During the Holocaust, more than 55,000 Jews fled Nazi persecution and sought refuge in Azerbaijan, former Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel, Israel Meir Lau, stated at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) event in Strasbourg.

“Today, I would like to mention a country that is an old friend of Israel: the state of Azerbaijan, a Muslim majority state with close ties to the Jewish people and Israel. Azerbaijan stands shoulder to shoulder with Israel against evil today,” the rabbi said.

Lau, who lost both parents during the Holocaust at the age of seven, emphasized that Azerbaijan has never shown hostility toward its Jewish community in its millennial history.

“In addition, more than 55,000 Jews who fled the Holocaust found refuge in Azerbaijan, and after the October 7 tragedy, hundreds of Azerbaijani citizens came to the Israeli embassy with bouquets of flowers and letters of condolence. The Creator commands us to remember evil deeds. However, we must also remember and thank those people in whose hearts the fire of love and brotherhood flared up for the people of Israel,” he stressed.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan marked International Holocaust Remembrance Day with a memorial event at the Synagogue of European Jews in Baku, attended by diplomats, religious figures, and members of the Jewish community. The ceremony featured speeches emphasizing Azerbaijan’s tradition of religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence amid rising global anti-Semitism.

The event concluded with the lighting of memorial candles and the recitation of Kaddish in honor of Holocaust victims.