Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today (Wednesday) hosted in his palace in Ankara the country’s chief rabbi along with a group of rabbis from communities, cities and countries in the Muslim world who gathered in Turkey for the first summit of the Rabbinical Conference in Islamic countries and issued a series of positive remarks And surprising about his attitude toward Jews and Israel.
According to the rabbis who attended the meeting Erdogan who received the rabbis kindly spoke clearly about the fight against anti-Semitism and stressed that he would fight it just as he fought Islamophobia, mentioning that Turkey had signed a treaty against Holocaust denial and said it would strengthen Turkish education on the Holocaust. According to them, Erdogan received all the rabbis very warmly. According to Erdogan, “Relations between Turkey, Jews and Israel will always be strong. I hope for a peace of justice and faith between Israel and the Palestinians. A peace in which everyone will respect each other. The economic relations between Israel and Turkey are stronger than ever and they will only get stronger.”
The rabbis who met with Erdogan came to Turkey for a unique and first-ever summit meeting for all rabbis in Muslim countries as part of the ‘Rabbinical Conference in Islamic States’, which is held under the auspices of Turkey’s Chief Rabbi Rabbi Yitzchak Haliba. In this context, the rabbis discuss a variety of relevant issues – halakhic, communal and gothic, as well as the new opportunities for strengthening and prospering Jewish life throughout the Muslim world.
Rabbi Mendi Hitrik, the organization’s founder and rabbi of the Ashkenazi community in Turkey, who was responsible for the visit and arrival of the rabbis in the country, admitted at a meeting with Erdogan that Turkey is a symbol of Jewish-Muslim relations and that rabbis expect to develop these ties. According to Rabbi Hitrik, “The rabbis left the meeting feeling very good and were happy to hear from President Erdogan that he would work to strengthen Judaism in Islamic countries.”
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He said, “The unique conference is an unprecedented historic summit for the rabbis of the Muslim world, in which rabbis have pledged to help each other fulfill their communal duties. It is to improve the ancient relations between Muslims and Jews, and to upgrade Jewish life and the common future in the Muslim space. We cherish the leadership of our countries for ensuring our full Jewish life. We, the Jews living in the Muslim world, are the best example of Jewish peace and tolerance. And Muslims, “he said.
The summit included rabbis representing more than 100,000 Jews living throughout the Muslim world, including the chief rabbis of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Iran, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Uganda, Nigeria, Albania, the United Arab Emirates, as well as Northern Cyprus and others. Due to local corona restrictions, the rabbis of Morocco and Tunisia were unable to physically attend the event, sent greetings and participated online.
The conference, which opened this morning (Wednesday), included unique sessions on interfaith relations and the historical and deep relations between Muslims and Jews, along with lectures, workshops and joint meetings on topics on the rabbis’ agenda on their various challenges.
In his remarks to the rabbis on the island of the conference this morning, the Chief Rabbi of Turkey, a sage of Ashi, Rabbi Yitzchak Haliba, mentioned, for example, the Turkish Jewish community, which lives in security and enjoys religious privileges in the Turkish state. “This is a very positive example for the religious leaders of the Jewish communities in other Islamic countries,” he said.
At the conference, which takes place near the day of the celebration of Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon – Maimonides, one of the greatest leaders of Judaism in Islamic countries in Jewish history, a fascinating symposium was held with the participation of rabbis regarding his character, leadership and application of his vision in our age.
Participants also took part in a gala dinner at the Turkish Presidential Palace – for the first time ever such an event was held – attended by members of the leadership of the Turkish Jewish community, who spoke and shared their experience and vision, with Russia’s rabbi Rabbi Berl Lazar acting in charge The scenes for the welfare of Jews in Muslim countries, and who also attended a meeting with Erdogan and spoke. The Honorary Speaker of the Summit, Mr. Akif Gillov – President of the World Congress of Mountain Jews, and founder of United Religions who said he would continue his vision of working to bring peace and unity between religions.
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