Expelled Israeli envoy inaugurates synagogue in Turkey
After Turkey severed relations with Israel following Mavi Marmara crisis, expelled ambassador returns to country to attend inauguration ceremony of synagogue renovated under Erdogan's government.
In an indication that Israel and Turkey are making strides towards patching up diplomatic relations, Turkish authorities recently completed the restoration of a neglected synagogue in the city of Bergama in Turkey, which functioned in recent years as a stable.
The story dates back to 1988, when Turkey-born Gabby Levy was appointed to serve as Consul General of Israel in Istanbul. However, the Turkish government rejected the nomination on the basis that Levy is a native-born citizen of Turkey, which according to Turkish laws in those years, prevented him from assuming the post as Consul.
Despite the delay in his appointment as envoy, Levy turned to his father (who has since then passed) and together, they went on a family "roots" trip to Turkey, during which they visited the old synagogue in Bergama.
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The last Jewish residents living in the city left in the late 1940's, with most of them immigrating like Levy's family to Israel. The synagogue has been neglected ever since, and was used as a stable. "The disgraceful sight of the synagogue shocked all of us," Levy said.
In 2007, Levy arrived to Turkey as the country's Israeli Ambassador (the Turkish nationality laws had changed over the years) and in 2008, paid an official visit to Bergama, where he was received with warmth and love by the both the city's Jewish and Muslim community. "During my visit to the synagogue I was horrified to see that the structure was completely destroyed. I immediately went to the Mayor and asked that the synagogue be renovated."
Levy convinced the locals that they synagogue would be a source of attraction for some one million of tourists who visit the ruins of the nearby Greek city of Pergamon. The Mayor responded to the challenge and the project was launched.
The rehabilitation efforts were undertaken by the government of the Izmir province (Bergama is located in its territory), the Turkish Ministry of Tourism, UNESCO, and the European Union.
The aid granted to rebuild the synagogue came from even higher levels than the Turkish administration. During Levy's service in Turkey, he met on a number of occasions with Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc, who today, among other posts, is Turkey's coordinator in compensation talks with Israel. Arinc is from the town of Manisa (where the disastrous coal mine explosion recently occurred), near Bergama.
A diplomatic crisis between Israel and Turkey erupted following the events of the Mavi Marmara in 2010, and Ambassador Levy was expelled from Turkey. Despite the deteriorating relations, the project to renovate the synagogue continued, albeit much more slowly.
This week, following many efforts, the inauguration ceremony of the restored synagogue took place. The ceremony was attended by more than 300 members of the Jewish community of Izmir and led by the Chief Rabbi of Turkey, Ishak Haleva.
The mayor of Bergama, Deputy Governor of the Izmir Province and a representative of the Ministry of Tourism were also in attendance. Hundreds of residents of Istanbul also arrived to the ceremony.
"The ceremony was very exciting and the Shehecheyanu blessing (In Hebrew the 'Who has given us life' blessing said to celebrate special occasions) was fitting for the occasion," said former Ambassador Levy, who is now retired, and was invited to the ceremony as the guest of honor of Israeli Consul of Istanbul Moses Kimhi.
In his speech at the ceremony, Levy said: "I am very excited. This event represents the peak of my ambitions as an Ambassador and as a Jew, as it involves a combination of both personal and professional satisfaction.
"In the four years of my service in Turkey, I reached heights that are the aspirations of every Ambassador, considering the volume and scope of relations between the two countries. Unfortunately, I also knew the relationship's lows, following the Marmara affair," Levy added.
Speaking through applaud from the Turkish and Jewish crowd, Levy said at the closing of his speech that "governments are ephemeral, but the good relations between Jews and their neighbors the Muslim Turks will last forever."
While Levy does not see an immediate connection between the event and the current nature of relations between the countries, he has no doubt that the ceremony was held with the knowledge and approval of the Turkish government. "I take comfort in the fact that the same government did not stop the project and even brought to its successful completion," Levy concluded.
