NEW WAVE OF ANTI-SEMITISM RISES IN BAKU

Azeri extremist that has slaughtered a Jewish woman says he has done a "God pleasing action".

Celebrations of 55th anniversary of the formation of the state of Israel are being held all over the world these days. The Azeri anti-Semites have also marked the day. Last week in the capital city of Azerbaijan a member of one of the numerous vahabist organizations operating there slaughtered an old Jewish woman. The murderer, Eldar, a 25 years old inhabitant of Baku, explained that by killing the woman he wanted to do a God pleasing action and appear in the heaven. The "Yedi'ot Aharonot" newspaper (Tel Aviv) wrote that "the Muslim which killed the woman, has confessed to be the follower of one of the local extremist groupings".

May 17, 2003

PanARMENIAN.Net - During Soviet times the 75 years old native of Baku, Camilla Kritchevskaya was prefering to be introduced with her late husband's surname (the neighbors knew her as Kerbaliyeva). Three years ago she immigrated to Israel and adopted Israeli citizenship. In late April she went to Baku to visit her daughter and was slaughtered in her apartment by the neighbor-anti-Semite. The woman herself opened the door for him.

Law-enforcement bodies did their best to hide the information about the murder committed for religious reasons from the foreign community. It was not included in the news being sent every day to the Chief Administration of the Police Station of Baku so that the journalists accredited in the press service of the Ministry of Interior could not have an access to it. Only the publication of the Israeli press revealed the case.

Official structures of Azerbaijan try to cast doubt on the fact that the crime was committed because of anti-Semitism. However, leaders of non-governmental structures consider the event as a confirmation of the hostility towards Jews. For example, the Secretary General of the Azerbaijani department of the International Association of Religious Freedom, Ilgal Abragimoghlu believes that ''the crime was committed because of the nervousness caused by the events taking place in Palestine''. The expert is sure that the murder of the Jewish woman was the consequence of the public-political processes taking place in the world.

The slaughter of Camilla Kritchevka is not the only expression of the aggressive anti-Semitism. Lot of Jews living in Azerbaijan are afraid for their lives recently. This is being admitted also by the Azeri press. A year ago the employee of the "Haifa" Jewish Charitable Foundation informed the "Echo" newspaper that the security of their compatriots was under a threat. The Baku Jews once confronted a huge anti-Semite campaign in 2001 which started with mass destruction of the Jewish graveyard. The orderers of this action were not found out. Only following numerous demands of the Chairman of board of the religious community of the Jews Semen Ikhiilov, the law-enforcement bodies provided additional forces for guarding the Synagogue of Baku. And after all this the Azerbaijani authorities try to convince that there is a religious and ethnical tolerance in the country.

It is interesting that the day of the funeral of Camilla Kritchevskaya a concert dedicated to the anniversary of Israel was held, during which the representatives of the authorities of Azerbaijan were speaking about their warm feelings towards the Jews.