“La Katastrofa Turka: El Dover de Nuestros Sephardim” (“Catastrophe in Turkey The Duty of out Sephardic Community”)

Dr. Joe Halio, President of the Sephardic Foundation on Aging and a Distinguished Member of the American Sephardi Federation’s Board of Directors, writes that “in response to the unfortunate earthquake disaster in Turkey, The Sephardic Foundation on Aging (Sephardic Home) and the Sephardic Jewish Brotherhood of America have again taken steps to provide earthquake relief aid to our friends in Turkey. The following is an article that appeared in La Vara in December 1939 when a similar disaster struck. Through the efforts of the newspaper La Vara, the Sephardic community in New York raised thousands of dollars in aid for Turkey, and we will again,” mashallah. 

What follows is the transliterated and translated article courtesy of to Dr. Halio, grandson of Albert J. Torres, publisher of La Vara.

No ay alma ke no se degoye y korason ke no se adoloriye a meldar la katastrofa ke viene de arivar a la Turkia, nuestra patria de nasimiento. Miles de matados, mas miles de feridos, los ke restaron bivos estan arastrando por las montanyas al aire y al frio espantandose a tornar a sus kazas. Las novedades dados por los korespondientes aze yorar a meldar los padres kavakando la foya para interar sus ijos y ijas aziendo el intero de sus genitores. Nunka a avido una semejante kalamidad en la tiera Turka. A siertas vezes meldavamos de semejantes tremoras de tiera, aktos dela natura, ke no se pueden kontrolar, ma eran limitados y akontesian a raros intervalos, ma la katastrofa aktuala es komo el fuego de Sidom y Gemora, arastando vedre y seko, deshando en desdecha miles de almas inosentes. El governo de los Osmanlis a sido para el puevlo Judio, dezde la Inkizision de Espanya el solo governo ke mos protejo. Mos ayudo, mos resivio en sus tieras sin demandar nada de nozotros. Sultan Beyazid y los reyes ke vinieron despues de el asta la Turkia Republikana de oy mostraron bienkerensia enverso nozotros, kuando eramos persekutidos en otras tieras eran los Turkos ke mos resivian, eran siempre eyos ke se burlavan a la sivilyasion ke maltratava el Judio ke les dio su Dio. Si a siertas vezes avia algunos reyes tolerantes en Evropa ke deshavan al Judio bivir en pas, otros venian y destruian todo. Israel estava siempre kon el baston del egzilo, biviendo siempre kon el espanto de loke un nuevo podestador puede ser. Pero, no fue ansi en Turkia. No importa kien era el nuevo Sultan el era tolerente, su relijion le ensenya la tolerensia, esta tolerensia oriental es la enbedia del mundo Kristiano. Los Sultanes Turkos no demandaron nada de nozotros. Eyos dezeavan protejarmos y ansi por los 450 anyos ke los Judios bivimos en Turkia restemos en pas y lavorando en pas. Agora viene la ora para nozotros Judios de todas las kolores de venir al ayudo de nuestros ermanos Mohamedanos. Agora es la ora para todos nozotros de mostrar nuestra gratitud a este puevlo ke todo el tiempo no supo ke avlar bien por nozotros. Judios del todo el Balkan empesando dela Romania asta la Grecha deven una devda de gratitud a los Osmanlis. Es nuestro sakro santo dover de avrir nuestras manos y ayudarlos. Nuestras sosietas, todas nuestras sosietas deven agora aunarsen, en esta trajedia y venir en ayuda de estos desfortunados. La Croche Corelada Americana dio 10 mil dolares, los governos de Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria y Grecha dieron sus ayudo. El governo Grego mando una estafa de medikos y nursas para akudir a estas viktimas y es nuestro dover de azer lo mizmo. El proverbio de Ben Sira es bien dicho agora. “Manda su pan sovre las fases dela agua ke a la fin delos dias lo toparas.” Mostremos a nuestros ermanos ke la tolerensia mostrada por eyos puede ser pagado agora. Mostredmos a todo el mundo ke el Judio paga bien kon bien.  Egziste en nuestra sivdad mas de una sosieta ke sus miembros son nasidos de Turkia, sosiedades de Chanakale, Edirne, Angora, Izmirma, y mizmo las sosiedades ke aktualmente son de Grecha deven ajuntarsen y desidir en ayudo imidiato para las viktimas de Turkia. Es en estas oras ke devemos akodrarmos, y si en estas oras mos akeyamos…… Diosave si no metemos en perikolo la vida de nuestros ermanos ke ayinda biven en Turkia. En estas oras trajikas para nuestros konermanos mostremos generozamente y devoamiento. Vengamos a sus yudo komo lo izimos en el fuego de Izmirna. Demos loke puedemos al governo Turko en senyo de rekompensa por toda la buendad y tolerensia ke mos an mostrado asta oy. Estamos seguros ke las sosiedades tomaran la inisiativa y kooperar en kualonke manera posivle por el sukseso de esta enterpriza de Hesed.

There’s no heart that isn’t broken and no soul that isn’t stricken upon reading about the catastrophe bearing down on Turkey, our ancestral home. Thousands dead, thousands more wounded, those who survive dragging themselves away into the mountains exposed to the environment, the cold, and afraid to return to their homes. The news sent by our correspondents, stories  of parents digging graves to bury their children and children burying their parents, makes you cry.   Never has there been such a calamity in Turkey. At times we have read about tremors, uncontrollable acts of nature, but it has been rare. But this catastrophe is like the fire of Sodom and Gemora, dragging down everyone, leaving thousands of souls destitute.   Since the Inquisition in Spain, the Ottoman government has been for the Jewish people, the only government that has protected us. They received us into their lands, supported us, and demanded nothing of us. Sultan Beyazid and the rulers that came afterward including the Turkish Republic of our times always shared benevolence with us. When we were persecuted in other lands it was the Turks who received us, and who mocked the civilizations that mistreated the Jews who gave them their God.   Yes there were times when rulers in Europe let the Jews live in peace, but others came and destroyed everything. Israel, always limping with the cane of exile, always living in fear of what a new ruler might do. But not in Turkey. It didn’t matter who the next Sultan was because he was always tolerant, his religion having taught tolerance. That tolerance, the envy of the Christian world.   The Turkish Sultans never asked anything of us. All they wanted was to protect us and for 450 years we Jews still live and work in Turkey in peace. Now is the time for Jews of all colors to come to the aid of our Mohammedan brothers. Now is the time for all of us to show our gratitude to this nation that has done none other than speak well of us.    Jews of all the Balkans, from Romania to Greece owe a debt of gratitude to the Ottomans. It is our sacrosanct duty to open our hands and help them. Our societies, all of our societies should now unite in this time of tragedy and come to the aid of the unfortunate.   The American Red Cross gave ten thousand dollars. The governments of Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria and Greece have given aid. The government of Greece has sent a staff of doctors and nurses to rescue victims and it is our duty to do the same.   The proverb of Ben Sira is well said now: Cast your bread over the waters and at the end of days you will find it.   Let’s show our brothers that the tolerance they have shown us can be repaid now. We’ll show the world that the Jew repays goodness with goodness. In our city there are several societies whose members were born in Turkey. Societies of Chanakale, Edirne, Ankara, Izmir, and the societies of Greeks actually should unite and offer immediate aid to the victims of Turkey. In these times we must remember, and in these times we remain quiet…God knows the danger that lies ahead for our brothers living in Turkey.   In this tragic hour for our brothers lets show our generosity and our devotion. Let’s come to their aid as we did for the fire in Izmir. Let’s give what we can to the government of Turkey to try to repay all the goodness and tolerance they have shown us up to today. We are sure that our societies will take the initiative and cooperate in every way possible to assure the success of this deed of Hesed.    Hesed (Hebrew) Lovingkindness, benevolence.

The American Sephardi Federation joins the Ladinokomunita in supporting The Sephardic Jewish Brotherhood of America’s commendable Turkey Earthquake relief efforts and encourages everyone to contribute!

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