the Diaspora, which has its own correspondents in New York, «so that Azerbaijanis can also get acquainted with this beautiful song.»
Ariel Rubinov, the creator of the future film dedicated to the trip of the delegation of the Congress of Bukharian Jews of the USA and Canada to Azerbaijan, shared his work on it and plans to show it in the USA and Azerbaijan.
Rafael Nektalov recalled that, while in Guba, the delegation met with the head of the Executive Power of the Guba District, Ilgar Akif oglu Mahmudov, and discussed the project of holding an international documentary film festival in Guba, which would feature films about Azerbaijan created outside the country, as well as another festival in which the musical art of the Azerbaijani people is presented by foreign singers and musicians.
Mr. Ilgar Mahmudov was interested in this idea and suggested discussing it with the philanthropist Gad Nisanov, who was in Guba. Unfortunately, the meeting did not take place.
The guests said that they would discuss this issue in Azerbaijan. In turn, they offered a film about the hero of Azerbaijan, Albert Agarunov, a Mountain Jew who died a hero’s death in the First Karabakh War.
Rafael Nektalov gratefully accepted this gift and announced that he had included it in the program of the documentary film festival, which will be held in New York as part of the «Week of Art and Culture of Bukharian Jews,» later this month.
With great interest, the guests listened to the singer and actress Tamara Kataeva, who was in Azerbaijan a year ago, performed on television, and met, thanks to the journalist Fuad Huseynzade, with representatives of the theatrical art of Baku.
«My mother, Frida Mullokandova, was an actress of the Samarkand Jewish Theater under the People’s Commissariat of Education of the Uzbek SSR in 1932 and was the first performer of the role of Gulchehra in U. Hajibeyov’s musical comedy «Arshin Mal Alan,» she said.
«Many years later, I performed in this role in the play of the ‘Revival’ theater, and my dream also came true.» Her husband, director Boris Kataev, has the idea of staging the play «Mother-in-law» by Mejdi Shamkhalov in New York.
In the past, the soloist of the state variety ensemble of Tajikistan «Gulshan,» Tamara Kataeva has many Azerbaijani songs in her repertoire.
On March 16, 2017, during the 24th Congress of the World Congress of Bukharian Jews in Baku, a delegation of the Congress of Bukharian Jews of the USA and Canada, headed by President Boris Kandov, Vice President Leon Nektalov, and Congress Coordinator Rafael Nektalov, visited the office of the Committee on Relations and met with its chairman, Mr. Fuad Rauf oglu Muradov, and signed a Memorandum. Following the meeting, Boris Kandov and Muradov signed a Memorandum, which became the basis for cooperation between the two American and Azerbaijani organizations.
A few months later, on May 14, 2024, a small delegation of the Congress of Bukharian Jews of the USA and Canada returned to Azerbaijan. Headed by BJCC President and businessman Leon Nektalov, the delegation included Bukharian Times editor-in-chief Rafael Nektalov, businessman and public figure Ben Benyaminov, Bukharian Times English editor Erin Levi, and documentarian Ariel Rubinov. They met with representatives of the Ministry of Economy of Azerbaijan, got acquainted with the prospects of business activities in the Alat Free Economic Zone, the Karabakh Fund, visited the city of Guba, as well as the liberated cities of Shusha, Fuzuli, and Lachin after 30 years of occupation, where modern airports, schools, and local industry enterprises have been built, where refugees have begun to return.
«We are glad of this meeting, which continues our initiatives to further strengthen the bridges of friendship and cooperation between the USA and Azerbaijan,» Leon Nektalov said in conclusion.
Photo by the author
Text translated by Google, edited by Erin Levi
Merik Rubinov