Peter Lyukimson, Israel. Exclusively for Vestnik Kavkaza
A well-known military and political expert of Israeli radio and television, one of the most popular representatives of the aliyah of the 1970s, Bakuvite Alex Veksler, presented his book last weekend.
“My Country, My Nation, My Family” was presented in the Central Russian Library of Jerusalem and was organized by the International Association of Israel and Azerbaijan “AzIs”. The hostess of the event, Yegyana Salman, noted that the meeting is symbolic, as these days Israeli people are passing through another challenge, when sirens are heard all over the country, which means an attack by Gaza is started, and at any moment people are ready to go to dugouts. Despite the emergency, people from various Israeli cities came to meet with their favorite commentator.
Alex Veksler is a wonderful speaker; so his book is attractive due to a clear description of events. It makes the reader feel present in the events and acquainted with its heroes. Speaking about the book, Veksler said that it is not a novel with thrilling love stories, but a book about a long life and all the described events are true, and he is ready to be put through a lie detector to prove his words. He eloquently describes meetings with top Israeli politicians, including prime ministers, Soviet and Western politicians, his responsible positions, and memories about his motherland – unforgettable Baku and a youth spent in Azerbaijan.
One of the chapters tells about a conversation with Itskhak Shamir, when the Prime Minister, who knew about the origin of his referent, asked him about the essence of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which had only just started at the time. Taking the opportunity, Veksler presented convincing “facts and they were self-explanatory. Baku has always been famous for its relevant freedom and tolerance. And in the context of the Soviet regime several tens of thousands of Jews, our brothers, were born and raised there.” Then the report listed hundreds of names of well-known people in the Union: Leo Landau, Mstislav Rostropovich, Boris Vannikov, Richard Zorge, Leo Manevich, Vella Davidovich, Arnold Kaz, Veronika Dudarova, Boris Seidman, Leo Kogan, Vladimir Shveitser, Vladimir Menshov, Grigory Gurvich, Yuli Gusman, Leonid Zorin, Heinrich Altschuler, Yeugeny Voikunovsky, Isay Lukodyanov, Ibragimbekov Brothers, Muslim Magomayev, Veronika Dolina, Irina Alegrova, Polad Byul-Byul Ogly, Garik Kasparov, Tatyana Zatulovskaya.
Veksler wrote: “We cannot ignore facts, and they are self-explanatory. I couldn’t present to Shamir anything like Baku. In the calmest, most favorable, pre-Perestroika Soviet times the Jewish population of Armenia didn’t surpass one thousand people.” And the author summed up the moral essence of the story: “For the Jewish state, the prosperity of the Jewish people abroad and the attitude toward them of the authorities of countries where they live are the most important thing.”
Alex Veksler’s book “My Country, My Nation, My Family” is full of infinite love of the fate and the history of his people. The author tenderly tells about his family, his ancestors, wife, children, and grandchildren; he is proud of his country, its history and achievements. Veksler’s book could be a handbook for every patriot of his motherland, despite his present accommodation, as this is a textbook on patriotism and devotedness to your nation.
Stories from the book were so interesting that readers didn’t want to leave the meeting, even though many of them had to go home to various cities of the country. By the end of the evening guests expressed their gratitude to Alex Veksler for the interesting meeting, and he promised to publish the second part of the memories.
Participants in the meeting got a fresh issue of “Baku” Magazine, which is published by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation. It tells about the history, culture, traditions and modern life of Azerbaijan.
