Ana içeriğe atla

Terror could not stop the Israeli tourist

- He had promised that he would come back to Turkey and he kept his word - 

Only five months ago, on March 19th, we were all shaken by the terror attack on Istiklal Avenue, in Istanbul. Among the people who lost their lives or got injured was an Israeli tourist group on a gourmet tour. They were here to experience the exquisite flavors and cuisine of Istanbul.  David Dudi Califa was the organizer of that gourmet tour. Dudi returned to Istanbul for the first time after the attack. Together we had a delicious meal at one of Tarabya’s (a neighborhood of Istanbul alongside Bosphorus) fish restaurants and talked about his recollection of the events. 
On March 19th, Istiklal Avenue, one of the busiest avenues in Istanbul was stroke with a horrific terror attack. A suicide bomber blew himself up in the middle of a tourist group. Several people died and many were injured, as a result. Among the casualties, there were Israeli tourists who were visiting our country to experience the exquisite cuisine of Istanbul. Immediately after the attack, the injured were treated at several hospitals in Istanbul and then transferred to their own countries.
After the attack, I had visited David Dudi Califa and Naama Peled, the organizers of the tour at their home in Tel Aviv where I personally witnessed their love of Istanbul and the Turkish people.
Istanbul is our second home. We will return, one day. That’s for sure. But we need time…” had said, Dudi. After only five months, Dudi was once again in Istanbul. We scheduled for a dinner at one of the finest fish restaurants in Tarabya. He picked the venue and ordered the food, personally. He even chatted with the chef who was a friend of his. When you are together with a gourmet, you need to let him run the show. After all, he has much more knowledge on Istanbul’s cuisine, then I have.

I asked him how those who were injured in the attack and those who lost their spouses were. They were still in touch with each other to support one another. Since Israeli government deemed them as terror victims, they are being paid a monthly pension. The government also covers their physical and psychological therapy expenses.  Dudi said that this is a great a convenience. However, there’s a still a long way for everyone to fully recover. He added that understanding the state of mind of those who lost their loved ones is especially hard.  Dudi is still using a cane for walking, but he had started to take short walks without the cane.
From day one, Dudi had expressed his wish to return to Istanbul. His therapist supported this wish. However, he shared his plans of visiting Istanbul with only those who are very close to him, so that he wouldn’t be discouraged by any negative comments. Most of his friends found out that he was in Istanbul from the photos he posted on social media. Dudi said that they were very surprised.
At our first interview, Dudi had told me that when he visits Istanbul, his first stop is always Istiklal Avenue. This time was no different. He visited the scene of attack, twice. At his first visit, he stood exactly at the spot where the explosion occurred and thought about what happened. Then he visited the souvenir shop right across that spot. On the day of the attack, an elderly man who worked at the shop took all the scarves in the shop to apply tourniquet to the injured. Dudi said, “He probably saved many people’s lives with this first aid.” Dudi wanted to find this man to thank him. He was disappointed to learn that he was no longer working there. He was even more disappointed when he realized that there was nearly no one who remembered his name. He was a hero, after all.
Later that day, Dudi went to the grilled meatball restaurant which he describes as the best of Istanbul, just like they planned to go on the day of the attack. He ate there. He hugged the owner and chatted for a while. “I had to go that restaurant to complete the cycle which was disrupted by the attack.” On this visit, Dudi went to see the same places, visited the same friends. He explained to me how they all greeted him with tears in their eyes. “When they saw me standing before them, their eyes filled with tears. I can hardly contain my tears at such moments.” said Dudi.
Dudi has many friends in Istanbul. After the attack, they never left his side. After Dudi went back to Israel, they continued to send him messages for support. “The chefs, restaurant owners, journalists, bloggers, friends…” He visited most of them on this last visit and took photos with them. “Istanbul is my favorite city in the world.” When I told him to move here, he answered “Why not?”. Before the attack, Dudi had a dream. His dream was to rent a flat in Istanbul and spend 3-4 months a year in Istanbul. Maybe one day he will realize his dream. Returning to Istanbul after the attack was a big step for Dudi. Maybe more steps will follow.
In tribute to this last visit, Dudi put together a photo album. In the description section he wrote: “The reason why I love Istanbul so much is its flavors, smells, places to see, but most of all its people.

Karel Valansi Şalom Newspaper 23 August 2016

Yorumlar

Bu blogdaki popüler yayınlar

“We are Beyond What I Had Dreamed of When I Moved to Dubai”

Cem Habib  We talked about how the peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates affected the Jewish life in the Emirates, with the investment manager Cem Habib, who has been living in Dubai since 2016, and who is one of the founding members of the Jewish Council of Emirates (JCE), the first officially recognized Jewish community of the UAE. How long have you been living in Dubai? What influenced you in deciding to live here? I moved to Dubai in 2016, before I had been living in London. My customer base at that time was in Kazakhstan and it had gotten harder commuting there from London every month after 6 years. There were three direct flights between Dubai and Kazakhstan, every day, with a flight time of less than 4 hours. To improve our quality of life and to spend more time with the kids, we moved to Dubai. When moving, how could you overcome the thought “As a Jew, will I be comfortable living in an Arab country with my family?” I talked to my friends from different countri

Survivor Hayim’in gerçek dünyası - Söyleşi

Hayim, çok sevdiğim bir arkadaşımın kuzeni. Aklı başında, ne istediğini bilen biri. Askerlik dönüşünde ani bir kararla Survivor yarışmasına katıldığını duyduğumda çok şaşırmıştım. Pek spor yapmayan, atletik olmayan biri neden zor koşullarda, dayanıklılık, irade ve güç isteyen bir televizyon programına katılır? Bunları konuşurken, sayesinde takip etmeye başladığım Survivor ile ilgili tüm merak ettiklerimi de sordum; kameralara yansımayan gizli bir tuvalet var mıydı, ya da yayın bitince gidilen lüks bir otel? Begüm’le arasında bir yakınlaşma oldu mu, Merve neden pişman oldu yarışmaya katıldığına? İşte Sabah Gazetesinden Yüksel Aytuğ’un teşekkür ettiği, seyircilerin filozof olarak tanımladığı Hayim ve Survivor yarışmasının bilinmeyenleri… Survivor maceran nasıl başladı? Katılmak nereden aklına geldi? Arkadaşlarımla uzun süredir Survivor’u takip ediyorduk. Hep katılmak istiyordum ama televizyona çıkmak beni korkutuyordu. Geçen sene iki yakın arkadaşım Dominik’e gittiler. Yarışmacıları

The one question people asked me when I got home from Turkey - Tami Sussman

If I had been handed a hundred dollars for every Australian Jew who asked me if I was worried about travelling to Turkey in July due to antisemitism, I would have been able to fly business class. Qantas business class. Add another hundred for every Jew who asked me how I could justify supporting the Turkish economy in the current climate and I could have made it a return flight.  Instead, I found myself wedged between my screaming children in economy with separate  Bluey theme songs blasting through unsynced iPads, reassessing every life choice that had brought me to this point. Reproducing with their half-Turkish Sephardi father Yosi “because he is very good looking” suddenly seemed like a questionable decision made by a naive 30-year-old who didn’t consider the inevitable trip we’d have to make in order for the children to meet their great grandmother, aunts, uncles and cousins who don’t travel further than Madrid.  The honest truth is yes, I was worried about antisemitism. I had rea