-4111111111111111111111111W, 141110. -VW Obituaries Obituaries from page 69 living in textile. But recently there is a feel- ing that they are trying to take the textile industry from the Jews. The Turks decided to damage Jews' incomes so they would flee. "There has been a large emigration wave in recent years. If about 100 people would typically move to Israel every year, the wave has increased and many more are looking into the option of making aliyah. I told Erdogan there is anti-Semitism in his country, but he rejected my remarks claiming they are empty words. Despite his denial, the Jews feel horrible Nissim Yochai, 54, a successful textile businessman, immigrated to Israel on ROSLYN FIERBERG Family and friends are invited to share memories and celebrate Roz's life at a service to be held at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, September 11, 2010 at the Birmingham Temple, Farmington Hills. Reception to follow Friday with his wife and son. "It's a scary situation:' he said. "I think that in another five years, there won't be any Jews remain- ing in Turkey. It is a community in serious distress, not just politically, but economi- cally as well. Most of the Muslims tend not to buy from Jewish shops, especially in textiles. "In the period when Israelis were com- ing to Turkey en masse, we had buyers, and we felt very safe. We spoke a little bit of Hebrew, and we heard from them about experiences in Israel. Now, they also have decided not to come, and we are left by ourselves. Turkey is moving towards Iran. Therefore, most of the community wants to get out before it's too late' Yochais decision to make aliyah was not finalized because of the flotilla raid. Instead, it was most affected by the high- ly publicized spat between Erdogan and President Shimon Peres over Operation Cast Lead. Erdogan walked out on Peres during a debate in Davos as he hurled blame at Peres. "Most of the community understood then for the first time where the prime 18325 West Nthe Road 48075 Sill/Wield. 248-569-0020 Fax: 24:8-569-2502 it .itv'.irakaufman.com 70 September 9 • 2010 Obituaries minister plans on taking Turkey': he said. Tildah Mizrahi, 27, also a new immi- grant, immigrated on her own. "I want to live in Israel and feel safe she said. "I had concerns about immigrating, but they have already faded. In any case, I left a family and a loving home, and I came to a new country to learn a new language. But I'm happy and am certain that within a short time I will find myself speaking Hebrew and contributing to the State of Israel and the State of Israel contributing to me." The Jewish Agency would be happy if articles such as this one were not pub- fished. "We don't want to cause problems for the Jews. It is best that such articles were not published in the Israeli press. It simply makes problems for the Jews with the authorities:' said a senior official in the organization. Hagit Hilleli, the Jewish Agency's media spokesperson, said, "The Jewish Agency does not address the Turkish aliyah figures or the flotilla incident. There is no persecu- tion of Jews in Turkey. Immigrants come to Israel because they wish to build their homes here' ❑ Debra Berger: Efforts brought 5,000 World Leaders To Israel New York/JTA — Debra Berger, the found- er of Project Interchange that sent influen- tial leaders to Israel, died Sept. 1, 2010. Project Interchange, which Berger founded in 1982 and became an institute of the American Jewish Committee a decade later, has brought more than 5,000 leaders to Israel from more than 60 coun- tries for weeklong educational visits. Her desire was to inform the public about Israel. The mission, she reasoned, could be realized through educational visits for influential leaders, who upon returning home could share their perspec- tives with vast audiences. In 1983, Berger sent off a delegation of congressional staff from the U.S., marking Project Interchange's inaugural program. • She ran Project Interchange first from her suburban Washington, D.C., home. AJC Executive Director David Harris called her "a visionary" "Her goal was to introduce the Israel she loved to leading American figures. She succeeded beyond anyone's wildest dreams:' Harris said.