By COLlive reporter
The President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan, known for his open hostility towards the State of Israel, hosted a public meeting with rabbis and Jewish officials on Wednesday.
Held in Ankara, Erdogan met with a delegation of the Turkish Jewish community headed by Chief Rabbi Ishak Haleva and Ashkenazic Rabbi Mendy Chitrik.
They were joined by members of the Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States, as well as Russia’s Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar.
According to a report, Erdogan said that “relations between Turkey and Israel will always be strong – and will continue to grow. Normalizing relations with Israel is important. It will happen soon.”
Official photos show participants clapping and presenting Erdogan with a silver Menorah as a gift.
The Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States, headed by Rabbi Chitrik, is an apolitical and non-governmental organization dedicated to supporting Jewish life in predominantly Muslim countries.
At present, the membership of ARIS is comprised of rabbis in Albania, Azerbaijan, Morocco, Turkey, Tunisia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, United Arab Emirates, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Nigeria and more, as well as rabbis serving in communities of other Muslim majority regions, such as North Cyprus, Tatarstan and Bashkortostan.
VIDEO:
Cumhurbaşkanı @RTErdogan, Türk Yahudi Toplumu ve İslam Ülkeleri Hahamlar İttifakı Üyeleri kabulünde bir konuşma gerçekleştirdi. pic.twitter.com/MgddXD710K
— T.C. Cumhurbaşkanlığı (@tcbestepe) December 22, 2021
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has accepted a delegation of the Turkish Jewish community, the Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States, Chief Rabbi Lazar of Russia, tonight at Ankara.@tcbestepe @tyahuditoplumu pic.twitter.com/0DyfT5xxj7
— Alliance Rabbis Islamic States (@RabbisAlliance) December 22, 2021
