The Istanbul Jewish community today awaited a reply from Gov. Ethem Yekner to an appeal against an order dissolving a coordinating committee for a dozen Jewish charitable and social agencies.
A delegation of religious and lay Jewish leaders called on the Governor to explain that centralization of charitable and social activities, under the overall supervision of the Grand Rabbinate, facilitated both fund-raising and administration of the various institutions. These include the Jewish hospital and orphanage and six Jewish schools.
The order noted that under Turkish law, the Grand Rabbinate could supervise only religious activities and that social and welfare societies were permissible if organized independently of the Grand Rabbinate.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.