7 November
The "Ottoman and Turkish Ketubbot" Exhibition 
November 7, 2024 The "Ottoman and Turkish Ketubbot" Exhibition
November 4, 2024 TV Show Review: Nobody Wants This
November 1, 2024 The Irresistible Drunkenness of Reading Books
October 31, 2024 "Goodness Is Being Kind and Generous" - Interview with Wendy Liebman
October 24, 2024 Izzet Keribar´s "Journey of Colors" Exhibition at Istanbul Modern
Bella Eskenazi, a Republic Idealist, Lost Her Life at 100
Orhan Veli´s inspiration, a close friend of Sabahattin Ali, a family friend of Aşık Veysel whom she had met while teaching at the Hasanoğlan Village Institute, sister-in-law of the journalist-writer Erol Güney, as old as the Republic, Bella Eskenazi, passed away at the age of 100. May 5, 2023
Bella Eskenazi whose family had come from Bulgaria, was born in 1923, in Bakirköy. Bella, lived in Bakirköy until she was 6 years old, then moved to Yüksekkaldirim with her family. Bella who had loved reading, was very talented in learning other languages; she learned German, French, and English. Stepping into an intellectual crowd with her sister getting married to journalist Erol Güney, Bella came to have many friends who were writers and poets.
Advocating for the kind of citizenship where all citizens have equal rights and freedoms, Bella Eskenazi fought religious, political, and ethnic discrimination throughout her life.
Teaching foreign languages in the country
Eskenazi, traveling to Ankara after Erol Güney and her sister had moved to the capital, visited Hasanoğlan Village Institute and liked it very much. Volunteering to teach foreign languages there, after her wish had been approved by the Prime Minister, Eskenazi started to teach English, French, German, geography, and gymnastics in the village institute, thus becoming one of the first foreign language teachers of the Republic in the country. After two years of teaching at the village institute, Eskenazi worked as a translator. However, she lost many of her jobs due to her relationship with Erol Güney who was said to be a communist.
Bella's Story
Bella Eskenazi's long and meaningful life was turned into a documentary in 2021. The Quincentennial Foundation Museum of Turkish Jews screened the documentary 'Bella's Story' by director Banu Yalkut-Breddermann, on Eskenazi's 98th birthday. The documentary presented to the audience the story of Bella Eskenazi, Orhan Veli's inspiration, Sabahattin Ali's close friend, a family friend of Aşık Veysel whom she had met while teaching at the village institute, from the 1920s until the 2000s, from Istanbul to Barcelona. The film also, based on Eskenazi's life and testimonies, is shedding light on Turkey's political and cultural transformation process.
The director of the documentary Banu Yalkut-Breddermann, in her interview with Şalom Magazine in 2021, stated what Bella meant for her, saying, "For me, it feels kind of hard to express feelings with words. But let me try to express: To be with Bella is just like taking a vacation to an endearing country, as free as possible. Bella is my sanctuary."
Related News
7 November
The "Ottoman and Turkish Ketubbot" Exhibition
The Quincentennial Foundation Museum of Turkish Jews is opening an exhibition of Ketubbot (Jewish wedding contracts), some from forgotten corners of our homes, some as already discovered works of art, some from the walls of the collectors, some from the Chief Rabbinate Collection, on November 7th, at Schneidertempel Arts Center, after they have been cleaned and maintained.
24 October
Izzet Keribar´s "Journey of Colors" Exhibition at Istanbul Modern
Istanbul Modern, Turkey´s first modern and contemporary art museum, is preparing to host photography artist Izzet Keribar´s solo exhibition "Journey of Colors".
8 August
Kasadolu Draws Attention to the Increasing Hostility Towards Turkish Jews
The businessperson Doğan Kasadolu wrote a letter to AKP´s Ankara Member of Parliament Tuğrul Türkeş, drawing attention to the increasing anti-Semitism.
30 May
Annette Bat Mitzvah Club and Yoel Bar Mitzvah Club Year-End Ceremonies
The 2023-2024 "Collective Bat Mitzvah Ceremony" of the Annette Bat Mitzvah Club girls, founded in 2002 within the Chief Rabbinate of Turkey Education Commission (HEGKOM), was celebrated in the Neve Shalom Synagogue on Sunday, May 26th.
18 March
Moris Karmona Declared War On Bullying With His Book "Morhis"
Moris Karmona´s book "Morhis" in which he wrote his life story, has been published.
1 March
82nd Anniversary of the Struma Disaster
The Struma Immigration Ship had sailed from Constanza, Romania to take the Jews desperate to run from the Nazis to today´s Israel, and was sunk by a torpedo from a Russian submarine after anchoring off the coast of Istanbul for weeks.
26 February
Jenisya Yaeş Came First in the 16th National Young Soloist Competition
Soprano Jenisya Yaeş, who is studying at the Dokuz Eylül University State Conservatory, Opera Art Major Undergraduate 3rd grade, has been deemed worthy of first place in the University Category of the 16th National Young Soloist Competition.