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The Turkish-Jewish Community and the Synagogue in Vienna

By Naim “Avigdor” Güleryüz* – Researcher
On November 16, 1885 in Vienna, during the ceremony for the establishment of a new synagogue in the Zirkusgasse Second District, No.22, the president of the Sefarad, Vienna Jew Marcos Russo spoke to the invitees as follows: “When his majesty Franz-Josef is the emperor of Austria and his majesty Sultan Abdulhamid II is the emperor of the Ottoman Empire, when Sadullah Pasha is the ambassador of Ottoman Empire in Vienna and Marcos Russo is the president of the Turkish-Jewish community…the construction of this building is started in order to meet the religious need of the Jews of Sefarad…”

October 6, 2009
Published in Interesting Facts

Hagia Sophia at the American Airlines Terminal

New York - In the year 532 AD, the Roman Emperor of the East, Justinian I, ordered the leading architect of the day to build a monument that would outshine all other religious buildings. The end result, which took five years to complete, was the Hagia Sophia, and it didn’t disappoint the emperor.

June 15, 2008
Published in Interesting Facts

Morris Schinasi and the Manisa Children's Hospital

Naim Güleryüz / Researcher-Writer - Mrs. Laurette Schinasi came to Turkey in 1930 to meet with Department of Health officials in order to present a petition to found a children’s hospital in Manisa in line with the last will and testament of her husband, Morris Schinasi; he had died three years previously in the USA. Construction began immediately, following approval by the Department, and the then International Moris Şinasi Hospital was commissioned in 1933; it still serves the public today, as the Moris Şinasi Children’s Hospital.

July 13, 2008
Published in Interesting Facts

Seven Geographical Regions, One Last Name: Turk

How many people with the last name of Turk do you think live around the world? Or in how many different geographical regions can people named Turk, or one of its derivations, be found?