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ISTANBUL (JTA) — Dozens of Orthodox Jews piled up on a hill overlooking the Bosphorus Strait.
Pilgrimages like this, made through oversized Orthodox teams to the burial places of also respected Jewish figures across Europe, are far from unusual and have given rise to the country’s tourism industry. Among the largest and most publicized is the annual pilgrimage to Uman, Ukraine, which brings tens of thousands of others to the grave of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov every Rosh Hashanah (not on the anniversary of his death). Another consideration is the tomb of Rabbi Elimelech Weisbaum, an early Hasidic leader, in Lizhensk, Poland, in early spring.
Friedman said he had made several similar trips in the past year alone, adding Dynow, Poland, to the grave of Reb Tzvi Elimelech Spira, one of the early Hasidic leaders. He also spent more than 30 hours traveling to war-torn Ukraine to spend Rosh Hashanah in Uman, a practice that Israeli and Ukrainian rabbinical leaders have strongly discouraged this year.
Friedman said he had heard that a scale at Katz’s grave had helped others with things from finding “the right mate” to curing children of an illness. He only asked for “happiness” in his prayers.
He also attributed some of the tomb’s effects to it being less visited than Uman’s.
“Over the centuries, some leading rabbis would have made the pilgrimage,” said Chitrik, Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidic Judaism, Rabbi Nachman of Breslov and others.
“For us, as the Ortaköy Ets Ahayim family, it is our duty, from generation to generation, to keep this network alive and to have people from all over the world to host this pilgrimage,” Elvaşvili told JTA. Ets Ahayim is the call of the Ortaköy Synagogue.
“We are a small network and still want the help of each and every one to take care of this site and this foundation, which is a very vital component of the ancient Jewish and Turkish Jewish heritage of the world, however, we expect to see many visitors each and every one. year, even if we are few,” he added.
However, he noted that attendance rises and falls with adjustments in Israeli-Turkish relations, as does overall Israeli tourism to Turkey, which hit a record high this year.
The biggest crisis has occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, with only a handful of pilgrims arriving in the last two years. Now it turns out that the culture is back in force, with several buses of pilgrims from other countries and sects spending the day. .
“As relations with Israel and the other Jews improve, I think many more will come, and as Turkey becomes much hotter for Jewish travelers and devotees, there will be many more opportunities for others to come. “Chitrik said: “Not only the kever [grave] of Nephthali Katz on the 24th of Tevet, but also Rabbi Haim Palachi in Izmir in Shevat next month, and Rabbi Yehudah Rozanes on the 26th of Nice and many other rabbis who are buried here in the cemeteries of Turkey.
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