On the eve of Yom Kippur, almost 300 years ago, an ancient Kabbalistic tome saved a small Caucasian Jewish community in Azerbaijan from certain death at the hands of the invading Persian army. The Persian conqueror swung his sword at the leader of the community, who protected himself with the ancient book. The sword hit the book and thus he was saved. Following the miraculous event, the fierce invader decided to spare the community.
A copy of the book with the clearly visible sword strike on it, is on display in an exhibition at a museum in the Jewish town of Krasnaya Sloboda (“red town” in Russian) in the Quba district in Azerbaijan, to mark the 290th anniversary of the founding of the town.
According to a booklet provided with the exhibition, the episode unfolds with the conquest of the region by Nader Shah, who later became one of the most powerful and influential rulers of Persia.
About 8,000 Jews currently live in the region. To this day, three synagogues operate without the need for security and two Jewish schools operate in Krasnaya Sloboda.
Igor Shaulov, director of Krasnaya Sloboda’s Mountain Jewish Museum said, “This special book, a copy of which is regularly displayed in the museum, tells the long history of the Jewish presence in Azerbaijan, which preserved and protected the Jews who lived in its territory and helped them maintain their identity and culture, and observe the holidays and heritage. And even more so, even today, this history is doing everything to allow us, Mountain Jews, to preserve the Jewish tradition.”
Itamar Eichner
