A Lubavitch rabbi in Uzbekistan who had been threatened with expulsion will be allowed to stay in the former Soviet republic until the end of the year.
Intervention by a Lubavitch rabbi in the United States, Levi Shemtov, with the Uzbek ambassador to the United States, and by the Israeli ambassador to Uzbekistan led to the arrangement for Abba David Gurevitch.
Uzbek officials had previously said they would expel Gurevitch at the end of this week.
Gurevitch, who was born in Russia and holds a U.S. passport, has worked in Uzbekistan since 1990.
The Uzbek Foreign Ministry refused his visa renewal application in August without giving a reason for the rejection.
Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Uzbekistan has generally maintained good relations with the Jewish state.
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