Details added (the first version was posted at 19:26 on April 5)
Azerbaijan, Baku, April 5 / Trend M.Aliyev /
A new synagogue was opened in Baku on Tuesday.
Addressing the opening ceremony was Hidayat Orujov, Chairman of the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations. Orujov conveyed Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's congratulation to the attending guests, stating that the new synagogue's opening is a great event. "Tolerance has been and always will be one of the most important moments of Azerbaijan's policy," the message said.
The Secretary General of the World Congress of Mountain Jews Akif Gilalov's greetings were also voiced at the opening ceremony, remarking that the synagogue is an essential element of the community at all times - the main life-cycles of faithful Jews is linked with it.
"Praying in the synagogue, they turn to God, and the usual words express wise principles of Judaism. The new synagogue is the best evidence of tolerance and the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's attention to religious and ethnic representatives of Azerbaijan. An expensive present was made to Jews on the eve of an important holiday - Pesach. It is to continue the Muslim-Jewish dialogue of cultures and civilizations launched by us. Mountain Jews of Israel, Russia, Germany, France, Georgia, Great Britain, Austria, USA, and Canada are happy today along with the Jews of Azerbaijan," the message says.
The event was attended by the Israeli ambassador Michael Lavon- Lotem , the U.S. ambassador Matthew Bryza, and other leaders of the diplomatic corps accredited to Azerbaijan, Chairman of the Jewish religious community Krasnaya Sloboda Boris Samanduyev, the ordinaries of Baku Catholic parish Vladimir Fekete, a representative of the European Jewish community in Baku Gennady Zelmanovich, head of European Home Shaul Davydov and other leaders of Jewish organizations in Azerbaijan.
This synagogue differs from the old demolished synagogue in its form and space, head of the Community of Mountain Jews in Azerbaijan Semen Ikhiilov told Trend.
He said the old synagogue was in a bad building, which was built a hundred years ago, and situated in an uncomfortable place to visit.
Ikhiilov expressed gratitude to the Azerbaijani people and President Ilham Aliyev for the new synagogue.
" Finally , a beautiful and new synagogue of the Mountain Jews has been built in Baku ," Bishop of Baku and the Azerbaijani Russian Orthodox Church Alexander told Trend. He said that representatives of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism live in Azerbaijan and they all want prosperity of the country.
