US rabbi visits Istanbul to show solidarity with Turkish people following deadly quakes

By Handan Kazanci

ISTANBUL (AA) - A prominent leader of the Jewish community in the US is in Istanbul to show solidarity with the Turkish people following the devastating Feb. 6 earthquakes which killed thousands in southern Türkiye.

“We came here as a solidarity mission with the Turkish people following the devastation and destruction that has taken place because of the earthquakes,” Rabbi Marc Schneier, head of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding – a New York-based organization devoted to improving Muslim-Jewish and Black-Jewish relations – told Anadolu as he arrived in the Turkish metropolis on Wednesday.

“This is a time ... when religion, which means to bind, to bring it together, we must bring all forces of religions together in support of the Turkish people,” he added.

He noted that in the US, not only the American Jewish community “but the greater religious community is very much in solidarity” with Türkiye and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in terms of offering assistance.

Describing his work as “interfaith diplomacy,” the 64-year-old rabbi said the first thing he and Türkiye’s ambassador to the US, Hasan Murat Mercan, did was attend an “emergency meeting of different religious leaders whose faiths have very large relief, rescue operations and organizations.”

Schneier is expected to stay in the city for a couple of more days and is scheduled to meet in Istanbul with some of the families that were saved by Jewish rescue teams following the deadly quakes.

- ‘Success of rapprochement’

Israel’s rescue team was one of the first to land in Türkiye for search, rescue and relief operations and helped pull out alive several people from the rubble.

“I'm particularly proud of the state of Israel,” he said. “I believe (this) is another demonstration of the success of the rapprochement … that I was involved in last March here between President Erdogan and Israeli President Isaac Herzog.”

Schneier is a former schoolmate of Herzog. Herzog's visit in the Turkish capital Ankara last March, followed by reciprocal visits by both foreign ministers, contributed to easing relations after more than a decade of tensions.

President Herzog was one of the first political leaders to offer his condolences over the loss of lives following the massive earthquakes, and later the Turkish president received Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen in the capital Ankara.

Asked about the background of the meeting last March, Schneier said: “I have to credit my partner, Murat Mercan, the (Turkish) ambassador in Washington … One day, maybe the ambassador and I will choose to write a book on the subject.”

“But you had two willing partners, both President Herzog and President Erdogan,” he added.

“What is so exciting is that if you carefully monitor what has happened since last March – it's approximately the one-year anniversary that I was here in Ankara with President Herzog – look at just these extraordinary, remarkable developments. It's something genuine, it's something authentic, and it's only going to grow stronger and stronger and stronger.

“I also believe it's a wonderful development for the Palestinian people,” he added. “I believe Türkiye, President Erdogan played a very important role here in terms of bringing both Israel and the Palestinians to the table, in terms of also trying to create a better environment for any kind of reconciliation and resolution between the Palestinians and the Israelis.”

On whether he was planning to meet Turkish officials, he said: “I always expect to meet Turkish officials. I feel very blessed whether it's the president (Erdogan), the foreign minister (Mevlut Cavusoglu), your national security adviser, whether it's the ambassador in Washington (Murat Mercan), they're very close, intimate relationships that I enjoyed with all the above.”

According to Schneier, it is “a critical situation” for Jews, Christians and Muslims, “not only must we recognize our common faith, but our common fates, meaning earthquakes, natural disasters do not distinguish among Jews or Christians or Muslims.”

- Turkish-US ties, Erdogan's ‘very important role’ in Middle East

Asked if the Turkish-Israeli rapprochement would affect Turkish-US ties positively, Schneier said: “No question --100%.”

“I know whether it's within the American Jewish community, among members of Congress, members of the administration, they very much applaud these efforts that have been made by Türkiye,” he said, but added that “there are some hurdles that Türkiye needs to overcome.”

“But I think that Türkiye today has the support of the American Jewish community, and having the support of the American Jewish community is very important, particularly when it comes to Washington, D.C.,” he said. “So I think it's only been a positive development.”

Schneier said he believes Türkiye and in particular “Erdogan can play a very important role in terms of once and for all solving this conflict in the Middle East between the Israelis and Palestinians.”

“There is an ongoing cycle of violence that has to come to an end,” he said. “And very often you need someone from the outside. I predict that could be the great contribution of Türkiye, both to the Palestinian community, to the Israeli community.”