14:22, 28 May 2008

Dagestan asserts absence of grounds for oppressing Jewish nationals

In recent years, the Republic's media published no articles aimed at kindling enmity between the Jewish and other nations inhabiting Dagestan, Marta Alekyan, office manager of the Makhachkala Jewish community, has stated.

She told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that now about 7000 Jews live in Dagestan, of them some 2000 live in Makhachkala and about 3500 live in Derbent.
"There no such outflow of Jews from the Republic as before," Ms Alekyan said. "Young people are somehow employed, and old ones do not wish to go away from here."

According to her story, "the Jewish community is all the time holding joint events and roundtables with other confessions. Shimmi Dibiyayev, chairman of the Jewish community of Makhachkala, was invited as adviser to the public board under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Dagestan."

Author: Timur Isayev, CK correspondent