"European Day of Jewish Culture in Istanbul
Blitz Desk
The European Day of Jewish Culture will be marked on Sept. 7 in ?stanbul's Galata neighborhood, which used to be a major residential area for the local Jewish community in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Speaking at a press conference about the event in the Schneidertempel Art Center, which was originally a synagogue built by ?stanbul's Ashkenazi community, ?vo Molinas, the spokesperson for the Jewish community and an editorial writer for the ?halom newspaper, explained that the aim of this day will be to share Jewish culture and heritage. 'There are various walls between communities and, unfortunately, the walls in Turkey have been rising in recent years. But communicating with one another and coming to know the other is a strong way toward peace. When you don't know the other's culture, tradition and life, naturally you are scared of them. The more you don't know, the more you get anxious and alienated from those people,' Molinas said, adding that he hoped this day would contribute to tearing down such walls and strengthening the love and communication between Turkish society and Jewish people."
MOre:BLiTZ : Internet Edition 2008
