Meeting with Israeli Ambassador in Tashkent
Uzbekistan
The editor-in-chief of The Bukharian Times and coordinator of the Congress of Bukharian Jews of the United States and Canada, Rafael Nektalov, was on a visit to Uzbekistan from December 19 to 22, 2025. Here is his brief report on the trip:
On the morning of December 19, 2025, I met with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Israel to Uzbekistan, Gideon Lustig. I congratulated him on the holiday of Hanukkah and discussed a number of issues related to the development and expansion of joint projects in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan between the Congress of Bukharian Jews of the United States and Canada and the Embassy of Israel.
“We are pleased that the activities of the Congress of Bukharian Jews are once again becoming more active in a country that has always been distinguished by its hospitality, high level of tolerance, and respect for the cultures of Uzbekistan’s smaller national communities,” the diplomat said. “The same applies to Tajikistan, which has long-standing and friendly ties with Israel.”
“We will be happy to take part in cultural events in the sphere of people-to-people diplomacy that your organization will hold in Uzbekistan,” Gideon Lustig noted.
In the Ambassador’s office, I noticed interesting photographs of watercolor paintings on the wall by the outstanding Bukharian Jewish artist, portraitist, and educator Yusuf (Yusufkhai) Ifraimovich Elizarov (1920–1974).
I told Lustig the sad story of how the artist Elizarov’s paintings were taken to America by his widow and ended up in Atlanta, where they effectively became a “cemetery” of priceless works by the great painter.
“There are many artists who would like to donate their paintings to Israel. What should they be told?” I asked the Ambassador.
“Contact Israel’s museums directly,” he advised. “Our offices are not authorized to accept gifts from private individuals. However, we can advise them on how to do this properly.”
As I was leaving the Israeli Embassy, I noticed how significantly security around the premises had been strengthened. I approached the memorial obelisk dedicated to the tragedy of July 30, 2004, when three suicide bombings took place in Tashkent. The targets were the Israeli and American embassies, as well as the office of the Prosecutor General of Uzbekistan. Two Uzbek security guards were killed at the Israeli Embassy, and nine more people were injured in the attacks.
I am confident that this will never happen again.
Tashkent
Photos by the author
This was translated from
Russian to English.
Rafael Nektalov / Editor-in-Chief of The Bukharian Times