Throughout history, Jews have managed to preserve their identity, religious traditions, and social institutions by living in communities in various parts of the world for a long time without their own national state. Although Jewish communities faced different challenges in different periods, thanks to their high adaptability, and the importance they attached to education and professionalism, they were able to occupy an active and visible position in many countries. At the same time, they played an important role in the political, scientific, cultural, and economic development of the countries where they lived.
Azerbaijan has historically been a part of this multifaceted process. For centuries, Jewish communities living in our country have contributed to the socio-political and cultural life of the country by operating in an atmosphere of mutual respect and cooperation with the local population.
Modern.az has investigated Jewish-born individuals who were born and raised in Azerbaijan and are known for their activities in various fields of the country.
Yevda Abramov was born on June 12, 1948, in the Red Settlement of Guba district. After graduating from the Faculty of History of Azerbaijan State Pedagogical University, he engaged in pedagogical activity. Y. Abramov is a former deputy of the Milli Majlis. Y. Abramov served as a deputy in the III, IV, and V convocations of the parliament and was mainly known for his speeches on social issues of the regions.
The former deputy passed away in December 2019.
Anatoli Rafailov was elected a deputy of the VI and VII convocations of the Milli Majlis and is currently active in the parliament. He was born on February 5, 1953, in Baku. He graduated from the Faculty of Treatment of Azerbaijan Medical Institute. On February 4, 2023, he was awarded the "Shokhrat" (Glory) Order by President Ilham Aliyev for his active participation in the socio-political life of Azerbaijan. On October 8, 2024, he was elected the head of the working group on Azerbaijan-Israel inter-parliamentary relations in the Milli Majlis.
Timur Weinstein was born on March 1, 1974, in Baku. In 1991, he was elected the artistic director of the "Parni iz Baku" ("Baku Guys") Club of the Merry and Witty (KVN) team. This team became the champion in 1992, the winner of the summer cup in 1995, and the champion of the century in 2000.
T. Weinstein graduated from Azerbaijan Medical University with a degree in psychiatrist in 1996. In 1997, he was admitted to the Russian Institute of Television Professionals for a degree in television directing. He worked as a correspondent, editor, and director at the "VID" telecompany, then became the head of the programs "Tema", "Dobriy vecher s Yuliyem Gusmanom", and acted as the author of "Chas pik", "Ishu tebya" and various other programs. In 1998, he was chosen as the best editor of the "VID" telecompany. In 2000, he was the director of the "Planeta KVN" program and the series "KVN. 40 let shutya". Since 2000, he has been the producer and director of the Russian National Cinematography Award "Nika" and since 2003, of the "Slava" Russian National Sports Award ceremony. Since 2001, he has been one of the founders and general producer of the "Lean M" Production Center. He lives in Russia and has produced more than 20 films and series.
Moisey Weinstein was born in 1906 in the Baku Governorate. He graduated from the Music College in 1930 and from the Conservatory in 1934. He worked as a conductor at the Baku Youth Theater (1928–1931), the Red Army Theater (1931–1933), and the Sanitary Culture Theater (1933–1934). From 1934–1937, he was the music director at Azerbaijan State Radio, from 1939–1940, he was the head of the music department of the Azerbaijan SSR Art apparatus, and from 1940–1941, he worked at the Philharmonic. He adapted four Azerbaijani folk songs for piano and violin. In addition, he is the author of a symphony for cello orchestra (1955) and the children's opera "Misha, Masha and Kashey" (1943) based on the works of Veniamin Kamerin.
Garry Kasparov, the world-famous grandmaster, was born in Baku in 1963. In 1980, he graduated from secondary school No. 151 in Baku with a gold medal. He then studied at the Azerbaijan State Institute of Foreign Languages. In 1976, he became the USSR champion among juniors. In 1980, in addition to receiving the grandmaster title, he won the world junior championship in Dortmund. In 1981, he became the youngest chess player to achieve the title of USSR chess champion. In 1985, he defeated Anatoly Karpov to win the world championship title and held this title until he lost to Vladimir Kramnik in 2000.
He currently lives abroad.
Yuli Gusman was born in 1992 in Baku, into the family of Lieutenant Colonel Solomon Moiseyevich Gusman, a military doctor and chief therapist of the Caspian Sea Fleet during the Great Patriotic War. Although he studied at Azerbaijan Medical University, he worked as a film director, politician, theater director, television presenter, KVN actor, actor, and screenwriter. He is the founder and artistic director of the "Nika", the first national award of the Russian Academy of Cinematography, a permanent member of the KVN jury, and a member of the Presidium of the Russian Jewish Congress. In 1993, he was awarded the title of Honored Artist of the Russian Federation and is a People's Artist of Azerbaijan.
Mikhail Gusman is Yuli Gusman's younger brother. He was born in Baku in 1950. In 1970, he graduated from the Azerbaijan State Institute of Foreign Languages. For a long time, he served as the first deputy general director of the TASS news agency. In 2018, he became a laureate of the "Golden Chinar" international award.
God Nisanov was born on April 24, 1972, in the Red Settlement of Guba district. He graduated from the Finance and Credit College in Baku, and then from the Law Institute. In 1990, he started working at the "AST" company. In 2001, together with his partner Zarah Iliev, he opened the "Moskva" shopping center in Lyublino, and in 2005, he bought the "Biskvit" company and the "Ukraina" hotel. In 2006, he opened the "Evropa" hotel. From 2000–2005, he worked at "Doymond Katters" LLC. Since 2005, he has been the chairman of the board of directors of the "Kievskaya Ploshad" holding. On July 4, 2011, by order of the President of Azerbaijan, he was awarded the "Taraggi" (Progress) medal for his contributions to strengthening friendship between peoples and the development of the Azerbaijani diaspora.
Telman Ismayilov was born in Goychay district in 1956. Although it was stated that he studied at the Azerbaijan Institute of National Economy from 1973–1976, this information was later denied by the educational institution. He built the five-star "Mardan Palace" hotel in Antalya, Turkey. The opening of the hotel took place on May 23, 2009, and the ceremony was attended by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and world-famous singers. The project cost 1.4 billion dollars. His three sons – Alekber, Sarkhan, and Elkhan – are actively involved in the family business.
Zarah Iliev was born on September 8, 1966, in the Red Settlement of Guba district. At the invitation of his uncles living in Russia, he went to Moscow in 1983, at the age of 17. Initially, he was engaged in selling flowers in an area called "Cheremushka". Later, the "Panorama" shopping center was built in the area where he sold flowers, and Zarah Iliev became the owner of that center. Iliev, who tried himself in various fields, started trading cognac. Later, he bought several trading containers in the "Izmaylovsk" market and earned income by renting them out. Gradually, he expanded his business and entered new areas.
In 1993, he founded the "Iliyev" firm, and through this firm, he controlled a part of the Cherkizovsky market. In 2000, he bought 57% of the "Moskva" shopping center, one of the largest wholesale centers in Moscow. He founded the "Safra Instruments" group of companies. "Binston Investments Limited", registered in the Republic of Belize in 2008, is also included in this group.
He also owns the "Grand" furniture center, the "Electron Paradise" shopping center, and the "Moskva" car center in Moscow, together with his compatriots.
God Nisanov is one of his closest partners. God Nisanov and Zarah Iliev, who were neighbors in the Red Settlement, later turned their friendship into a successful business partnership. One of their most successful projects is the "Evropa" shopping center.
Lotfi Zadeh was born on February 4, 1921, in Baku. He graduated from Tehran University with a degree in electrical engineering. He later moved to the USA. Until 1959, he received master's and doctoral degrees at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Columbia Universities in the USA, and worked as a professor. From 1959, he worked as a professor at the University of Berkeley, and from 1963, as the head of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences. He worked as a lifelong professor and director of the Soft Computing Institute at the same university.
He was a member of many foreign academies, was awarded prizes by numerous prestigious societies and foundations, and was decorated with various medals. He was awarded honorary doctorates by dozens of foreign states and public organizations. Lotfi Zadeh is considered one of the most cited scientists in the world, with more than 36,000 citations of his scientific works in 1990-2000 alone.
His six main theories are widely applied in world science and industry today. The main theory that brought L. Zadeh world fame is the theory of fuzzy logic. This approach gave new content to the traditional binary set concept in mathematics by introducing the concept of fuzzy sets. The application of fuzzy measure allows for a more accurate consideration of the uncertainty of processes occurring in nature and society. Lotfi Zadeh passed away in 2017, at the age of 96.
Teimour Radjabov was born on March 12, 1987, in Baku. He studied at the same chess school as Garry Kasparov. His father, Boris Shein, of Jewish origin, is an oil and gas engineer, and his mother, Leyla Radjabova, is an English teacher. He started playing chess at the age of 3 under his father's coaching. He studied at secondary school No. 160 in Baku. In May 2006, he was appointed UNICEF National Goodwill Ambassador for Azerbaijan. He has been a grandmaster since 2001.
In March 2001, at the age of 14, he became the second youngest grandmaster in the history of world chess. In 2003, he defeated the then world number one Garry Kasparov in the Linares tournament, becoming the youngest chess player to defeat a world leader. In the same year, he also won against Viswanathan Anand and Ruslan Ponomaryov, and as a result, he became known as the only chess player to defeat three FIDE world champions in one year.
He continued to develop and rose to the ranks of elite chess players. In November 2012, he rose to 4th place in the list of world chess players with a rating of 2793.
He became European champion with the Azerbaijani national team in 2009, 2013, and 2017. In 2017, he won the Geneva Grand Prix and in 2019, the World Chess Cup.
Lev Landau was born on January 22, 1908, in Baku. He received his initial education at the Baku Polytechnic School and Azerbaijan State University. He was known as a Soviet physicist who made fundamental scientific contributions in many areas of theoretical physics. His achievements include the discovery of the density matrix method in quantum mechanics, the quantum theory of diamagnetism, the theory of superfluidity, second-order phase transitions, the Ginzburg-Landau theory of superconductivity, Landau damping in plasma physics, the Landau pole in quantum electrodynamics, and the theory of two-component neutrinos. Landau was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1962 for his mathematical theory of superfluidity.
Albert Agarunov's family was from the Red Settlement of Guba district, and later moved to Amirjan settlement. His father, Agarun, was an oil worker and worked for many years in the oil fields in Surakhany. Agarunov served in the Soviet Army in the late 1980s, then returned to Surakhany.
During the First Karabakh War, he voluntarily went to the front and participated in battles in the directions of Aghdam, Jabrayil, Fuzuli, and Lachin as part of a tank brigade. He was later sent to Shusha as a tank commander. In the battles for Shusha, he was one of the last fighters remaining in the defense of the city.
He was martyred on the Shusha-Lachin road. He was posthumously awarded the title of National Hero of Azerbaijan.
Lena Glaz, an international master in women's chess, was born in Baku in 1961. In 1977, she won the Azerbaijan SSR women's championship. From 1979, she began to represent Israel. She currently works as the director and children's coach of the Beer-Sheva Chess School.
Emmanuil Vitorgan is an actor born on December 29, 1939, in Baku. He is a People's Artist of Russia. After graduating from the acting faculty of the Leningrad State Institute of Theater, Music, and Cinematography, he worked at the Leningrad State Drama and Comedy Theater. His creative work includes roles in more than 100 feature films. He was also awarded the title of honorary cultural worker of Azerbaijan.
Tatyana Zatulovskaya was born on December 8, 1935, in Baku. She started playing chess relatively late, at the age of 14. Her first coach was Azer Zeynalov, who later became the champion of Azerbaijan and a professor of physics.
In just four years, she rose from an inexperienced chess player to a finalist of the USSR championship. In her first union tournament, she shared 4th place with world champion Elizaveta Bykova.
After winning the USSR championship in Riga in 1962, she was elected a deputy of the Baku City Soviet. Until 1972, she represented Azerbaijan in USSR team championships.
Larisa Dolina was born on September 10, 1955, in Baku. She moved from Baku at the age of three. She is a Soviet and Russian pop and jazz singer, actress, and People's Artist of the Russian Federation. She began her musical career in 1971 in the "We are Odessites" pop orchestra. She then worked as a soloist in the Armenian State Pop Orchestra under the direction of Konstantin Orbelyan and in the Azerbaijan State Pop Ensemble under the direction of Polad Bulbuloglu.
Vado Korovin was born on August 29, 1972, in Baku. He is known for his performances in the "Baku Guys" team of the "Merry and Witty" club. This team, in which he participated, became the champion in 1992, won the summer cup in 1995, and was first among the best teams of the 20th century. From 2023–2026, he served as the director of Space TV.
