Amity School on The Wall Street Journal


Date posted: August 2, 2013

Brooklyn teens from the Turkish and Jewish American community gathered for a twinning event at the Masbia Soup Kitchen. Though this is not the first time that these teens are getting together in a project; they formed an initiative called “Young Peace Builders”, which aims to foster better understanding between the two communities. They believe that working together in projects like this will benefit the New Yorkers now and in the future. In fact, this is a model that can be copied by various communities in order to promote peace and harmony in the society.

Twinning between Muslims and Jews is an international initiative, which raise awareness of brotherhood and sisterhood between Jews and Muslim as Abraham is considered the forefather of the two Abrahamic religions. Muslims also consider Jews as their cousins due to same reason. On this occasion, Turkish-American teens from Brooklyn Amity School and Jewish-American teens from Kings Bay Y Community Center put their hands together to help Hurricane Sandy victims who got hit hard at the Sea Gate and Far Rockaway districts of Brooklyn. Teens are seated in mixed groups where they can talk and exchange ideas and thoughts about twinning and ways to help the victims of Hurricane Sandy.

This has been an exceptional experience for the teens as they shared their personal stories aftermath of Sandy. It’s notable that most of the teens live in the hurricane zone and they are out there to help those who are in more desperate need. During the twinning event, the teens helped cook lunch for the hungry as they shared their own stories. Almost all of the teens said that they volunteered in relief efforts in Brooklyn and Staten Island.

Hayrunnisa Kalac said that she volunteered in Far Rockaway by distributing hot soup and coffee to the victims on the second day of the hurricane. She said that she was devastated by the magnitude of the storm and its aftermath. She said that it was a great feeling to make people happy.

Aysenur Akoglu, the group leader said that many teens are eager to help; they were never tired or complained about hours of walking, knocking on the doors, and distributing hot meals. There is a great lesson to be learned for all of us as teachers and students. Such a devastating storm can change the lives of thousands of people in one day.

Bill and Hasan, volunteers from Connecticut, came to help the victims at the Sea Gate residential area of Brooklyn. They are visiting homes and asking if they needed any assistance. Bill said that they are helping victims with people from all different religious backgrounds, and we are thrilled to see the same activity is going on here with teens, too. What’s important is that people at Sea Gate need help! Hasan also said that he was moved by the volunteerism he saw at the soup kitchen. He said that he is here to show support and help people cover over this and get back to their normal life.

Alexander Rapaport, the Executive Director at the Masbia Soup Kitchen said that he is happy to get support from community organizations. The lunch prepared by the volunteers and the staff will be distributed to victims’ homes by volunteers’ personal cars. There is a great deal of collaboration and energy here today. Today, thousands of residents in Far Rockaway and Sea Gate will be served hot meals and thanks to the volunteers.

“We believe that youth projects in one of the smartest investment for our future” said Mehmet Kilic, VP of the Turkish Cultural Center. “We are planning to create a culture of peace, a culture of living together in our community. We are sincere on what we believe and we are happy to find partners who feel the same way” he concluded. Daniel Zeltzer, Program Director at the Kings Bay Y Jewish Community Center congratulated the teens for their volunteerism and dedication. Teens were presented with Certificate of Recognition during lunch at the Kings Bay Y in the afternoon. After all, it was an enjoyable and fulfilling day.

Source: Amity School , November 30, 2012


Related News

A rising profile for Turkish Cultural Center Vermont

Turkish Americans have fed and entertained the governor and other high officials at celebratory events. They’ve bestowed awards on local luminaries. They’ve sponsored subsidized tours of Turkey for Vermont legislators. And they’ve opened a spacious office in Burlington to serve as a gathering place both for members of their own community and as a hub for their efforts at cultural and educational outreach.

Turkish schools get award for advanced study in Benin, Mongolia

“The Turkish school is the sole contributor that makes Benin’s reputation high via its students, who are successful in international [educational] Olympiads,” the president said in a written statement.

Warriors of enlightenment: pen versus bullet

BÜLENT KENEŞ, April 24, 2012 As we were watching the country finals of International Turkish Olympiads enthusiastically and becoming impatient for the great final in Turkey, we were shocked to learn that a heinous attack had been launched against one of the educational institutions that, like their counterparts in the remotest parts of the world, […]

PWTD, Turkish NGO to work for cataract elimination

The Punjab Welfare Trust for Disabled (PWTD) and a Turkish Non-government Organisation (NGO) KIMSE YOK MU on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for making joint efforts for elimination of cataract disease.

The Gulen schools are signposts to a silent transformation in Turkey

ATUL ANEJA, May 5, 2012 In the enclosed greens of a football ground at Istanbul’s Fatih University, a heated contest is underway. Young men from Kyrgyzstan, dressed in red, are feverishly locking horns with a team from Azerbaijan, attired in blue and white clothing. The atmosphere around the ground is electric — the result of […]

Turkish language and culture festivals held in three countries

Language and culture festivals where contestants are selected to participate in the 12th Turkish Language Olympiad were held in three countries over the past week.

Latest News

Fethullah Gulen – man of education, peace and dialogue – passes away

Fethullah Gülen’s Condolence Message for South African Human Rights Defender Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Hizmet Movement Declares Core Values with Unified Voice

Ankara systematically tortures supporters of Gülen movement, Kurds, Turkey Tribunal rapporteurs say

Erdogan possessed by Pharaoh, Herod, Hitler spirits?

Devious Use of International Organizations to Persecute Dissidents Abroad: The Erdogan Case

A “Controlled Coup”: Erdogan’s Contribution to the Autocrats’ Playbook

Why is Turkey’s Erdogan persecuting the Gulen movement?

Purge-victim man sent back to prison over Gulen links despite stage 4 cancer diagnosis

In Case You Missed It

IFLC Sydney 2016

Thais demand more Turkish Schools during their visit in Turkey

Kurds, Turkey and growing with Öcalan’s help?

Synagogue hosts a night of Muslim-Jewish harmony

Detained woman, newborn baby transferred to police station 240 km away from home

Teachers, parents oppose Pak-Turk Schools takeover

AKP Twitter troll asks gov’t to kill all Gülen sympathizers in jail

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News