Peter Lyukimson, Israel. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza
Natives of Azerbaijan who live in Israel continue discussing a story over mikvah, which has recently taken place in Baku. Mikvah is a pool with flowing water, standing in a synagogue and used for sacral ablution. Normal Jewish life in impossible without mikvah, and Judaism requires selling all valuable property, in necessary, for building mikvah before building a synagogue and anything else.
Recently the curator of Jewish projects in Azerbaijan, rabbi Shmuel Simantov called the director general of the Azerbaijan-Israel Association (AzIs) Lev Spivak and said: “Mikvah of the Jewish community is being destroyed right now. Can this vandalism be stopped?”
“I began my investigation and it appeared that massive construction is undertaken in this part of Baku; many old buildings are being destroyed, including mikvah,” Lev Spivak says. “I immediately called to our Baku friends, and the following events couldn’t happen in any other country: the mayor of the city was aware of the problem in an hour and had to make a decision on this. And he did. Baku’s mayor ordered to stop destruction of mikvah till Monday. “If I get documents confirming that the building belongs to the Jewish Community on Monday, mikvah will stay there,” mayor said.
On Monday such documents were presented, and the city authorities ordered to stop destroying mikvah. But the problem was that mikvah has already been almost destroyed by that time. The company which provided construction was obliged to restore mikvah.”
Soon it was really renewed; and Baku Jews say that it is now better than ever before. Natives of Azerbaijan living in Israel saw in this history another confirmation of good relations between Jews and Azerbaijanis in this country. A native Israeli told Vestnik Kavkaza: “Even in Israel where importance of mikvah is understood, it would be impossible. Of course destruction would be stopped, but to get money for its restoration a lot of time would be needed.”
