For centuries, the Jewish peoples have lived in Azerbaijan, Turkey, Uzbekistan and other parts of the Turkic world. Tens of thousands of "Sephardi Jews" lived in present-day Turkey since 1492, when Ottoman Turks provided shelter and acceptance to the Jews escaping the Spanish Inquisition. One of the largest Azeri-speaking communities in America are the Mountain Jews. They settled in Azerbaijan over two millennia ago and tens of thousands of them continue to live in northern parts of Azerbaijan today, enjoying prosperity and acceptance. The Bukharian Jews of Uzbekistan thrived in this region for 2500 years in an atmosphere of tolerance and mutual respect.
In November 2008,
Azerbaijani-American Council (AAC) together with the
American Jewish Committee (AJC) and the
Orange County chapter of the Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA) launched the
"Building Bridges from the Caspian to the Mediterranean" initiative in California with the aim of transforming the dynamic relations of Azerbaijan, Israel and Turkey into the prism of cooperation between the Turkic- and Jewish-American communities.
Building upon this experience, on November 23, 2009, the
Turkish Coalition of America (TCA),
Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA), Azerbaijan Society of America (ASA),
Azerbaijani American Council (AAC), the
Turk of America (TOA) magazine, and the
Uzbek Initiative together with the International Charity Fund of Mountain Jews (STMEGI) and other Jewish-American community groups are organizing a one-day symposium dedicated to the heritage and contemporary presence of Jewish communities in Turkic world at the Center for Jewish History in New York.
Apart from distinguished speakers, representing the Jewish communities of Azerbaijan, Turkey and Uzbekistan, this program will also feature a screening of "Desperate Hours" by Victoria Barrett, who will be present to talk about the documentary on the role Turkish diplomats in saving thousands of Jews during the Holocaust. Barry Habib, the producer of the famous Broadway musical "Rock of Ages," and Yildiz Yuksek Blackstone, President of Luca Luca, will speak about their life experiences. A selection of paintings by Stass Shpanin will be displayed at the event along with the copies of critical historical documents from the Ottoman Archives that establish the context of Ottoman-Jewish relations through the centuries.
The program will start at 1pm and continue with a reception at 5pm
Co-sponsors: Turkish American Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Turkish American Action Committee; Bukharian Jews Congress of the US and Canada, and Kafkas Jewish Youth Connection
