Disir
Platinum Member
- Sep 30, 2011
- 28,003
- 9,607
- 910
Renovated over a four-year period and funded by the government, Kal Kadoş ha Gadol Synagogue was reopened on Thursday. It will serve as both a museum and as a place of worship as a part of Turkey's latest efforts to win back the hearts and minds of minorities that long suffered from suppressive policies in the past.
For the government, the synagogue is a symbol of peaceful coexistence of different faiths and cultures, which the country has long been synonymous for except occasional ultranationalist riots.
For Jews, it is a restoration of tolerance. İshak İbrahimzadeh, head of Turkey's Jewish community, praised the government and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for "making a change" for the community.
İbrahimzadeh said Turks and Jews had shared the same country and fate but were "divided and alienated" over time. "Now we see the headlines that tolerance was rebuilt," he said. İbrahimzadeh stressed that Jews were subject to unfair accusations and branded as sinister people plotting against the state in the past. "We always felt obliged to defend ourselves against a discourse of hatred depicting us as enemies and traitors, and we repeatedly underscored that we were loyal citizens of this country. We were forced to isolate ourselves in time and lost our hope for a better future. Today, the opening of this synagogue and this ceremony is the best response by the state against the dividing discourse targeting Jews. This is a turning point for us. Our state eliminated prejudice toward minorities by returning their rights, their properties. We have a long way to go, but we appreciate that we at least have a way to move forward," he said.
Jewish community welcomes reopening of synagogue - Daily Sabah
Hmmmm..........tiny problem:
Renovated synagogue empty after reopening as it lacks community
Renovated synagogue empty after reopening as it lacks community - LOCAL
For the government, the synagogue is a symbol of peaceful coexistence of different faiths and cultures, which the country has long been synonymous for except occasional ultranationalist riots.
For Jews, it is a restoration of tolerance. İshak İbrahimzadeh, head of Turkey's Jewish community, praised the government and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for "making a change" for the community.
İbrahimzadeh said Turks and Jews had shared the same country and fate but were "divided and alienated" over time. "Now we see the headlines that tolerance was rebuilt," he said. İbrahimzadeh stressed that Jews were subject to unfair accusations and branded as sinister people plotting against the state in the past. "We always felt obliged to defend ourselves against a discourse of hatred depicting us as enemies and traitors, and we repeatedly underscored that we were loyal citizens of this country. We were forced to isolate ourselves in time and lost our hope for a better future. Today, the opening of this synagogue and this ceremony is the best response by the state against the dividing discourse targeting Jews. This is a turning point for us. Our state eliminated prejudice toward minorities by returning their rights, their properties. We have a long way to go, but we appreciate that we at least have a way to move forward," he said.
Jewish community welcomes reopening of synagogue - Daily Sabah
Hmmmm..........tiny problem:
Renovated synagogue empty after reopening as it lacks community
Renovated synagogue empty after reopening as it lacks community - LOCAL
