New Shluchim to Azerbaijan Return to Their Roots

By COLlive reporter

When a young rabbi from Moscow was invited to run Jewish youth programs in Baku, he jumped at the chance to work with one of the largest and most active youth communities in Azerbaijan, despite offers from other European countries.

Rabbi Nakhshon Yunaev has been working at the Marina Roscha Jewish Community Center of Moscow, where he initiated Yeshivot Erev, a Torah-study program for students and young adults. He recruited 40 students in the program’s first year, exceeding all expectations.

Yet he and his wife Mrs. Eden Yunaev (nee Yunayeva) couldn’t resist the offer from Rabbi Shneur Segal, Chief Rabbi of Azerbaijan and Head Shliach.

Rabbi Segal has known Mrs. Yunaev’s family for a long time. Eden was raised in Baku and her parents sent her to the local Chabad Or-Avner school from which she graduated. When she married Nakhshon, it was Rabbi Segal and his wife Mrs. Chavah Segal who walks them to the chuppah.

Rabbi Yunaev grew up in Moscow but considered himself a “Mountain Jew” or Caucasus Jews, a term for Jews of the eastern and northern Caucasus, mainly Azerbaijan, and various republics in the Russian Federation.

“I finished my first yeshiva there, then continued my education in Israel and the United States,” he said. “I received job offers from Germany, Israel, Cyprus, Estonia, and other countries where Russian-speaking rabbis are needed, but it was an honor for me to be invited to work with Rabbi Segal,” he said.

Rabbi Segal says about the new Shluchim: “He is one of the most promising young Russian-speaking rabbis, and he has the right experience for the job. Of course, it’s an advantage that he comes from a family of “Mountain Jews;” his wife was born and raised in Baku and is a graduate of our school.”

He added, “They understand the local culture, its mentality, traditions, and customs, giving them a common language with the local youth. It would normally take a lot of time for a new rabbi to adapt and understand, but Nakhshon was able to get his bearings very quickly.”

Since arriving in the Azerbaijani capital just over a month ago, Rabbi Yunaev has settled in with his family and become familiar with his new surroundings. As he gets ready to begin his new role, he says that friendly relations between Russia and Azerbaijan make Jews feel comfortable in all parts of Azerbaijani life.

“We raise the level of Jewish self-awareness and explain what it means to be a practicing Jew and teach lessons from the Torah,” he says. “Because of the pandemic, we have very small group classes, as well as online classes, but despite the challenge, we’ve already gotten to know many members of our community.

He said: “It’s nice to see plenty of young people at our events who are interested in the Jewish way of life, who want to learn more about our traditions and customs. We motivate them to look within themselves to find the human traits of helping others, solidarity, and brotherhood and try to develop their inner talents. We also organize various seminars, lectures, and Shabbat programs. The scope of our activities is constantly growing. For me, being a shaliach means being fully devoted to working with Jewish youth.”

Before the pandemic, Jewish students from Azerbaijan regularly took part in seminars and trips to Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and the US. Recently, a group of young Jews from Azerbaijan and Russia visited Dubai. There is already a Chabad center operating there, and several weddings have taken place there as well.

The main goal of Rabbi Yunaev will be to establish personal contact with the youth community, build confident communication. The Jewish community in Azerbaijan is the largest among countries where the majority of the population is Muslim.

Local community leaders are trying to create conditions for people to live a Jewish way of life. There are now more than 350 young people between the ages of 18 to 35 who participate in community events.

Rabbi Yunaev will have to involve them in community life so they feel part of it, while at the same time, encouraging them to give back to their community. Besides participating in different events, young people are engaged in volunteer work, such as helping the elderly.

Rabbi Yunaev decided to move to Baku despite the recent military conflict, which affected many residents of Azerbaijan.

“My wife’s relatives told us about what happened here. We know that everybody was ready to help and support each other during those difficult times. It did not stop us from coming here. On the contrary, in situations like these, people need additional support, and we are ready to provide it. For us, it was important to know that we were going to help the Jews of Azerbaijan”, he says.