US Jews, Azeris to protest Hanukkah party at Trump’s Washington hotel

A group of U.S.-based human rights organizations, Azeri community members, and at least, eight Jewish organizations will gather in front of the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C. today, Dec 14, to boycott a Hanukkah event sponsored in part by the government of Azerbaijan, TURAN's US correspondent reports.

The move comes just days after the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, a collection of national Jewish groups, sent out an invitation announcing that it will be “celebrating religious freedom and diversity” along with the Azerbaijani Embassy, at President-elect Donald Trump’s lavish Washington hotel, and many of the guests will also be attending a White House Hanukkah party that night.

Since President Trump's election victory, Azerbaijan has become the second foreign country that books an event at the Trump International, which for many local analysts, may give rise to a potential conflicts of interest facing the billionaire businessman's presidential administration. Early last week the Bahraini Embassy hosted its annual National Day celebration at the same hotel, sparking ethical concerns.

The Azerbaijani Embassy did not respond to a request for comment on why and how much it had paid host a private event at Trump’s hotel. In the meantime, TURAN's correspondent was informed by several invitees that the party will take place at the Hotel’s “Presidential Ballroom,” at an estimated cost of $120,000.

The Trump International Hotel’ communication team declined to comment for this article.

But the event's location is not the only reason sparks dissent among today's protesters. As one of the organizers put it in an interview with TURAN, "it's all about the values - how a Muslim country with poor human rights records speculates Hanukkah, which is the Jewish festival of religious liberty and freedom, something that is utterly strange to Azerbaijani government and what they ate standing for..."

"Yes, Azerbaijan is tolerant of its Jews", the source went on... "But that’s no reason to excuse the despotic, human rights-violating regime to manipulate with our values."

Hanukkah this year should be a life-giving ritual for Jews in the U.S. and the world-over, as they celebrate their ancestors' victory over their oppressors, and the miracle of the oil, explained another member of the young Jews movement called IfNotNow.

"We stand in solidarity with our Azeri sisters and brothers who decry the human rights abuses of their government... And while the Israeli government ignores those abuses and its own abuses as it chases Azerbaijan’s oil, we know that our movement’s miraculous oil - our rituals and spirit that will never be extinguished - are the real source of hope for the Jewish people," he said.   "We will celebrate our own Hanukkah outside; when the Conference of Presidents is ready to end support for the Occupation and for Trump’s administration, they are welcome to join us in demanding freedom and dignity for all Israelis, Palestinians, and Americans."

For Azeri community, as well as Washington-based civil rights groups, today's events will be an opportunity to draw attention to Azerbaijan's continued assault on civil society and human rights.

Azerbaijan's full-scale attack on civil society can be traced back to 2011, but was renewed with vigor this past summer prior to a referendum which extended President Ilham Aliyev's term in office and granted him unprecedented powers, including the ability to dissolve parliament and call early elections, accounting to the organizers of today's protest. "Numerous journalists and activists were arrested prior to the vote. Dissent was further stifled two weeks ago when parliament approved a law outlawing online defamation of President Aliyev."

While the climate of repression persists, the Azeri government goes to great lengths to portray itself as a prosperous, Western-facing democracy; an image which masks the authoritarian truth. "We will be gathering at the Trump International Hotel during the Embassy of Azerbaijan's Hanukkah celebration to call for the immediate and unconditional release of all prisoners of conscience in Azerbaijan and respect for human rights," noted the organizers.

As the Jews and Azeris prepare to protest Hanukkah party in front of the Trump hotel, politicians, rights defenders in Washington debate over president-elects' business interests and what it means for American foreign policy, as well as  its leadership to promote human rights at home and around the globe.

Trump recently hinted at how he intends to dispose of his business interests while in office.  The president-elect is expected to announce his plans for stepping away from his vast global business, which operates the DC hotel and numerous others.

A.Raufoglu

Washington, D.C.