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The Turkish Times-Victoria Barrett’s powerful movie "Desperate Hours," telling the stories of Turkish diplomats saving Jewish lives during Second World War, was shown in B'nai Israel temple of Boca Raton, Florida on April 27th, for the second time in Florida. The screening was attended by 400 Jewish-Americans and Turkish-Americans in a true spirit of the celebration of Turkish-Jewish friendship and alliance. Israel's Deputy Consul General, Matty Cohen, and ATAA's President-Elect Vural Cengiz also attended the jam-packed event and both stressed the Turkish-Israeli alliance in their speeches. AJC District President and Rachel Krespin, a young Turkish-Jew, also expressed their fondness of the Turkish-Jewish friendship during the same event. Vural Cengiz thanked AJC, Florida Turkish American Association, Sister Cities International and B'nai Center for their involvement in the screening and suggested that these type of events should be repeated as a Jewish-Turkish Festival in the coming years. Deputy Consul Cohen also talked about good relations between Israel and Turkey and quoted Ataturk's Izmir speech of 1923 as a guarantee of Jewish rights in Turkey. In her speech, Rachel Krespin stressed the unique role played by Turkey during the Holocaust as a star of hope burning bright for the Jews of Europe: "When one examines the maps of Europe of the time, one finds one country clean of ghettos? of concentration and death camps. One country unspotted by Jewish blood — Turkey," she said. "Those of us who are Jews from Turkey, or are the descendants of Turkish Jews, are not surprised at all, to learn about the nobility of Selahattin Ulkumen, of Necdet Kent [both Turkish diplomats who saved Jews from the Nazis by risking their lives and careers] and others. Because it was not the first time Jewish people were the victims of dark times? and it was not the first time Turks had extended a helping hand. Over five centuries ago, when Jews of Spain were forced to convert and tortured and killed, and later expelled by the Inquisition, the mighty doors of the Ottoman Empire opened to welcome them. It was Sultan Beyazid the second, the ancestors of Ulkumen, Kent and others, who sent their ships to save the Jews from waters of the Mediterranean and European anti-Semitism, and provided safe haven to them, to this day. We know we could count on them." The event ended with a reception including fantastic Turkish dishes and deserts offered by Turkish ladies of Southern Florida. |
