Khojaly A Crime Against Humanity

This book is published By Berkeley Press.
The Khojaly Massacre is a scar on the map of modern history, a wound that remains open to this day, over 24 years later. It is a profound lesson from recent history, yet many are unaware that it ever took place. Rabbi Israel Barouk shines a light on the facts of those brutal days in February of 1992; the invasion, entrapment, and indiscriminate murder against unarmed civilians in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. From the snowy evening of February 25 through the frosty night of February 26, 1992, over 600 unarmed Azerbaijani civilians and residents of Khojaly were murdered by Armenian armed forces. Over 300 of those killed were children, women and the elderly. Considered by many as an example of modern day genocide, the Khojaly Massacre challenges what we thought could never happen. In 1994, the international organization Human Rights Watch condemned it as "the largest massacre in the conflict" between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Khojaly Massacre has proven that a a nation can remain practically alone in the wait for justice and reconciliation, over decades of enduring invasion and ethnic cleansing. Rabbi Barouk draws parallels between Khojaly and other human travesties and prompts the reader to take this recent and unforgettable cruel tragedy personally.
Rabbi Israel Barouk completed his Rabbinical degree and Dayanas, as a Judge of the Jewish Court, at Yeshivat Or Elchonon. Originally from Jerusalem, New York City and Paris and currently based in Los Angeles, Rabbi Barouk works with leaders and communities across the globe to study, understand and engage with how "positive multiculturalism" serves as a powerful mechanism toward peace. Through extensive study and engagement with survivors, experts, faith, government and community leaders throughout Azerbaijan and beyond, Rabbi Barouk understands the Khojaly Massacre as a touchstone for broad and deep messages about accountability, and the power and impact of unification for the cause of recovery and justice.