Turkey’s Jewish community bids farewell to former leader 

A large crowd attended the funeral ceremony in Istanbul for Bensiyon Pinto, honorary and former leader of the Turkish Jewish Community, who passed away last week at the age of 85. Pinto had been hospitalized for COVID-19 and was battling multiple illnesses.

A ceremony was held at Ashkenazi Jewish Community Cemetery on Sunday with the attendance of community leaders and members, Pinto’s family, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, former prime minister Tansu Çiller and other dignitaries.

Izak Haleva, chief rabbi of the community and himself infected with COVID-19, attended the funeral via videolink and delivered a eulogy for Pinto. “Bensiyon was one of the rare stars of our community. A man of discipline and order, he found a perfect way to organize institutions he runs and was skilled to get the best out of people he saw potential. He was a true leader, a man who knew how to win heart,” Haleva said. Though he went through sometimes “stormy” periods during his tenure as leader of the community, he took the community to “safe harbors.”

Pinto had his first official role in the Jewish community in the 1970s as someone in charge of finances. He quit his post in the early 1980s but returned as leader of the community in 1989. Between 1989 and 2003, he served as the community leader intermittently. After he left, he was declared honorary president of the community. He is survived by his wife and two sons.

Ishak İbrahimzadeh, the current leader of the community, said Pinto won the admiration of everyone during his lifetime. “He paved the way for us to lead and keep our community united,” he said.

After the ceremony, Pinto was buried at Arnavutköy Jewish Cemetery.

Turkey’s Jewish community is mainly concentrated in Istanbul and their numbers have dwindled over the years due in part to migration to Israel.

Pinto was among the Jewish dignitaries who met President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan last month. Erdoğan had earlier sent his condolences to Pinto’s family.

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