Bye Bye Jewelry Business Welcome Commercial Real Estate Business 

 

Ceylan family from Türkiye arrived in New Jersey on Sunday, July 4, 1993. The shop was closed on Monday. On Tuesday, he and his brother stopped by Dunkin Donuts for a coffee. They made their way to his brother's shop at the Woodbridge Jewelry Exchange, the region’s largest selection of jewelry, with more than 100,000 items in one location in Woodbridge, NJ. "I’ve been working ever since," says Yusuf (Joseph) Ceylan. The Ceylan family, originally from the village of Gülgöze in the Midyat district of Mardin, sought to go abroad when economic conditions in Türkiye became difficult after the Gulf War. Ceylan graduated from high school in İstanbul. His brother and uncle had come to the United States before them. They came to the U.S. with a green card. 

Selling Carpet Across the U.S.

 

Sellers in the carpet shops in the Grand Bazaar, İstanbul are known in the world for their unique sales techniques. The sales adventure ends with the customer who enters the shop saying "I will definitely not buy a carpet" and receives thousands of dollars’ worth of carpet to his home. Carpets sold in Istanbul Grand Bazaar are delivered directly to Germany, France, Belgium, the United States and all over the world. They swallowed the dust of the Grand Bazaar together at an early age, carried carpets, served tea to tourists, swept the floor, tried to learn English together, and got scolded by the boss. The story of the friendship and brotherhood of two apprentices of the same shop for nearly 35 years, stretching from Istanbul to America. 

A Reality Show Star, A Cosmetic Surgeon, and A Happy Home: Jennifer & Bill Aydın

By Cemil Ozyurt - When the reality show Real Housewives of New Jersey started on Bravo TV on May 12th, 2009, Jennifer Aydın, a housewife then living in River Edge, New Jersey, was one of the devoted followers of the show. She sent an e-mail to the production company a couple of times to be on the show. The production team reviewed her application. They visited her house but found it too small for the show. But Jennifer didn’t give up. She had a new house, with 9 bedrooms and 16 bathrooms, built on a vacant land in Paramus, one of the neighborhoods near River Edge. The house she had built also had basketball court in the basement, a pool and a huge yard around it. When the production team saw this new house, they changed their mind and invited Jennifer to The Real Housewives of New Jersey show. Jennifer started being on the show in 2017, during its 9th season. Jennifer has been watched closely for four seasons on the The Real Housewives of New Jersey TV Show, which has been broadcasted on Bravo TV for 12 seasons and viewed by an audience of 1,1 million. She is a savvy, witty, and sincere person who thinks and responds quickly, reflecting on her real thoughts and, at times, appearing somewhat arrogant. She gives much effort to make her family and everybody else around her happy. She is sometimes a bridge between her mother and father when they’re in conflict; an angel watching after her siblings; and mother who has taken over the role of discipling her children. By February of 2023, with the start of the new episode on Bravo TV, Jennifer will begin her fifth episode on the show. Every single detail about her life is reflected on tv screen.

From A Sultan’s Pen, Prisoners in the Gilded Cage on the Bosphorus  

 

 

By Cemil Özyurt - Murad V, (1840-1904), Ottoman sultan from May to August 1876, whose liberal disposition brought him to the throne after the deposition of his uncle Abdülaziz. Abdülaziz’ deposition by a group of ministers led by Midhat Paşa, the great advocate of constitutional government, Murad was brought to the throne. The new sultan was determined to introduce constitutional reforms, but, under the impact of Abdülaziz’ suicide and the murder of some of his key ministers, Murad suffered mental collapse. After declaration by Turkish and foreign doctors that his illness was incurable, Murad was deposed by the same men who had brought him to the throne. During the reign (1876–1909) of his brother Abdülhamid II, several attempts to restore him to the throne failed, and he spent the remaining years of his life confined in the Çırağan Palace. Languishing behind the high walls and heavily-guarded gates of the Çırağan Palace are the former Sultan Murad V and his family. This palace on the shores of the Bosphorus has been their ‘gilded cage’ for nearly thirty years: ever since Murad’s deposition in 1876, they have been held in strict confinement on the orders of his younger brother, the autocratic ruler Sultan Abdülhamid II.  

It’s not a common writing a story, novel or diary for members of Ottoman family. Not more members of the Imperial family put pen to paper in order to record their unique memories and fascinating stories. To honour the memory of her great-great-great-grandfather, Ayşe Gülnev Osmanoğlu wrote a novel, “The Gilded Cage on the Bosphorus” and she decided to make the book available to purchase on 7th July 2020 – in honour of his father’s 80th Birthday. She says: “In memory of all who once lived as prisoners in the Çırağan Palace, especially His Imperial Majesty Sultan Murad V. You will never be forgotten ghosts and shadows – instead your memory lives on in the hearts and souls of your descendants…” Osmanoğlu answered TURKOFAMERICA’s questions.

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. 

Tony’s Art: Loud, Colorful, and All-Embracing

A talented abstract painter whose vivid and vibrant art exists in three dimensions simultaneously. Tony Şeker is a New York-based multicultural artist who was born in Beirut, Lebanon in 1961 while his father was working at a multinational company. Due to the critical and unpleasant situation in his home country, caused by the civil war in 1975, Tony Şeker’s family had to migrate. First, they moved to Europe than settled in Ohio. He studied math in France and had an MBA degree from Rutgers University. He moved to Cliffside Park, NJ in 1977.

How to Say Proper Goodbye to a Perfectionist Chef, Orhan Yegen

By Esra Ürkmez - Turkish food world lost its biggest ambassador in America. People who knew Orhan Ağabey will sympathize with me on how hard it is to summarize such a genius, an artist, a perfectionist in few paragraphs, but I will try and do my best as also being his friend and his old-time employee. Chef Orhan, son of a surgeon father, was born in Istanbul, Turkey and raised in Adana. He moved to the United States in 1977 due to growing political turmoil in Turkey at the time. His adventure in the States started with working as a busboy and reached a point where he became an ambassador of Turkish food with the restaurants he opened in New York, Deniz, Bi Lokma, Dervish, Efendi, Francela, Sip Sak, and Lokanta.

UES Turkish Restaurant Beyoglu Closes Amid Coronavirus Crisis

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Popular Upper East Side Turkish restaurant Beyoglu will close after more than 20 years in business due to the financial fallout caused by the outbreak of coronavirus in New York City, according to a letter posted in the restaurant's window. The Third Avenue and East 81st Street restaurant — which did not offer delivery before social distancing measures forced restaurants to convert entirely to takeout and delivery — was unable to secure a new lease amid the virus' outbreak, according to the letter.

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Empire State Realty Trust Renews Pera Mediterranean Brasserie at One Grand Central Place

NEW YORK, Jan. 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: ESRT) announced today that Pera Mediterranean Brasserie, the critically acclaimed restaurant from BK Restaurant Partners, has renewed its lease at One Grand Central Place. "Pera Mediterranean Brasserie provides the tenants of One Grand Central Place with an upscale eastern Mediterranean restaurant experience," said Fred C. Posniak, Senior Vice President, Leasing, for ESRT. "Whether it's for a business lunch or casual dinner, our tenants and locals love Pera's food and service." "As everyone knows, it has been a very difficult time for restaurants, and we were thrilled to work with such an innovative and forward-thinking landlord like ESRT to structure a deal that worked for all parties," said Burak Karacam, Managing Partner, Pera Mediterranean Brasserie.

Eighth Seattle Turkish Film Festival Set to be Screened Online

The 8th Seattle Turkish Film Festival will be screened online due to the coronavirus pandemic. The week-long event aims to give American movie lovers the chance to watch the best Turkish movies of 2019. Presenting four feature films to the American moviegoers this year, the STFF Shorts Committee also selected 10 short films to screen within the festival, including 3 Grand Jury favourites. The committee has been accepting short film submissions annually since 2014 and received 200+ submissions in 2020.

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