‘Despertar İzmir’ Project was implemented by İzmir Jewish Community Foundation to challenge prejudices and raise the visibility of İzmir Jewish Community, with its shrinking and aging population, primarily in İzmir, and on national and international scales.
“Strengthening The İzmir Jewish Community Through Inclusive Leadership”, or in short, “Despertar İzmir” Project was carried out between April 2021 and June 2022 to strengthen the İzmir Jewish Community Foundation through more active and democratic participation. The project was implemented in partnership with the İzmir Association for the Protection and Development of Urban Values to create an “İzmir Model” for other minority foundations, to raise awareness on Jewish history, to challenge existing prejudices, and to strengthen the bonds of young Jewish generations to Türkiye and to their local communities.
Project coordinator Ceki Hazan said that “Despertar” Project – “Despertar” meaning “awakening” in Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) – facilitated individuals and institutions within the İzmir Jewish Community to assume more effective and participatory roles in local, national, and international civil society. “Our goal in the project was to involve women and young people more actively in leadership roles in the shrinking and aging İzmir Jewish Community and to increase our cooperation with CSOs and municipalities in İzmir,” said Hazan. “As the closing activity of the project, we organised a major summit in İzmir and shared our achievements with other minority community foundations in Türkiye.”
“Minority Community Foundations Summit” was held in İzmir in April 2022 with the participation of representatives of Jewish, Greek, Armenian and Syriac communities foundations, academics, relevant CSOs, public institutions and stakeholders. The summit was the final event in a string of activities in the fifteen-month run of the project.
Activities for target groups
Initial activities of the “Despertar İzmir” Project were carried out in April and May 2021 with approximately 30 volunteers motivated to be included in the board of directors. Series of trainings of 24-32 hours on average on such topics as strategic planning and inclusion were organised.
In July 2021, a series of trainings on gender equality and women’s rights were delivered to women, a priority target group of the project, by activists and lawyers working in the field of women’s and human rights.
The activities in August 2021 targeted young people aged 12-18, another major target group of the project. Online trainings and a three-day camp were organised, where youth participation and youth democracy were discussed. Daily trips were also organised to Jewish cultural sites around İzmir.
In the fall of 2021, members of the third target group of the project, other minority foundations, came together at various thematic meetings, discussing shared problems, potential solutions, and opportunities for cooperation. The final phase of the project saw, along with ongoing activities, preparations made for the “Intercultural Festival” organised by the İzmir Jewish Community Foundation as part of the project.
Intercultural Festival
“The event provided the opportunity for İzmir residents to experience flavours and rhythms from different cultures living in İzmir. Through exhibitions, panels, and trainings, İzmir residents learned about the old İzmir and the multicultural life of the city.” “Intercultural Festival” was held between 20-27 March 2022, hosting various competitions and workshops as well as exhibitions, concerts, and trainings.
The festival featured Greek and Judeo-Spanish melodies with concerts by “Group de Smyrne” and “İzmirlis”, as well as the “Museum Education” organised by the Contemporary Drama Association. In addition, project partner Our City İzmir Association provided 3D Printing Education to 20 children, children later producing designs on multi-cultural life.
Among other activities of the festival were the “Multicultural Life in İzmir from the Ottomans to the Present” panel and the “Treasure Hunt” held at the Jewish Cultural Heritage points in İzmir with more than 200 contestants.
Documentary: ‘İzmir Sephardic Women Hand in Hand’
As part of the “Despertar İzmir” project, a documentary film was produced. “İzmir Sephardic Women Hand in Hand” was screened in various locations throughout the summer of 2022 in collaboration with different associations and foundations. Director of the documentary Sarit Bonfil shared the starting point and the story of the documentary: “When Ceki (Hazan) came to me with the suggestion of making a documentary, I thought that focusing on women would very much be in line with the goal of ‘Despertar’ Project, and the story was immediately shaped: Contributions of women in the İzmir Jewish community to the society from past to present. I wanted to approach the topic from a broad perspective. The women who are involved in our institutions (Liga, Azil, Talmud-Tora, etc.) or in social and communal projects (Sephardic cookbook, Parohet project, etc.) are the main subject of the documentary…”
The website, which includes detailed information about the project and an intranet for dialogue and cooperation among minority foundations, can be accessed at https://www.izmirjcc.org/.