INTERVIEW

“One grandmother was hidden in the cellar of two Catholic women in Belarus for 630 days and nights. When she was liberated she had to relearn to walk, and to speak out loud. My other grandmother boarded a ship full of Polish orphans during the beginning of the war and went to Palestine, where she had to start her life over without her family, at age 9”

By Bessy ADUTJeff Weiss is an experienced corporate training specialist focusing on call center customer service and customer care. His learners work ...

By Bessy ADUTCurrently living in Los Angeles, California, Dani Menkin is the twice Academy-Award-Winning filmmaker of "39 Pounds of Love" and "Is That...

By Bessy ADUTRachel Tesler is an award-winning writer and producer with 10+ years working in film and television. She has developed her craft as a mul...

By Bessy ADUTMaya Galimidi is the founder of Empower with Nature, a transdisciplinary education platform. She is an International Ambassador for the G...

We met with Avishai a few years ago at the CineStory Writers Retreat in Idyllwild. It was a great experience and I remember him as a passionate writer/filmmaker. We kept our friendship on social media as he lives in New York as an NYU Alumni and he grabbed my interest with his recent success stories, and achievements as well as a fellow Jewish writer/filmmaker. So I asked him for an interview and he said yes.

I had a chance to watch a comedy show Sarah was hosting along with some of her own jokes and when I noticed she was also making some Jewish jokes, I approached her and asked if she´d like to be featured in our newspaper Şalom. Gladly Sarah gave us a wonderful interview; thanks for lengthening our lives with laughter and beauty! Many thanks for the interview and looking forward to seeing more of your stand-up or/any other upcoming shows.

Today I would like to introduce you to Douglas Wellman, the award-winning author of the book "A Teenage Girl in Auschwitz: Basha Freilich and the Will to Live"; a very emotional but true story...

Today I would like to introduce Mia Ivryn with whom Ms. Stacey Levy thankfully connected me.

Today I am honored to introduce the young, beautiful, and also very talented Elçin Sadi. She is the founder of Power Nap which is a new-generation social media and creative marketing communications agency founded in 2020.

I like shedding light on the goodness in us since there´s more and more anti-Semitism in the world. So I will keep on putting good people under the spotlight here. Today I would like to introduce you to Bobbi who happens to be my Tai Chi instructor at the YMCA while her husband is a musician/teacher at the school I graduated from, CalArts.

Originally from Istanbul, Turkey, Deniz Karmona Benbicaco is a dynamic entrepreneur bubbling with enthusiasm for supporting small businesses and fostering vibrant community connections. Fueled by her journey as a small business owner, Deniz founded Dreamers Market, a whimsical marketplace that radiates with the spirit of local artisans and provides an enchanting platform for them to shine. Let´s get to know Deniz Karmona Benbicaco more...

By Bessy ADUTCould you tell us a little bit about yourself?My name is Robert Calgav. I am currently the co-Founder of Bakkal Corporation, CFO of Dream...

By Bessy ADUTToday I would like to introduce you to Yosi Mizrahi.Hi Yosi, I am excited to have a chance to share your story today.Where are you locate...

“Voice matters a lot to me—cadence and rhythm, the shapes that words take when spoken aloud. I read aloud as I write, and I notice every comma, every end beat, the way the white space works. In this way, I may be closer to a poet than a novelist”

I am excited to start a new interview series on Şalom and I am starting them with Izzet Bana. When I thought about asking questions to successful people, I remembered who has been one of my favorite childhood memories from our community. I was getting ready for the “Grease Musical” and it was a blast. I also remember filming a few other events and performances with Izzet Bana. I am happy that he returned my request so kindly and promptly. Without further ado, here is the Q&A with Mr. Izzet Bana.

Acting Head of Post of the Consulate General of Israel in Istanbul, Ehud Moshe Eitam started his position in March 2019 in a very delicate time not just for Turkish-Israeli relations but also due to the pandemic. Once close allies, relations between Israel and Turkey have been strained for over a decade following the Cast Lead Operation in December 2008. Diplomatic relations were restored in 2016, but two years later, Turkey recalled its ambassador and asked Israel´s to leave in protest of Israel´s response to rioting on the Gaza border. Only after the historic visit of Israel´s President Isaac Herzog to Ankara in March 2022 did the two sides announce that they would be restoring full diplomatic ties, which picked up pace in 2022. Eitam witnessed the improvement of bilateral relations, which in the end reached the long waited normalization. We talked with him about the difficulties and opportunities encountered working in Turkey, the future of Turkish-Israeli relations, and his plans for the future, following his retirement from the ministry of foreign affairs.

I met with Sam Amiel, the Regional Director of JDC, the Jewish Relief Organization, who came to our country following the earthquake disaster. We discussed the JDC´s contributions to the relief efforts in the earthquake region.

One of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded in Turkey struck on February 6 in southern Turkey. More than 40,000 people have been killed and tens of thousands injured. One of the first countries to send aid to the affected areas was Israel which responded immediately to the international appeal from Turkey. We talked with Israel´s Foreign Ministry spokesman Lior Haiat, about the Israeli rescue operations, and Turkey-Israel bilateral relations.

Turkey and Israel have officially exchanged ambassadors after years of tense relations. Israel´s ambassador to Turkey Irit Lillian presented her credentials to President Erdogan on December 27th. One of Israel´s top diplomats, Lillian, had been working tirelessly as the chargé d´affaires at the embassy in Ankara to mend bilateral relations. Lillian shared her thoughts on Turkey-Israel relations for Shalom readers. A big fan of Turkish culture, traditional music and cuisine, the ambassador is learning Turkish and promised to answer a question in Turkish in our next interview.