Revcolevski

Speech of Anne-Marie Revcolevski
Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies, and gentlemen, dear friends because i see many friends here who have become Aladdin project friends. Let me first thank you that as a previous speaker said the Aladdin project president . I’m very happy to be here. I’m very happy in the plain coming back from Auschwitz Where we meant and that we were able to take a step to organize a partnership at this conference. Thank you to have open the doors of this university on a topic rarely tackled  and rather ignored by the majority of Jews and Turks. But in fact it is no coincidence that we are holding this conference here. İt is in fact at a size threat that was tied up in Paris in 2009 which leads us together today. What happened in Paris in 2009, i want to explain a little bit for those people here who are not familiar with the Aladin project, in many breif words we were all United on certain issues  at this conference in Paris for the first time there were hundreds of people over 400 people  people with dozens of Muslims representatives of high state government of Europe with a very important Muslim /---/ and İlber Ortaylı he was representing the present group at this conference. Here are issues of the conference that I’m going to summarize first of all, holocaust denial it came after.
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The Iranian president declarations, that the holocaust was a myth. The first issue of the Aladdin project is holocaust denial or trivialities should be banned and fought. The second thing was that ignorance should be fought. This startling facts about Muslim leaders and individuals who helped the Jews when they were threatened to be all exterminated to be known. Anti-semitizm, Xenofobia, racism should be combated ideologies of intolerance and violence were damaging the horizons of hopes and fraternity. The Israeli and Palestinian conflict was everlasting that we would be supporting any initiative that would lead to peace but would not get involved. Education building bridges speaking the language at the others would be our different /yards/ ans/ oturns0/. So in 2009 we all decided to unite our efforts in order to let historical truth, dialogue and mutual respect triumph with a special but non exclusive focus Muslim Jewish relations. So what happened since 2009 and speaking more precisely  of our relations with turkey. As I said before in 2009 professor Ortayli was representing the present group but since he has become part of our scientific community which is now writing a collection of books of telling the relation between Jews and Muslims in different countries looking at the book which is being written by French Scholar Jay Vinstein and we hope that with this little group translated into Turkish this book will become  the roots of history for history professors and we hope that in the school curriculum in turkey the history of Jewish Muslims Turkish relation will be taught and I really do hope that the conversation that we are having with the Turkish different official personalities we will together succeed.

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To have this part of history also taught young students  boys and girls. Now furthermore well known sociologist Nilüfer Gorlu join aboard and she is advising her own time not only about turkey but about the issue of integration of Turkish citizens in Europe the in February 2010 we organized the first conference in Istanbul about /---/ many /---/ came including many historical professors came and discussed and in the same year he held a very important class during the İstanbul film festival the film was shown and discussed. But we also wanted the world to know what the turkish /consulst/ did during the war. İt was the Aladdin Project that made the the movie passport become so known, it was recognized during the festival with a very important historical debate what helped 800-1000 Turkish French Jews escape the  holocaust and be brought by trains from Paris to İstanbul and that was the first time I met the/ ambassador fezgur/ and I am very happy that since there is a /lay staid/ that we have been working together now ever since and i really  do hope that the Project that we have been working on will be in the very near future officially holocaust sealed the religious dialogues /----/ and the history of Muslims, Jewish, Turks in your country will be implemented all together. Now I want to also say that this Turkish Aladdin relation went further become as you know not very long time ago that a film was being showed on the Turkish TV.


And that was very important because as far as i know that it was shown to over 5 million Turks. It was a long film a 9 hour film. I’m not absolutely sure that the 5 million looked at the 9 hours. But I’m sure they did look at some and what I heard about what was the reaction in the blogs on the Internet I know that except for a very small islamic negative relation the reaction of the public here was very positive. Now at the end I want to say that we had in Frankfurt last your an important conference during the Frankfurt book-fair where the aladin Project presented to the public 18 books which had been translated fort he first time into Farsi and into Arabic and at that time it was the Turkish president  who came with us and participated very actively towards this debate. Now all this is to say that our /---/ here is not a conclusion at this thread that led us from 2009 to today. Now how did we achieve all this? And I want to be very frank we did it in spite of the /---/ to gaza and its dramatic consequences for the Turkish victims. In spite of the political tensions between France and Turkey due to the french decision to declare illegal the denial of the Armenian genocide in French jurisdiction. But thanks to our friends in Turkey and thanks to one thing I think everybody understood that we were working on something essential and that the transmission of knowledge. The transmission of knowledge fights against ignorance and not to think of some political incidents however dramatic they are whatever tensions they are but that with a civil society and with professors and students we can over this and get to the core of what is important.

and this is why I want to thank you because of you and other friends. Inspite of all this we did succeed to have shown on th tv in Turkey and we did succed in organizing events. We wouldn't be able to organize otherwise. The threat is what, As I said before threat is education and knowledge and this is why I must say that I2m very happy thatthis takes place in your University. To teach, To share, to doubt, to question everything is fine but first. One must hs to learn. One has to learn, afterwards you have learned you can give youropinion, you can fight, you can discuss, you can argue but you can not argue, If you have not first learned. And this is why President Yucel knows very important values in his University. Now why am I stressing the importance of education and university that is as we know as old students particularly know that in the /---/ today of information invading our minds not to get round misguided, brainwashed, I don't see a better place than this university, which gives you a time of framework only one condition and I really insist on that on conditions that this university remains a space a space for excellency, freedom, confrontation of knowledge and with no place for religous, political and nationalistic dogmas. It is a place where sciencist  wtahever countries, religion, culturely come from  are able to shre their kwnoledge experience to the benefit of all a place where one can say as one of friend of mine told me a few days ago in Paris, She wanted to explain what is the essence of Judaism and I could say it s the essence of France also. When some other says something. You always somebodyother says on the other hand. What does that mean? That's you are able to say there is another opinion. On the other hand means what than no /----culty/ than /no---culty/. This race is the opener of the gates of the minds of the ideas that I2m sure thşs şs to doubt , self thinkingresponsibility which prevents all of us from fascism and it leads us to cherish dmocracy and freedom and this is why to give a floor in a few momens of historians and experts on the rise of Nazism Germany and Austria and thehistory of Jewish scholars and academicians who took refuge in Turkey. In the role of modernization in the universities but this is not my subject to talk about. This is why I wan to say subject was in toal cohesion with the /---/ priorities but let me in a few words to make clear ton the third point of the knowledge is not sufficient. Knowledge has to be stared, it has no borders but if it is not accompanied by moral and human values by principle of respect and generousity in individual collective behviours knowledge can not only /----/ it can be lead to catastrophies . To learn about history is great but one has to learn from history. Some people dont sometimes of the duty of rememberence. There is no duty of rememberence, there is duty to know, there is duty to learn but afterwards ther is duty to think and this is also what is wished  for  teachers us all. Whatever culture country or religion is ours but to apply this principle to learn about and to think afterwards. I2m sure of the topic today may lead you to offer questions how to fight new forms of fascism totalitarianism whetehr is political or eligious. Hıw we are going to prevent fascism for growing and invadin our societies. How to protect our democrat existencehow to built solidarities in this global world.
Yesterday Hitler decided to the final solution for the Jewsih people how can Israel defend it self for the country which openly caused permenent disfortune. And thinking of the heaven given by the Turks yesterday to some prosecuted Jews how do we tackle with th issue of the immigrants who by thousands today legitimately free, violence /----/ , misery, persecutio and /new---/  dignity and freedom but are treated shamefully bythe countries but they are looking for refugee.Especially when they are belonged to a different culture in Europe. Europe and in else where how do we degrade minorities how do we fight to racism Islamophoia, Xenophobia, anti semitism. Islamic anti semitism in Europe. İn France in Turkey. Yes we have consdered important to remind people of the cenral shared history of moslim and Jews in different parts of the worl including turky. So as to make everyone underatnd that the present antagonisms are not surmountable. Yes we had long moments in this long relationship but there is /------/ under the roof that the Jews very better than Europe. Today we cannot ignore the problem that exists on both sidees. In 2008 high survey on the European attitude formoslim found that %76 percent of Turks surveyed had  negative opinions of Jews and the increase for 49 pecent in 2004 in addition a sttudy on radicalism by professor here founded 6 percent of Tuks in 3 different cities say that they do not want any Jewish neighours as for the outside Turkey. Where they view thi country has no services clear. Misperceptions and misgivings about the state of affairs in turkey and its orientation. So in fact the situation the question for men and women of good will the Moslim Jews Chrisitian of the phase should be done

And here I really find surely insprigng the puublic wareness and care which was undertakenhere y the public intellectual. And I want to say that maby have worked to remove misconceptions and steretype /----/ but this is a question to be studied in theuniversiies. Our /--/ in turkish /---ism/  in this country issues teaching about what is anti semtisim how it does rise what is the jewish question of any during studies. This is a question up to you. Now in a few moments The experts will probaby withn short time give the answwers to the history and the futur of how you see this. Answer me I wn to include to salute the /-----/  He is a /----/  and Sami Herman the president of Jewish community. For reaching out that fellow Turks and working with them to prepare the future for the children of all Turks regardless of their faith, ethnicity socail and politic background and I ask you loan in the long run /---/ solution even though we are calling the aladdin Project a very little lamp which gives a miracle from the cavwe gave the light. Now I want to say at this I take this here It was/yamosuah/ commmemoration celebration and  it was a very sad moment and we really felt tht we have to understand what words will be about when we wre called to Istanbul . The tragedy as the so many countries in the world at the same time the memeroy of six million Jews who were murdered watercold I want to add the six million Jewish and one and a half millon children reminded which makes sth rigid. Absolutely /----/ in the human history. This is why the small sentences that I am going to say now in whch came from the one very remembered poet “All that need is peace, you fight today so that the children of this world can live a on dogmas and laugh and play. “

Thank You.