Turkey, until February 24, 2009, was simply my favorite deli meat. Now, it is one of the most interesting and unique places I have ever been.
My Olami group, Sephardic Judaism and Zionism embarked on a journey to study Jewish history and explore modern Jewish life in the bi-continental country. There we visited beautiful synagogues, Jewish schools, and mingled with Turkish Jews of all ages.
The Jewish community in Turkey is not like that of America or Israel at all. Turkey is a country that has been in the news a lot lately, and to put it lightly, is not known for its country's love of Zionism or Israel. The situation in Gaza triggered a wave of anti-Israel sentiments throughout Turkey, and because of that, security has to be extra tight. When our group visited Jewish youth clubs or synagogues at night, we had to be careful and not draw attention to ourselves. The Jews we met with told us stories about how they would not feel comfortable outwardly supporting Israel or wearing a Star of David around their neck. However, despite these uncomfortable situations, the Jewish community thrives in Turkey. Jews are proud and happy to be Jewish, they just need to express it in a different way that I have ever seen before.
The best example of this is when our group visited a youth club in the Asian side of Istanbul. We had to walk in a silent straight line in order to get in, then walked through security, but once the security check was completed, we entered a different world. We were greeted by the sounds of booming Israeli music, and teenagers practicing dances as a part of their Israeli dance group. It was so exciting to see that the political situation of Turkey cannot keep Jewish teenagers from loving and being active in their religion; that Judaism still matters to them even if the homeland they associate with is not beloved by the people of their country.
This Olami trip was packed not only with Jewish sights and attractions, but also Turkish palaces, vacation islands, and a relaxing trip to the Hama'am, the traditional Turkish bath.
The trip to Turkey, more than anything, got me so excited to come back to Israel, where there is not only an enormous amount of freedom for the Jews, but there is a national love and identity with the Jewish religion. Israel is a haven for Jews everywhere; it is the one place where the Jewish people will always be able to call home.
