'Mountain Jews' with Arieh Scharnberg

A few hundred years after the destruction of the 2nd (Zerubabel/Herodian) Temple, Jews fled Persia and sought refuge in the Caucasus Mountains. Today, small communities of Juhuri (Judeo-Persian) speaking 'Mountain Jews' still live in the Caucasus, most notably in Azerbaijan. Their main Jewish village, the last active shtetl in the world, and the surrounding mountains, provide stunning scenery for an encounter with Muslim villagers of unique ethnic groups who tell stories of Jewish history dating back over 1500 years, and a community still re-discovering itself after the fall of Soviet rule. This is also the story of a personal journey: a spontaneous whim that in just over a year has blossomed into a professional journey to explore and share with diverse groups Azerbaijan's complex, culturally diverse history, in particular its vast Jewish history, a history which spans through the Caucasian Albanian Kingdom, Persian, Mongolian, Arab, and Soviet conquests.

[lerascurls]

One comment: this woman said "they're not actually Mizrahi." Well, Mizrahi is a problematic term that was used pejoratively toward "Eastern Jews, " but so long as Persian Jews from Iran are also Mizrahi, so are Mountain Jews and Bukharians. Otherwise great job, Arieh!

[Ratlagelunatic]

What does the last name scharnberg mean?