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Retrospective of the Foundation
Part IV.
The main goal of the Quincentennial Foundation is to assist Turkish citizens of Jewish origin to express their gratitude to the Turkish nation
In order to assist the Jewish Community, which is an inseparable part of the Nation, to express their feeling of gratitude to Turkey for receiving with open arms their oppressed ancestors coming from Spain, the Quincentennial Foundation organ-ized since 1990 a series of outstanding activities at home and abroad. Here are a few of them:
Conferences
October 1991: An international symposium with the title "The Contribution of Jewish Scientist of Turkish origin to the Law and Culture of the Country" was organized in Istanbul Hilton Hotel. 21 professor, scientist and lawyers from Turkey, U.S.A., France, Portugal, Switzerland and Yugoslavia participated to the symposium and discussed mainly the contribu-tion to the civil and commercial Law principles of lawyers of Jewish origin that lived in the Ottoman Empire.
May-June 1992: The Foundation organized an international conference having as subject "Jews in Turkey-Five Hundred Years of Shared History" in Istanbul Swiss Hotel. The first session of the conference took place in Ataturk Cultural Center with the opening remarks of Professor Bernard Lewis. Besides Turkish participants there were a large group of Professor and Turcologist invited from several countries. The Turkish Press praised highly this academic event and there were also positive echoes from foreign press sources. It was decided to publish the papers presented to the conference as a separate book. Forty-seven different subjects were approached in eleven sessions of the conference. Here are the names of the par-ticipants and the titles of their presentations:
Prof. Israel Ta-Shama, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem "Rabbinic Literature in the Early Ottoman Period " (1350-1450)
Prof. Aryeh Shmulewitz, Tel-Aviv University, "Jewish Family/Diary as a source for Socio-Economic Developments in the 17th Century Ottoman Empire"
Prof. Paul Dumont, Université des Sciences Humaines - Strasbourg, "The Archives of the Alliance Israelite Universelle"
Prof. Amnon Cohen, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem "19th Century Muslim Records as Compared to the 16th Century Jerusalem Kadi Sicili"
Prof. Michael Winter, Tel-Aviv University, "Turkish, Arabic and European Sources for Jewish History with Special Ref-erence to Egyptian Jewry" (16th-19th Centuries)
Prof. Minna Rozen, Tel-Aviv University, "Material and Form as a Historical Source-The Stones of Haskoy"
Prof. Thomas Philipp, Friedrich-Alexander University, "German and Ashkenazi Travellers' Report on Ottoman Jewry"
Prof. Nejat Goyunc, Selcuk University, "Jews in the Service of the Ottoman Financial Administration"
Prof. Eliezer Bashan, Bar Ilan University, "Relations between Jews, Armenians and Greeks with Special Reference to Is-tanbul"
Prof. Madeline C. Zilfi, University of Maryland, "Urban Intersection between Jews and Muslims"
Prof. Daniel Goffman, Ball State, "Jews in International Ottoman Commerce"
Prof. Jacob Barnai, Haifa University, "The Development of Community Organizational Structures- the Case of Izmir"
Prof. Joseph R. Hacker, Hebrew University, Jerusalem "Sephardic Jewry Between Commitment to Sepharad and to Otto-man Local Patriotism"
Prof. Metin And, Ankara University, "The Contribution of Books of Travel and Description to European Knowledge of the Jewish Community in 16th Century Istanbul"
Prof. Moshe Idel, Hebrew University, Jerusalem "The Kaballah in the Ottoman Empire in the Generation of the Expulsion from Spain"
Prof. Leah Bomstein-Makovetsky, Bart Ilan University, "Rabbinic Scholarship: The Development of Halakhah, 1750-1990"
Prof. Haim Vidal Sephiha, Sorbonne-Nouvelle, "Secular Forms of Scholarship and Literature"
Prof. Rhoads Murphey, Columbia University, "Jewish Contributions to Ottoman Medicine, Science and Technology"
Prof. Daniel Schroeter, University of Florida, "Center and Periphery: The Changing Relationship between Jews and the Ottoman State in the 19th Century"
Prof. Jacob Landau, Hebrew University, Jerusalem " The Changing Patterns of Community Structures with Special Refer-ence to Ottoman Egypt"
Prof. Albert de Vidas, Fairfield University, "The Disintegration of the Sephardic Communities in the Balkans, 1850-1914"
Dr. Avner Levi, Hebrew University, Jerusalem "The Leadership of the Turkish Jews in the 19th Century"
Prof. Avigdor Levy, Brandeis University, "The Evolution of the Chief Rabbinate"
Prof. Esther Benbassa, Université de Paris, Sorbonne "The Transformation of Ottoman Jewry in the 19th and 20th Centu-ries"
Prof. Ilber Ortayli, Ankara University, "Ottoman Jewry and Political Modernisation"
Dr. Rachel Simon, Princeton University, "Jewish Female Education in the Ottoman Empire"
Prof. Moshe Maoz, Hebrew University, Jerusalem "The Changing Relations Between Jews, Muslims and Christians in the 19th and Early 20th Centuries with Special Reference to Syria and Palestine"
Prof. Walter F. Weiker, Rutgers University, "The Socio-Economic Position of the Jews as Reflected in Staatistical Infor-mation"
Prof. Stanford J. Shaw, University of California, Los Angeles "Jewish Emigration and Immigration to the Otto-man Empire and Turkey"
Prof. Kemal H. Karpat, University of Wisconsin "Immigration: The Jews of the Crimea"
Prof. Donald Quataert, State University of New York, Binghamton, "The Industrial Working Class of Salonica, 1850-1914"
Prof. Ehud R. Toledano, Tel-Aviv University, "Jews in Government Service"
Prof. Hasan Kayah, University of California, San Diego, "Ottoman Jewry and the Evolution of Nationalist Ideologies in the Ottoman Empire (1876-1918)"
Prof. Feroz Ahmad, University of Massachusetts, "The Special Relationship: The Committee of Union and Progress and the Ottoman Jewish Elite"
Dr. Heath W. Lowry, Institute of Turkish Studies, Washington, DC, "The Relationship Between Talat Bey, Haim Nahoum and Ambassador Morgenthau, 1911-1915"
Dr. Riva Kastoryano, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris, "Turkish Jewry; From Millet to Community"
Mr. Naim Guleryuz, Quincentennial Foundation, "Turkish Jews During the War of Independence"
Prof. Frank Tachau, University of Illinois, "The German Jewish Community in Turkey"
Prof. Nedim Gursel, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris " Mario Levi, A Young Author of the Jewish Community of Istanbul"
Prof. David M. Bunis, Hebrew University, Jerusalem " Turkish Contributions to the Judezmo (Judeo-Spanish) Language"
Dr. Marie-Christine Varol, Université de Paris " Empirical Medicine Practices. Tradition and Borrowing Studied Through Their Linguistic Expression"
Prof. Ilhan Baggoz, Indiana University, "The Jewish Image in Turkish Folklore and Turkish Image in Jewish Folklore"
Mr. Nicholas Stavroulakis, Jewish Museum of Greece, Athens " The Material Culture of Ottoman Jews"
Dr. Vivian B. Mann, The Jewish Museum, New York, "Muslim Rugs in Ottoman Synagogues: The Evidence of the Re-sponsa"
Dr. Pamela J. Dorn, Sezgin Southern Regional Council, "The Ottoman Heritage of Sephardic Song"
Meetings and Orators
September 1990 Mr. Fred Haynes, the President of American Friends of Turkey, led a group of six members who came to Turkey in order to inquire how they can actively participate to the Quincentennial celebrations.
October 1990 World Business Council Conference, gathering six hundred businessmen, met in Istanbul on the request of Mr. Jak Kamhi, the President of the Quincentennial Foundation, listened to the presentations of Prof. Stanford Shaw, Prof. Ilber Ortayli and Mr. Naim Guleryuz Vice President of the Foundation, on quincentennial celebrations, tolerance and the life of minorities in Turkey.
February-March 1991 The Vice President of the Foundation Mr. Naim Guleryuz and Mr. Nedim Yahya, coordinator, took the floor in several Lions and Rotary Clubs of Istanbul speaking about the life of the Jews in the Ottoman Empire and in the Turkish Republic.
March 1991 Prof. Stanford Shaw, Mr. Ishak Alaton a well known businessman and Mr. Naim Guleryuz Vice President of the Foundation took part in a panel organized by the Association of the Faculty of Political Sciences of Ankara on Quin-centennial celebrations and answered questions on the subject.
February 1992 Mr. Naim Guleryuz spoke about quincentennial celebrations their aim and program.
April 1992 At a panel organized in Izmir, Mr. Naim Guleryuz and Prof. Ilber Ortayli discussed with an interested public the subject "Understanding the quincentennial".
May 1992 As part of the quincentennial celebrations Journalist Yasar Aksoy made a conference called "Re-member me Izmir" at the Turkish-American Association Hall in Izmir
Visits
July 1992 Twenty-two journalists from Travel World News, Travel Age, Antiques, Archaeology, New York Times from USA, Espresso, RAI and la Stampa from Italy, Agence France Presse, I'Arche and Radio Communauté from France and BBC World Magazine from Great Britain were invited to Turkey for a seven days information tour. They related later their positive impressions in their articles and publications.
September 1991 Mr. Isaac Navon the fifth President of the State of Israel, his wife and a delegation visited Ankara and Istanbul. Mr. Navon assisted to a reception organized for this occasion and contacted the Minister of Tourism of Turkey.
March 2, 1992 A Turkish Jewish Community Delegation led by Chief Rabbi Rav David Asseo visited Ankara to express their gratitude to the Turkish Nation. They laid a wreath at the Mausoleum of Ataturk and visited the President of the Turkish Republic Mr. Turgut Ozal, the Speaker of the Parliament Mr. Husamettin Cindoruk, Prime Minister Mr. Suley-man Demirel and the Opposition leader Mr. Mesut Yilmaz. The same day a reception was organized at Ankara Hilton Ho-tel to which participated personalities of the State Protocol and Diplomatic Corp. The same day a delegation representing World Sepharad Federation visited the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister to express their gratitude.
Gala Dinner
A Gala Night Dinner was organized at the Dolmabahce Palace gardens with the participation of President Turgut Ozal, President Chaim Herzog of Israel, Prime Minister Suleyman Demirel, Deputy Prime Minister Erdal Inonu, Chief of Staff General Dogan Gures, Mr. Mesut Yilmaz, the opposition leader, Cabinet Minister, Governor and Mayor of Istanbul, For-eign Diplomatic Representatives, Rav David Asseo, foreign and local press representatives, artist, businessmen, guest from Turkey and abroad.
1200 guests were received in the garden of the Palace decorated with subtlety by Mr. Vitali Hakko a member of the Foun-dation. Rav David Asseo called the night "an appeal to the mankind for mutual love and tolerance". In a representation organized under the portico of the main door of the garden, reminiscent of the life of the Sepharad in Spain and their pas-sage to the Ottoman lands, the welcome and the tolerance they encountered there. All this in an ensemble of sound and music effect prepared by the French choreographer Bernard Trux. Guests were unanimous in their applauses.
In his speech at the Gala Night President Turgut Ozal stated that Turkey was not a haven only for the Jews but every op-pressed people. He added that he was hopeful that peace would be reached in the Middle East through a new cooperation.
Prime Minister Suleyman Demirel said that Jews in Turkey were living as equal and happy citizens. That it was possible to develop relations between Turkey and Israel to new extents in a near future.
The President of the State of Israel, H.E. Chaim Herzog pointed out that the Turkish Jews are celebrating the undeleted traces in their cultural life and their historical conscience since the days that these events occurred.
During the Gala ceremonies the video address of President George Bush was presented to the guests. Turkish and foreign Journalist praised widely this activity of the Foundation. The visit of the Israeli President to Turkey on this occasion was considered to have an important impact on the relations between two countries.
Activities With Lasting Historic Effects
September 1991 Among the aims of the Foundation, an important one is to participate actively to education matters. In this context answering an immediate need of the Turkish Jewish Community it was decided to create an education center. With the constructive and cooperative approach of the Turkish Authorities necessary permissions were easily obtained and a school comprising kindergarten, primary and secondary levels as well as a scientific research unit and a documenta-tion center was built, thanks to the relentless efforts of the late Bernar Nahum, a member of the Foundation. With the Education Center becoming operative the old Jewish school was abandoned.
September 1992 By a permission granted to the Foundation and in cooperation with the State Mint, a memorial coin series in copper, silver and gold was issued with the logo of the Foundation. The coins were a very much-appreciated gift by the recipients.
In cooperation with the Post Master's Office a memorial series of stamp and a first day cover was issued.
Ahrida Synagogue
The oldest of the 16 synagogues of Istanbul the Ahrida Synagogue was restored by the Quincentennial Founda-tion. More that 500 years old, Ahrida Synagogue had a special place in the religious life of the Turkish Jewish Community. The restoration was completed in about four years and the Synagogue was opened to religious ser-vices on November 19, 1992.
In his speech during the opening ceremony President Jak Kamhi stated that the restoration was effected in following as much as possible the original model of the building.
Thanksgiving Prayer
On the 4th of March 1992 during a special religious ceremony at the Neve Shalom synagogue, a thanksgiving prayer was recited by Chief Rabbi Rav David Asseo expressing gratitude to the Turkish Republic and to the Turkish Government.
Forest of the Quincentennial Foundation
At the entrance of the Bosphorus, on a large piece of land the Quicentennial Foundation initiated the Forest of the Quin-centennial with the Wall of Honor topped by the Imperial seal of Sultan Bayezid II. The forest was inaugurated on July 22, 1992 with a ceremony to which participated a group of elite guests.
Part IV.
The main goal of the Quincentennial Foundation is to assist Turkish citizens of Jewish origin to express their gratitude to the Turkish nation
In order to assist the Jewish Community, which is an inseparable part of the Nation, to express their feeling of gratitude to Turkey for receiving with open arms their oppressed ancestors coming from Spain, the Quincentennial Foundation organ-ized since 1990 a series of outstanding activities at home and abroad. Here are a few of them:
Conferences
October 1991: An international symposium with the title "The Contribution of Jewish Scientist of Turkish origin to the Law and Culture of the Country" was organized in Istanbul Hilton Hotel. 21 professor, scientist and lawyers from Turkey, U.S.A., France, Portugal, Switzerland and Yugoslavia participated to the symposium and discussed mainly the contribu-tion to the civil and commercial Law principles of lawyers of Jewish origin that lived in the Ottoman Empire.
May-June 1992: The Foundation organized an international conference having as subject "Jews in Turkey-Five Hundred Years of Shared History" in Istanbul Swiss Hotel. The first session of the conference took place in Ataturk Cultural Center with the opening remarks of Professor Bernard Lewis. Besides Turkish participants there were a large group of Professor and Turcologist invited from several countries. The Turkish Press praised highly this academic event and there were also positive echoes from foreign press sources. It was decided to publish the papers presented to the conference as a separate book. Forty-seven different subjects were approached in eleven sessions of the conference. Here are the names of the par-ticipants and the titles of their presentations:
Prof. Israel Ta-Shama, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem "Rabbinic Literature in the Early Ottoman Period " (1350-1450)
Prof. Aryeh Shmulewitz, Tel-Aviv University, "Jewish Family/Diary as a source for Socio-Economic Developments in the 17th Century Ottoman Empire"
Prof. Paul Dumont, Université des Sciences Humaines - Strasbourg, "The Archives of the Alliance Israelite Universelle"
Prof. Amnon Cohen, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem "19th Century Muslim Records as Compared to the 16th Century Jerusalem Kadi Sicili"
Prof. Michael Winter, Tel-Aviv University, "Turkish, Arabic and European Sources for Jewish History with Special Ref-erence to Egyptian Jewry" (16th-19th Centuries)
Prof. Minna Rozen, Tel-Aviv University, "Material and Form as a Historical Source-The Stones of Haskoy"
Prof. Thomas Philipp, Friedrich-Alexander University, "German and Ashkenazi Travellers' Report on Ottoman Jewry"
Prof. Nejat Goyunc, Selcuk University, "Jews in the Service of the Ottoman Financial Administration"
Prof. Eliezer Bashan, Bar Ilan University, "Relations between Jews, Armenians and Greeks with Special Reference to Is-tanbul"
Prof. Madeline C. Zilfi, University of Maryland, "Urban Intersection between Jews and Muslims"
Prof. Daniel Goffman, Ball State, "Jews in International Ottoman Commerce"
Prof. Jacob Barnai, Haifa University, "The Development of Community Organizational Structures- the Case of Izmir"
Prof. Joseph R. Hacker, Hebrew University, Jerusalem "Sephardic Jewry Between Commitment to Sepharad and to Otto-man Local Patriotism"
Prof. Metin And, Ankara University, "The Contribution of Books of Travel and Description to European Knowledge of the Jewish Community in 16th Century Istanbul"
Prof. Moshe Idel, Hebrew University, Jerusalem "The Kaballah in the Ottoman Empire in the Generation of the Expulsion from Spain"
Prof. Leah Bomstein-Makovetsky, Bart Ilan University, "Rabbinic Scholarship: The Development of Halakhah, 1750-1990"
Prof. Haim Vidal Sephiha, Sorbonne-Nouvelle, "Secular Forms of Scholarship and Literature"
Prof. Rhoads Murphey, Columbia University, "Jewish Contributions to Ottoman Medicine, Science and Technology"
Prof. Daniel Schroeter, University of Florida, "Center and Periphery: The Changing Relationship between Jews and the Ottoman State in the 19th Century"
Prof. Jacob Landau, Hebrew University, Jerusalem " The Changing Patterns of Community Structures with Special Refer-ence to Ottoman Egypt"
Prof. Albert de Vidas, Fairfield University, "The Disintegration of the Sephardic Communities in the Balkans, 1850-1914"
Dr. Avner Levi, Hebrew University, Jerusalem "The Leadership of the Turkish Jews in the 19th Century"
Prof. Avigdor Levy, Brandeis University, "The Evolution of the Chief Rabbinate"
Prof. Esther Benbassa, Université de Paris, Sorbonne "The Transformation of Ottoman Jewry in the 19th and 20th Centu-ries"
Prof. Ilber Ortayli, Ankara University, "Ottoman Jewry and Political Modernisation"
Dr. Rachel Simon, Princeton University, "Jewish Female Education in the Ottoman Empire"
Prof. Moshe Maoz, Hebrew University, Jerusalem "The Changing Relations Between Jews, Muslims and Christians in the 19th and Early 20th Centuries with Special Reference to Syria and Palestine"
Prof. Walter F. Weiker, Rutgers University, "The Socio-Economic Position of the Jews as Reflected in Staatistical Infor-mation"
Prof. Stanford J. Shaw, University of California, Los Angeles "Jewish Emigration and Immigration to the Otto-man Empire and Turkey"
Prof. Kemal H. Karpat, University of Wisconsin "Immigration: The Jews of the Crimea"
Prof. Donald Quataert, State University of New York, Binghamton, "The Industrial Working Class of Salonica, 1850-1914"
Prof. Ehud R. Toledano, Tel-Aviv University, "Jews in Government Service"
Prof. Hasan Kayah, University of California, San Diego, "Ottoman Jewry and the Evolution of Nationalist Ideologies in the Ottoman Empire (1876-1918)"
Prof. Feroz Ahmad, University of Massachusetts, "The Special Relationship: The Committee of Union and Progress and the Ottoman Jewish Elite"
Dr. Heath W. Lowry, Institute of Turkish Studies, Washington, DC, "The Relationship Between Talat Bey, Haim Nahoum and Ambassador Morgenthau, 1911-1915"
Dr. Riva Kastoryano, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris, "Turkish Jewry; From Millet to Community"
Mr. Naim Guleryuz, Quincentennial Foundation, "Turkish Jews During the War of Independence"
Prof. Frank Tachau, University of Illinois, "The German Jewish Community in Turkey"
Prof. Nedim Gursel, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris " Mario Levi, A Young Author of the Jewish Community of Istanbul"
Prof. David M. Bunis, Hebrew University, Jerusalem " Turkish Contributions to the Judezmo (Judeo-Spanish) Language"
Dr. Marie-Christine Varol, Université de Paris " Empirical Medicine Practices. Tradition and Borrowing Studied Through Their Linguistic Expression"
Prof. Ilhan Baggoz, Indiana University, "The Jewish Image in Turkish Folklore and Turkish Image in Jewish Folklore"
Mr. Nicholas Stavroulakis, Jewish Museum of Greece, Athens " The Material Culture of Ottoman Jews"
Dr. Vivian B. Mann, The Jewish Museum, New York, "Muslim Rugs in Ottoman Synagogues: The Evidence of the Re-sponsa"
Dr. Pamela J. Dorn, Sezgin Southern Regional Council, "The Ottoman Heritage of Sephardic Song"
Meetings and Orators
September 1990 Mr. Fred Haynes, the President of American Friends of Turkey, led a group of six members who came to Turkey in order to inquire how they can actively participate to the Quincentennial celebrations.
October 1990 World Business Council Conference, gathering six hundred businessmen, met in Istanbul on the request of Mr. Jak Kamhi, the President of the Quincentennial Foundation, listened to the presentations of Prof. Stanford Shaw, Prof. Ilber Ortayli and Mr. Naim Guleryuz Vice President of the Foundation, on quincentennial celebrations, tolerance and the life of minorities in Turkey.
February-March 1991 The Vice President of the Foundation Mr. Naim Guleryuz and Mr. Nedim Yahya, coordinator, took the floor in several Lions and Rotary Clubs of Istanbul speaking about the life of the Jews in the Ottoman Empire and in the Turkish Republic.
March 1991 Prof. Stanford Shaw, Mr. Ishak Alaton a well known businessman and Mr. Naim Guleryuz Vice President of the Foundation took part in a panel organized by the Association of the Faculty of Political Sciences of Ankara on Quin-centennial celebrations and answered questions on the subject.
February 1992 Mr. Naim Guleryuz spoke about quincentennial celebrations their aim and program.
April 1992 At a panel organized in Izmir, Mr. Naim Guleryuz and Prof. Ilber Ortayli discussed with an interested public the subject "Understanding the quincentennial".
May 1992 As part of the quincentennial celebrations Journalist Yasar Aksoy made a conference called "Re-member me Izmir" at the Turkish-American Association Hall in Izmir
Visits
July 1992 Twenty-two journalists from Travel World News, Travel Age, Antiques, Archaeology, New York Times from USA, Espresso, RAI and la Stampa from Italy, Agence France Presse, I'Arche and Radio Communauté from France and BBC World Magazine from Great Britain were invited to Turkey for a seven days information tour. They related later their positive impressions in their articles and publications.
September 1991 Mr. Isaac Navon the fifth President of the State of Israel, his wife and a delegation visited Ankara and Istanbul. Mr. Navon assisted to a reception organized for this occasion and contacted the Minister of Tourism of Turkey.
March 2, 1992 A Turkish Jewish Community Delegation led by Chief Rabbi Rav David Asseo visited Ankara to express their gratitude to the Turkish Nation. They laid a wreath at the Mausoleum of Ataturk and visited the President of the Turkish Republic Mr. Turgut Ozal, the Speaker of the Parliament Mr. Husamettin Cindoruk, Prime Minister Mr. Suley-man Demirel and the Opposition leader Mr. Mesut Yilmaz. The same day a reception was organized at Ankara Hilton Ho-tel to which participated personalities of the State Protocol and Diplomatic Corp. The same day a delegation representing World Sepharad Federation visited the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister to express their gratitude.
Gala Dinner
A Gala Night Dinner was organized at the Dolmabahce Palace gardens with the participation of President Turgut Ozal, President Chaim Herzog of Israel, Prime Minister Suleyman Demirel, Deputy Prime Minister Erdal Inonu, Chief of Staff General Dogan Gures, Mr. Mesut Yilmaz, the opposition leader, Cabinet Minister, Governor and Mayor of Istanbul, For-eign Diplomatic Representatives, Rav David Asseo, foreign and local press representatives, artist, businessmen, guest from Turkey and abroad.
1200 guests were received in the garden of the Palace decorated with subtlety by Mr. Vitali Hakko a member of the Foun-dation. Rav David Asseo called the night "an appeal to the mankind for mutual love and tolerance". In a representation organized under the portico of the main door of the garden, reminiscent of the life of the Sepharad in Spain and their pas-sage to the Ottoman lands, the welcome and the tolerance they encountered there. All this in an ensemble of sound and music effect prepared by the French choreographer Bernard Trux. Guests were unanimous in their applauses.
In his speech at the Gala Night President Turgut Ozal stated that Turkey was not a haven only for the Jews but every op-pressed people. He added that he was hopeful that peace would be reached in the Middle East through a new cooperation.
Prime Minister Suleyman Demirel said that Jews in Turkey were living as equal and happy citizens. That it was possible to develop relations between Turkey and Israel to new extents in a near future.
The President of the State of Israel, H.E. Chaim Herzog pointed out that the Turkish Jews are celebrating the undeleted traces in their cultural life and their historical conscience since the days that these events occurred.
During the Gala ceremonies the video address of President George Bush was presented to the guests. Turkish and foreign Journalist praised widely this activity of the Foundation. The visit of the Israeli President to Turkey on this occasion was considered to have an important impact on the relations between two countries.
Activities With Lasting Historic Effects
September 1991 Among the aims of the Foundation, an important one is to participate actively to education matters. In this context answering an immediate need of the Turkish Jewish Community it was decided to create an education center. With the constructive and cooperative approach of the Turkish Authorities necessary permissions were easily obtained and a school comprising kindergarten, primary and secondary levels as well as a scientific research unit and a documenta-tion center was built, thanks to the relentless efforts of the late Bernar Nahum, a member of the Foundation. With the Education Center becoming operative the old Jewish school was abandoned.
September 1992 By a permission granted to the Foundation and in cooperation with the State Mint, a memorial coin series in copper, silver and gold was issued with the logo of the Foundation. The coins were a very much-appreciated gift by the recipients.
In cooperation with the Post Master's Office a memorial series of stamp and a first day cover was issued.
Ahrida Synagogue
The oldest of the 16 synagogues of Istanbul the Ahrida Synagogue was restored by the Quincentennial Founda-tion. More that 500 years old, Ahrida Synagogue had a special place in the religious life of the Turkish Jewish Community. The restoration was completed in about four years and the Synagogue was opened to religious ser-vices on November 19, 1992.
In his speech during the opening ceremony President Jak Kamhi stated that the restoration was effected in following as much as possible the original model of the building.
Thanksgiving Prayer
On the 4th of March 1992 during a special religious ceremony at the Neve Shalom synagogue, a thanksgiving prayer was recited by Chief Rabbi Rav David Asseo expressing gratitude to the Turkish Republic and to the Turkish Government.
Forest of the Quincentennial Foundation
At the entrance of the Bosphorus, on a large piece of land the Quicentennial Foundation initiated the Forest of the Quin-centennial with the Wall of Honor topped by the Imperial seal of Sultan Bayezid II. The forest was inaugurated on July 22, 1992 with a ceremony to which participated a group of elite guests.
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