After almost 16 months of Covid-19 lockdowns and severe restrictions, Azerbaijan’s religious institutions have finally reopened, enabling its seven synagogues in the capital of Baku and across the land to resume daily prayer services with certain limitations.

“We are excited to return,” says Rabbi Shneor Segal from the Jewish community of Baku, who also heads the “Or Avner” educational campus in the capital. “We are grateful and thankful to the government for investing so much effort into ‘eradicating the plague’, and for always being supportive of our religious and educational activities, even during these challenging times.”

The change in policy has become possible thanks to the decrease in the number of new infections and the growing proportion of vaccinated adults across the country. Yet not all the restrictions were lifted and the synagogue’s worshipers still have to maintain their distance from each other, wear masks and follow simple hygiene measures to protect themselves and their families. “We are looking forward to even better days” one of the members added, “free of limitations and danger.”