Azernews.Az

By Sara Israfilbayova

Azerbaijan’s Mountain Jews living in Guba region has celebrated Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

Rosh Hashanah, one of the two “High Holy Days” in Judaism, commemorates the creation of the world and marks the beginning of the Days of Awe, a 10-day period of introspection and repentance that culminates in the Yom Kippur holiday, also known as the Day of Atonement.

During the two-day holiday, residents of the Krasnaya Sloboda village in Guba read prayers in the synagogue, help the needy, gather at the festive table, ask the Almighty to forgive their sins.

Like the Jews of the whole world, the inhabitants of the Krasnaya Sloboda village also meet 5778th year according to the Jewish calendar. Although the date of the Rosh Hashanah holiday varies depending on the calendar, usually this holiday is celebrated in September, Azertac reported.

Yavushva Simanduyev, the principal of school No 1 named after Isakov Khanukov in Krasnaya Sloboda, said that the Rosh Hashanah dinner always includes carrots, fish heads, pomegranates, apple and honey. Carrots sliced with mugs symbolize gold coins, well-being, and the fish symbolizes the eldest member of the family.

Krasnaya Sloboda is one of the rare places in the world densely populated by the Jews. The Jews living in this village, which is called "Israel of the Caucasus", have been keeping their traditions for many years. The religious community and the center of the national culture of the Jews are functioning here.

The settlement of Krasnaya Sloboda is located on the left bank of the Gudyalchai river in Guba. Here the Jews have lived together with the Azerbaijanis for many years in peace and tranquility.

Azerbaijan's Community of Mountain Jews is one of the largest of the three Jewish communities of the Caucasus, going back to the Jews of ancient Persia who are believed to have settled in the region 1,000 years ago. They speak Juhuri, a mixture of Hebrew and Farsi.

The history of the settlement of Mountain Jews in the territory of Guba region goes back to the middle of the 18th century. During the reign of Fatali khan, the Jews living in the surrounding territories began to move here. More than 10 synagogues were built in the Jewish neighborhoods at that time.

Thus, a settlement of a large numbers of Jewish citizens was organized without fear of discrimination, retribution, or clashes with neighboring towns and states.

The flourishing community of 18,000 people became known as Yevreskaya Sloboda or Jewish settlement, but was renamed as Krasnaya Sloboda when the Bolsheviks came to power in the 20th century.

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