Gulsum Incekaya
30 July 2019•Update: 30 July 2019
ISTANBUL, Turkey
Turkish Jews on Tuesday observed the 527th anniversary of their exodus from Spain, with leading figures of the community recalling the contribution of Ottoman Empire, for giving them shelter and security.
Commemorating the event, Moris Levi, deputy leader of Turkey’s Jewish community, said that the Ottoman Empire gave his community right to life, after they were expelled from Spain in 1492.
Talking to Anadolu Agency, Levi, who is also community representative to the government's Directorate-General of Foundations, said if his community had stayed in Spain, they would have been slaughtered.
“If they had chosen to migrate to Christian world, they would have suffered again,” he added.
Levi said that Jewish community brought along with them Andalusian traditions, culture, western perspective and economic values, while taking shelter in the region. They (Jews) also brought along with them a significant machine – the printing press, he said.
“If the printing press had come to the Ottoman Empire by 15th century, when it was invented, the Renaissance, would have happened in Turkey,” Levi said.
The Renaissance, covering the span between 14th-17th centuries, marked the transition from middle ages to modernity.
“The Jews lived in Islamic Andalusia for centuries. The Ottoman Empire was also an Islamic civilization. Jews knew that they could reap the harvest of their hard work and will also contribute to the country,” Levi added.
He said that his community prays for Turkey, its people who run the country including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on their special days.
An award winning veteran Jewish photographer Izzet Keribar said he owes his success to Turkey.
“I am saying with an open heart that I love my job, I love my friends, and above all, I love my country. I keep saying this in every opportunity. My priority is the country I live in. I owe a lot to this country,” said Keribar, who has won Turkey’s Presidential Culture and Arts Prize in 2018.
His name was heard on the world stage as a prominent Turkish Jew, after he won prizes for his life style photography, from the National Geographic, twice in 1991 and 2000.
* Writing by Rabia Iclal Turan
