DistantNews
Support us
🇮🇱 Israel /Elections & Politics

Armenia’s Jews hope Israeli recognition of 1915 Ottoman genocide will jumpstart bilateral ties

From Jerusalem Post · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Armenia's Jewish community is growing, partly due to an influx of Jews from Russia and Ukraine following the 2022 invasion.
  • This growth occurs amid improving Armenia-Israel relations, marked by Israel's recent recognition of the 1915 Ottoman genocide.
  • The recognition is seen as a positive step, potentially boosting bilateral ties despite past obstacles like Armenia's ties with Iran and Israel's arms sales to Azerbaijan.

Armenia's small Jewish community is experiencing a significant revival, with its population potentially increasing tenfold due to an influx of Jews from Russia and Ukraine following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. This burgeoning community, now numbering up to 2,000 individuals, is injecting new life into a previously dwindling population, largely composed of pensioners.

I’m so glad we have a community here.

— Ekaterina GoldschmidtGoldschmidt expressed her happiness at the growing Jewish community in Yerevan.

The recent growth in Jewish life in Yerevan, the capital, is occurring against a backdrop of warming relations between Armenia and Israel. A key development is Israel's unanimous Cabinet resolution on June 29 to recognize the 1915 Ottoman genocide of Armenians. This declaration, expected to be ratified by the Knesset, makes Israel the 36th country to acknowledge the genocide, a move that has been welcomed by the Armenian Jewish community.

Historically, relations between Armenia and Israel have been strained. Obstacles included Armenia's close ties with neighboring Iran and Israel's reluctance to offend Turkey by recognizing the 1915 genocide. Furthermore, Israel's extensive weapons sales to Azerbaijan, Armenia's adversary in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, created significant resentment. However, a peace treaty signed last year between Azerbaijan and Armenia, facilitated by US President Donald Trump, has paved the way for improved regional dynamics.

The Jewish community here is happy that Israel has finally recognized this genocide.

— Nathaniel TrubkinTrubkin, founder of Yerevan Jewish Home, commented on Israel's recognition of the 1915 genocide.

Nathaniel Trubkin, a Russian-born journalist and blogger who founded Yerevan Jewish Home, expressed his community's happiness with Israel's recognition of the genocide. "Every self-respecting Jew knows what happened to the Armenians," he stated, highlighting the shared historical understanding and the positive implications for bilateral ties. The community's revitalization is evident in social gatherings, such as a recent Shabbat dinner in Yerevan, which brought together Russian-speaking Jews and local Muslims.

Every self-respecting Jew knows what happened to the Armenians.

— Nathaniel TrubkinTrubkin emphasized the historical understanding of the Armenian genocide within the Jewish community.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Jerusalem Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog