TURKEY

A Historical Holocaust Memorial Ceremony in Ankara

This year for the first time a Memorial Ceremony as part of International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of Holocaust was held in Ankara, on January 27th. Speaker of the Turkish Parliament Cemil Cicek mentioned the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at his speech. Omer Celik, Minister of Culture and Tourism was also present at the ceremony. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu sent a special message.
A Historical Holocaust Memorial Ceremony in Ankara


 


First Stop at Anitkabir (Ataturk’s Mausoleum)

 

The delegation from Turkish Jewish Community led by Chief Rabbi Isak Haleva who went to Ankara to attend the ceremony, first visited Anitkabir to pay their respects to Ataturk. Signing the Anitkabir Guest Book on behalf of the delegation, Rabbi Haleva wrote, “As Turkish Jewish citizens who have been living in this country for centuries, on this day, before you, we would like to express once again our profound commitment to our state and our Republic.”

 

The Ceremony at Bilkent University

 

Abdullah Atar, Chancellor of Bilkent University, Assoc.Prof. Umut Sezer, ITU Faculty Member, Ambassador Ertan Tezgor, Head of the Turkish Delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance and Ishak Ibrahimzadeh, Leader of the Turkish Jewish Community, each gave a speech at the ceremony held at Bilkent University.

 

Speaker of the Turkish Parliament Cemil Cicek at his speech said, “It is our binding duty to protect the rights and freedoms of our Jewish citizens who are faced with wrongful accusations and hate crimes for the policies of the State of Israel.”

 

“What happened in World War II clearly demonstrates how racism and discrimination can lead to such catastrophes unless we fight them. Unfortunately, today under different names and appearances, we continue seeing racism and discrimination that harbored the Nazi ideology which was the cause of this big disaster. As citizens of a nation who lost over 40.000 of its citizens to terror, we condemned the terrorist attacks in France. We still do. Without adding a sentence behind or in front of it, terror is a crime against humanity that we must all condemn, fiercely.”

Emphasizing the need for the international public to take mutual responsibility against terror, Cicek said that a common attitude should be adopted against terror in Palestine, Nigeria and Yemen.”  

Bringing up the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in his speech, the Speaker of the Turkish Parliament also said, “Unless Palestinians are granted their rights, their laws, their sovereignty and unless an independent state of Palestine is founded, a permanent peace in Middle East cannot be established.” He added,” The State of Israel’s recent attacks and disrespectful conducts towards Al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem that compels the status of Jerusalem continues to be a bleeding wound. It’s impossible to overlook the fact that 2.000 people died in Gaza and also what happened in Mavi Marmara.”

 

In memory of the victims who lost their lives in Holocaust, a candle lighting ceremony was also held.   

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