Kazakhstan Joins Abrahamic Accords

 Nadene Goldfoot                                                  

    Kazakhstan shares land borders with Russia, China, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan. Its borders also include the Caspian Sea to the southwest and the Aral Sea. The Kazakhstan–Russia border is the 7,598.6-kilometre (4,721.6 mi) international border between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation. It is the longest continuous international border in the world and the second longest by total length, after the Canada–United States border.

The history of Jews in Kazakhstan began in the Middle Ages, with the majority of the population arriving during the Soviet era, including exiles from the Pale of Settlement and World War II refugees. The community grew significantly during this time but declined sharply after the fall of communism due to mass emigration, primarily to Israel. Despite repression under Soviet rule, some communities maintained Jewish life in secret, and today, a small Jewish community continues to exist in Kazakhstan, with the largest numbers in Almaty. 

General Secretary Joseph Stalin evacuated thousands of Ashkenazi Jews from other parts of the Soviet Union to the Kazakh SSR. During the Holocaust (1939-1945) 8,218 Jews were evacuated to Kazakhstan between August 1941 and January 1942. Some Bukharan Jews, Mountain Jews, Georgian Jews, and Iranian Jews also lived in Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan gained independence on December 16, 1991, when it became the last Soviet republic to declare its sovereignty following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Prior to this, on October 25, 1990, it had declared sovereignty as a republic within the U.S.S.R.  In 2024 they counted 20.59 million population.  That's all right.  They are a large country with 1,052 million mi2 (square miles).  The climate of Kazakhstan (excluding south) is sharply continental with average temperature between -4 °C and -19 °C  -4 °C and -19 °C is equivalent to 24.8 °F and -2.2 °F.                  in January and between +19… +26°C in July. In winter temperature may decrease down to -45°C, and in summer rise up to +30. That's  -49°F to +86°F in Fahrenheit. That's nice summers and darn cold winters!     

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev attends a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States at the Palace of the Nation in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, Oct. 10, 2025. (Vladimir Smirnov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)
                  

 Kazakhstan has joined the Abraham Accords. The move is primarily symbolic, since Kazakhstan has had formal relations with Israel since 1992 and has an embassy in Tel Aviv. Perhaps the move is more of a message to Iran and Russia, that Kazakhstan is in America's court.  Kazakhstan was a part of the Soviet Union during the major immigration waves of the early 1990s. Jews from Kazakhstan, like those from other Soviet republics, became Israeli citizens upon arrival, contributing to the large influx of immigrants from this period. I had made aliyah i 1980 and joined Russians in our Hebrew classes.  They were better than we few Americans there in studying languages.  

The countries in the Abrahamic Accords are Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco.  Sudan also signed the general declaration, but its bilateral agreement has been delayed due to political instability. Kazakhstan is the most recent country to agree to join the accords, with its accession announced in November 2025. 

In recent November 2025 meetings, the United States under President 

Trump has focused on strengthening ties with Kazakhstan by securing

 critical mineral deals, particularly a large tungsten project, and welcom-

ing Kazakhstan's decision to join the Abraham Accords with Israel. 

The U.S. and Kazakhstan are deepening their strategic partnership through trade agreements, including deals for critical minerals and American locomotives, as Kazakhstan seeks to diversify its economic and strategic partnerships beyond China and Russia. 

Kazakhstan is not considered a democracy, but an authoritarian republic with a hybrid system that has authoritarian presidential rule and has made some incremental reforms. While the constitution describes it as a democratic state, in practice, the government is centralized and has a repressive, authoritarian system. 

• Authoritarian System: Kazakhstan's government has an authoritarian presidential system with little power outside the executive branch. The president retains significant power, including appointing senior officials, and the country's elections have been marred by issues that restrict fair competition. (Hmmm, AI is describing the USA right now.)  

Resource:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_in_Kazakhstan

https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/the-thriving-jewish-communities-of-kazakhstan/#:~:text=Not%20much%20is%20known%20about,fall%20of%20the%20Soviet%20Union.