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Thumb Bread is sold in seven different States about 100 locations, such Shoprite, 7 Elevens, and Fairway.

Heart-warming & Inspirational Story of Esendemir Sisters

Füsun, Gonca and Arzu Esendemir sisters started the Flatbread Grill® concept back in 2007 when their father was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. They grew up in poverty, so the family never had health insurance. The father immigrated to American in 1975 in pursuit of a better education and to follow his own dream of entrepreneurship. The restaurant concept was started after Füsun was laid off from her corporate job so they could take care of her parents. Arzu had just graduated college and was trying to decide between a career on Wall Street or law school. The sisters developed the restaurant concept completely on their own: branding, operations, menu, etc. They created a special bread called Thumb Bread®, which played a significant role in the concept's success. The New York Times wrote about their restaurant and their bread two months after they had their grand opening. Fast forward to the present, after opening multiple stores, hand making millions of pieces of bread, and being in the restaurant business for over a decade plus years, they now sell the bread as a CPG product.

December 28, 2022
Published in Professionals
Written by Admin TOA

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Romy Kay and Fouad Kashouty got married in 2017. (Photo by By Koray Kasap)

Passion, Brotherhood, Love and Cigar

Fouad Kashouty has been a member of Masonic Lodge for 27 years. He is a Freemasons and founders of Hiram & Solomon Cigars. Everything started in 2014, when he decided to roll 1000 cigars to raise some money for a scholarship for the Masonic Lodge that he belongs to. That was an immediate success among Masonic Brethren that grew amazingly fast and caught the attention of non-Freemason smokers. Now he is selling about 1 million sticks across the world. This was the passion... It took them about four or five years to get the rights of the Square and Compass (masonic symbols) for a cigar, he created a premium cigar. After a few years spent going back and forth with the lab and convincing the more conservative members that it is OK to do this and working with all the masonic charities. That’s how Hiram & Solomon Cigars have expanded. They grew faster than other companies because of the help and support of his masonic brothers in the market. That was the brotherhood...

December 28, 2022
Published in Professionals
Written by Admin TOA

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First Syriac Immigrants in the United States

(Dr Abraham K. Yoosuf, and other Syriacs from Mardin, Kharput and Diyarbakır in Worcester, Massachusetts. 1922, July 4. American Independence Day.)

George Anton Kiraz has published extensively in the fields of computational linguistics, Syriac studies, and the digital humanities. He wrote several books, journals, research papers and articles about Syriacs. He is the founder and director of Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute, the Editor-in-Chief of Gorgias Press, and a Senior Research Associate at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton. He earned an M.St. degree in Syriac Studies from the University of Oxford (1991) and an M.Phil. and a Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge (1992, 1996). His latest books include The Syriac Orthodox in North America (1895–1995): A Short History (2019) and Syriac-English New Testament (2020).

December 27, 2022
Published in Associations
Written by Admin TOA

Gabriel Akyön, Syriac community leader at St Gabriel Syriac Orthodox Church in Haworth, NJ.

Elder Brother of the Syriac Society: Gabriel Akyön

The Mor Gabriel community is extremely tight-knit, and most socialization happens within the community. In addition to weekly church services, there are also many social events throughout the year. The families within the community are not only friends, but most are also related to each other. Even the children, who attend public and private schools in English, do not (usually) become as good of with those who are outside of the community, as those friends would be seen as temporary, while friends from the community are seen as lifelong friends. The young people usually marry within the larger Syriac community. * The Syriac community in the U.S. is small and where everyone knows each other in some way. The majority of them are from the Midyat district of Mardin. (Gebrail) Cebrail Akyön is one of the most loved and respected names of the Syriac community. He is one of well-known names who representing the Syriac community at the official receptions of the Consulate General of the Republic of Turkey in New York.

December 27, 2022
Published in Associations
Written by Admin TOA

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Rev. Father Hadodo was born in 1950 in Midyat. He attended primary and secondary school in Midyat, graduated from high school in 1965. (Photo BY KORAY KASAP) RESIMALTI 2: While there were about 20 Syriac families in Hackensack in the early 1990s, the congregation relocated to a new church in Haworth, NJ, in 2014. Photo by Koray Kasap

Rev. Father Aziz Who Teaches the Tongue Jesus Spoke

Rev. Father Aziz Hadodo has served as pastor of St. Gabriel Syrian Orthodox Church in New Jersey since 1994. One of the rare names to have a chance to know his family roots back 400 years. Due to a disagreement between cousins, a group flees from Diyarbakır, the largest Kurdish-majority city in Turkey to Midyat, a town in the Mardin province of Türkiye. Others follow them. They reconcile with the intervention of the clergy. As a result of this event, the family migrated from Diyarbakır to Midyat in 400 years ago. A Syriac patriarch from the family drew up a family tree for the first time 200 years ago. Another relative, who was a member of parliament in Syria, worked on the family tree about 60 years ago and brought it up to date.

December 27, 2022
Published in Professionals
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Aziz Gürbüz after living in Germany and Belgium, he moved to New Jersey in 2014. (Photo by KORAY KASAP) RESIMALTI 2: “I was successful in the restaurant business in Europe, and I wanted to continue it here as well,’ Gürbüz says. (Photo by KORAY KASAP)

Experiencing Europe and America through Restaurant Business

Most of the Syriac community who left Mardin for several reasons came to Europe and some to the United States. Aziz Gürbüz is one of the names who have both European and American experience.
Originally from Altıntaş village of Midyat district of Mardin province. He still has not broken his ties with his village. Last summer, he sent his wife and son Gabriel to Mor Gabriel Church in Midyat for summer camp, so that he could get to know the Syriac culture and understand the religious values.

December 27, 2022
Published in Restaurants
Written by Admin TOA

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Former Intel Vice President Ildeniz to Turkish Entrepreneurs : Try to solve globally scalable problems and focus on the problems of 8 billion people!

Turk of America Journalist Ali Cinar interviewed a prominent pioneer of technology Aysegul Ildeniz regarding the latest developments in the U.S Technology industry

Ayşegül Ildeniz, who worked as a Vice President at Intel, said that the chip issue is an essential strategic matter between the US and China. Ildeniz mentioned that due to a global shortage of semiconductors in 2021 caused by the pandemic, the U.S. economy suffered a loss of $240 million. Ildeniz stated that some Americans could not have cars and computers due to this shortage. She also said that another critical issue in the future would be China threatening Taiwan with its expansionist rhetoric.

In a Bloomberg HT interview, Ayşegül Ildeniz emphasized that "approximately two-thirds of the global semiconductor production is located in South Korea and Taiwan. The U.S. successfully designed chips, but U.S. could not lead the manufacturing position in this industry" Ildeniz added, "Ultimately, the U.S. Congress had to approve a crucial billion-dollar economic package to solve the problem of a lack of semiconductors and the supply chain issues." She emphasized that China invested roughly $600 billion into subtitles, education, R&D, and science.

Ildeniz said there were periodic layoffs in the tech sector and recalled the layoffs in 2001, 2008, and the early 2010s. Ayşegül Ildeniz stated that the number of people employed in the tech sector was 4.7 million before the COVID-19 pandemic, and this number has grown to 5.2 million today. She said that Amazon hired half a million people last year. She indicated that tech firms strive to engage the brightest minds and become competitive. She also said that with the danger of a recession looming in the near future, the firms put great importance on balancing. She reminded us that when there were layoffs, people who lost their jobs went into the business of start-ups to create a brand-new future for themselves. "Cutting-edge technologies have emerged in the previous fluctuations," Ildeniz said.

Ayşegül Ildeniz listed her suggestions to Turkish and Turkish American entrepreneurs: Try to solve globally scalable problems; focus on the problems of 8 billion people and on products and services that everyone can use; and prioritize macro-issues like health, the climate crisis, and energy. She also emphasized that AI and robotics studies are important, and it would be valuable to prioritize services and products related to these fields.
ociation.

About Aysegul Ildeniz: She is a pioneer in innovation, technology transformation and future vision in Silicon Valley and Istanbul, Turkey. She serves on the boards of Eczacibasi Holding and Zorlu Holding companies: Vestel Electronics, Vestel White Goods and Zorlu Enerji. She served as the Chief Operating Officer for Silver Spring Networks, a publicly owned worldwide leading technology company focused on internet of things and smart energy. Ayse had a successful career at Intel Corporation; last job being the Vice President for New Devices Group she is the chair of TUSIAD Silicon Valley Network and serves on the boards of Turkish Philanthropy Funds and American Turkish Society.

December 12, 2022
Published in Science
Written by Ali Cinar

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Biden Administration Provides 275 Million Dollars of Additional Aid to Ukraine

The United States has decided to provide an additional $275 million in military aid to Ukraine to support its efforts in repulsing Russian attacks. In a statement from the White House, it was stated that President Biden approved the aid decision.

The statement also noted that the aim of the new military aid is to strengthen Ukraine's air defense systems in particular.

The $275 million of military aid provided by the US administration includes High-Motion Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launchers, 80,000 155-millimeter artillery shells, armored military Humvees, and 150 electric generators.

John Kirby, Strategic Communications Coordinator for the US National Security Council, also told White House reporters that this is the 27th aid package sent to Ukraine based on the approval of the president but without the approval of Congress due to the nature of the emergency.

However, no details were shared about the counter-air defense capability or the counter-unmanned aerial systems equipment, two systems that seem to be new to Ukraine.

A senior Pentagon official said last month that the increase in Russian missile attacks on Ukraine had been partly designed to deplete Kyiv's air defense resources and establish dominance over the country's skies.

To counter these attacks, the US has sent sophisticated anti-aircraft National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) to Ukraine. These systems have been in operation for several weeks.

Washington had previously announced that it had sent four Avenger short-range air defense systems and HAWK missiles that use Raytheon-made Stinger missiles.

Since February 24, when Russia's attacks on Ukraine began, the US administration has provided around $19 billion and 300 million in security assistance to Ukraine.

December 11, 2022
Published in Politics
Written by Ali Cinar

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White House Press Secretary: U.S. is in touch with Turkey over tanker delays

White House Press Secretary: U.S. is in touch with Turkey over tanker delays

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told at the press briefing that the White House believes the issue can be resolved. ”We’ve been in touch with Turkey about how the price cap only applies to Russian oil and explained that the cap doesn’t necessitate additional checks on ships passing through Turkish waters. Our understanding is that virtually all of the delayed tankers are not carrying oil from Russia and are not affected by the cap. So, Turkey has made clear they share our interest in a well-supplied market in allowing seaborne oil to transit the — transit the Turkish Straits. They have made clear their goal is to resolve this issue as quickly as possible. And so, again, we’ve been — we’ve been in touch with Turkey, and this is how we — how we’re moving forward. “ Press Secretary Jean-Pierre said.

Almost 20 loaded crude tankers are waiting to cross through Turkiye’s Bosphorus Strait and were carrying Kazakh-origin oil, which is not under a Russian oil price cap policy initiated by the EU. Tanker congestion is estimated to hold over 20 million barrels of oil, equaling 1.2 billion dollars.

U.S. Treasury Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo has spoken with Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal to discuss the implementation of the price cap and stress that it did not necessitate additional checks on ships passing through Turkish territorial waters.

European price cap on Russian oil that came into effect last Monday. The cap is supposed to limit Russian’s revenues without adding to stress on the world economy by reducing supply.

Turkiye asks that vessels prove they have insurance that will pay out in light of the new sanctions before allowing them to pass through the Bosphorus strait linking the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.

Ongoing communication continues between U.S. and Turkish officials.

December 11, 2022
Published in Politics
Written by Ali Cinar

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Good News from NYC Mayor Adams: New cruise ship deal will bring 100 Million dollars.

A primary European cruise line's expansion plans will bring an annual $102 million new revenue to New York City. This expansion will also bring additional — 200,000 tourists per year.

Italian global cruise line, MSC Cruises, based in Geneva, will operate out of the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal year-round in early 2023 with voyages to New England, Florida, the Bahamas, Bermuda, and Canada.

"We are New York City because of our waterways. This is what made our city, it allowed foreign travel, it allowed our ports of entry, it allows us to continue to expand our harbor, and we often forget that our harbor, our ports. That is what brought trade here. It brought international travelers and different ideas, and it grew our economy. The uniqueness of New York City really lies in our waterways and our harbors that bring people in and out. But the great news is that starting April 2023, MSC Cruises will expand to New York City with year-round cruises from the Brooklyn Terminal. We are really excited about that." NYC Mayor said.

MSC Cruises will hire a minimum of 150 people to work out of the cruise terminal with salaries of $20 an hour. Overall, NYC Mayor said that the company's presence would create "up to 10,000 full-time jobs in the city.

MSC Cruises announced a donation of $236,000 to the Parks Department's GreenThumb program and the city's Junior Ambassador initiative.

"The cruise industry is a crucial part of New York City's economy, supporting thousands of jobs across the city in the maritime, tourism, and entertainment sectors," said Andrew Kimball, president of the city's Economic Development Corporation.."

December 11, 2022

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Taiwan Will Be the Main Agenda at the Biden–Xi Meeting

U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to meet at 5:30 am EST. President Biden said this was his first face-to-face meeting with his Chinese counterpart since he took office at the White House. He said, 'I know him well; he knows me. We need to define our red lines and the most important things to us.'

Before going to Indonesia, President Biden said he would talk with Xi about the Taiwan crisis, unfair trade competition, and China's relations with other countries, especially Russia. White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan announced that global and regional issues would be discussed at the meeting. He added that the intention is to be open and to work together in areas where common interests overlap.

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan also stated that President Biden sees the U.S. and China in serious competition but that this rivalry should not turn into a conflict and should be managed responsibly.

While President Biden is expected to bring China's human rights violations to the agenda at the meeting, it is also expected that the U.S. will warn against the violation of Russian sanctions by China.

After the Taiwan crisis and the Biden administration's move to block the export of advanced computer chips to China, the world is eagerly awaiting the results of this meeting of the two leaders. U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo stated, 'We will do whatever it takes to protect the Americans from the Chinese threat.' In a statement at his party's congress last month, Xi promised that China would act more aggressively to become self-sufficient in semiconductor production and other technologies.

G20 Summit Begins Tomorrow

Indonesia will host the G20 summit on November 15 and 16 in Bali. Different sessions will be held on the themes of global health architecture, digital-based economic transformation, and sustainable energy change. While President Biden is expected to have a bilateral meeting with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, it needs to be clarified whether a Biden–Erdogan meeting will take place.''

November 13, 2022
Published in Politics1
Written by Ali Cinar

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Democrats Retain Control of the Senate

In the U.S. midterm-election, the Democrats retained a majority in the Senate. The winner of the Nevada election was Democrat Senator Catherine Cortez Masto. This brought the Democrats to 50 seats in the Senate. This figure is enough for Democrats to maintain control in the Senate. In a head-to-head race to vote, Cortez Masto eventually outmaneuvered his Republican rival, Adam Laxalt, and was re-elected to the Senate. With this development, Democrats no longer have to wait for the results of the Senate runoff on December 6 in Georgia.

President Joe Biden expressed his satisfaction with the development and noted that it is time for Republicans to consider who they are. President Biden said he was not surprised at the turnout and was very pleased. The US President also stated that he believes the result is indicative of the quality of the Democratic candidates.

Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the results showed the American people rejected the Republican Party's rhetoric of violence.

Schumer also noted that the results showed the country's faith in democracy. In the 100-member Senate, Vice President Kamala Harris is the deciding factor in 50-50 votes for bills.

Republicans can also seize control of the lower house of Congress, the House of Representatives.

President Biden: "It was an evening when the Democrats came out strong. For months, we have heard from the press and the opposition that the Democrats will emerge disappointed in the election. They were talking about the giant red wave. That didn't happen," he said. "It was a good day for Democracy and a good day for America," added Biden.

Trump to announce his presidential candidacy for the 2024 election

Meanwhile, while the counting continues for the Senate and the House of Representatives, it has been reported that former US President Donald Trump will soon announce his candidacy for the 2024 elections.

Trump's longtime adviser, Jason Miller, said on Friday that Donald Trump will announce next week that he will try his luck once again for the presidency in 2024.

November 14, 2022
Published in Politics1
Written by Ali Cinar

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The Turks Who Won and Lost in the US Midterm Elections

Along with the US Congressional midterm elections, elections were held within the administrations in the states. Although it was talked about that the Republican senatorial candidate Mehmet Öz from Pennsylvania lost the election, many Turks entered the elections in the local governments.

Seven Turks entered the by-elections, and only two Turks won the elections.

Ali Paksoy from the Republican Party was elected as a district judge in North Carolina, while Onur Arugaslan was elected to the Board of Trustees of the Mattawan Education Council in Michigan.

Veysel Dokur, the Florida state senatorial candidate from the Democratic Party; Erim Sarinoğlu, the candidate for judge in the state of Tennessee; Ajlan Kurdoğlu, the Arizona state parliamentary candidate from the Democratic Party; and Tayfun Selen, the Republican Party's parliamentary candidate from New Jersey, all lost the election.

Lauren Arıkan, married to Turkish Yusuf Arıkan of Maryland, was reelected as Maryland state deputy. The number of Turkish friendship group members in the US Congress is eighty-eight.

The following are the Turks who previously served in US local governments by election or appointment:

John Alpay, Budget and Finance Committee, California

Kemal Bozkurt, education, Massachusetts

Esin Busche, accommodation, Illinois

Hacıbey Çatalbaşoğlu, education, Connecticut

Jay 'Ceyhun' Karahan, judge, Texas

Ali Paksoy, judge, North Carolina

Aysha Sawa, registrar, Milwaukee

Tayfun Selen, mayor, New Jersey

Malik Tunador, city councilman, Pennsylvania

Dr. Erdem Ural, education, Massachusetts

Sel Yackley, education, Illinois

Mehmet 'Matt' Yar, education, New Jersey

Hüseyin Bayram, deputy mayor, New Jersey

Derya Taşkın, deputy mayor, New Jersey

Halil Süleyman Özerden, judge, Mississippi

Some members of Congress have Turkish ties.

Tennessee Congressman Steve Cohen's grandfather was Turkish-born. North Carolina's Congressman Virginia Foxx's son-in-law is Turkish, and her two grandchildren are Turkish American.

November 14, 2022

Secretary Blinken: Russia 'Weaponizing Food' by Suspending Grain Exports

U.S. Secretary of State Blinken, saying that the U.S. regrets Russia's withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative agreement, calls on Moscow to continue the deal. Here is the full statement from State Department:

"The United States regrets Russia’s suspension of its participation in the operations of the U.N.-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative. We urge all parties to keep this essential, life-saving Initiative functioning.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative has already moved more than 9 million metric tons of food and brought prices down around the world, which has been critically important for low- and middle-income countries. It has been a success and must continue.

Any act by Russia to disrupt these critical grain exports is essentially a statement that people and families around the world should pay more for food or go hungry.

In suspending this arrangement, Russia is again weaponizing food in the war it started, directly impacting low- and middle-income countries and global food prices, and exacerbating already dire humanitarian crises and food insecurity.

We urge the Government of Russia to resume its participation in the Initiative, fully comply with the arrangement, and work to ensure that people around the world continue to be able to receive the benefits facilitated by the Initiative."

What would happen next?

After Russia's decision, the United Nations Security Council is expected to meet this week. In addition, Turkey, which plays a vital role in the grain agreement with Russia, is scheduled to meet with Turkish and American officials this week.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative, carried out under the coordination of Turkey for the solution to the global food crisis, was signed on July 22, in Istanbul, between Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, and the United Nations (U.N.) under the auspices of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

October 30, 2022
Published in Politics
Written by Ali Cinar

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