French expert: The Jewish community in Armenia has been subjected to antisemitic attacks for many years 

The Jewish community in Armenia has been subjected to antisemitic attacks for many years, Eric Gozlan, the Co-Director of the International Council for Diplomacy and Dialogue, told Report’s French bureau while commenting on an arson attack on a synagogue in Yerevan.

According to him, the burning of a synagogue in the capital of Armenia is not the first and unusual antisemitic incident: "Since the attack began on October 7, numerous posters in favor of Hamas and against Israel have been plastered on the walls of Yerevan. The Jewish community in Armenia has been subjected to antisemitic attacks for many years. The reason is that Azerbaijan is an ally of Israel."

Eric Gozlan said that numerous reports warned that a part of the Armenian people is drawn to antisemitism and the government is silent on this issue: "A survey by the Anti-Defamation League shows that Armenia is the most intolerant country against Jews outside the Middle East and North Africa. According to the 2020 annual report of the Ministry of the Diaspora of Israel, antisemitic sentiment is on the rise in Armenia. The most striking example is the desecration of a memorial to the victims of the Shoah. The US State Department's 2021 annual report on religious freedom worldwide revealed a steady increase in antisemitism, hate speech, and vandalism against Jews. We are very concerned for the Jewish community of Armenia after the Jewish Cultural Center in Yerevan was vandalized last October and the synagogue in that city was burned today.”