Walking through the lobby of the Sheraton University Hotel and Conference Center on the second floor, the photo of a setting sun above Istanbul’s Bosphorus Bridge seems insignificant to some. The bridge, which connects Asia and Europe, symbolized the goal of the annual Friendship Dinner: to connect individuals.

The annual event, co-sponsored by the Turkish Cultural Center Syracuse and the Turkish Student Association of Syracuse University, celebrated its sixth annual dinner Thursday evening

In the lobby, a table displayed pamphlets of Turkish language lessons and cooking classes. People lined up to have their names transformed by a calligrapher that used the Turkish style of calligraphy, which traditionally uses more diamond shapes and curvy lines.                                                                                     

The diverse attendees — New York state politicians, students and professors from SU and other local colleges, members of the community — all shared a common interest: an appreciation of Turkish culture.

Elane Granger said although the Turkish community on campus is small, it is tightly knit.

‘The Turkish students are very united on campus and very proud of their culture, as they should be,’ said Granger, the associate director for student services at The Slutzker Center for International Services.

Although Selina Carteris not a Turkish student, throughout her time at SU she has become invested in the country. Since she began studying Turkish at SU, she has reached what she describes as the ‘high intermediate level.’ She spent last summer in Turkey and has been awarded the Boren Fellowship, which will make it possible for her to spend all of next year there.

‘They’re a very ambitious community,’ Carter, a graduate student studying economic development, said about the Turks in Syracuse. ‘They’re really making a statement that Turks here want to give back.’

At dinner, strangers who were both American and immigrants from Europe and Asia found common ground in not only their interest in Turkey, but also current events like the death of Steve Jobs. At one table, a teacher from Istanbul and a Bosnian student discussed the great things they had heard about California and planned to meet up and go to Los Angeles together.

‘I’m a strong believer that the more you know, the better you get along,’ said Judge Charles Merrell, a graduate of the SU College of Law who has hosted exchange students in his home.

Taha Uzumcu, a computer science teacher at the Syracuse Academy of Science Charter School, said Turks have had a culture of tolerance as individuals and have been able to keep their own religions and lifestyles since Byzantine times.

‘Maybe if you don’t force people to do something, you can live together without fights,’ he said.

In his keynote address, Robert Rubinstein talked about Turkish tolerance in comparison to his personal observations in Belize. During his field research in Belize, Rubinstein, a professor of anthropology and international relations at SU, noted how children were taunted for speaking English and said that diversity should be seen as something to better society, not to tarnish it.

Children involved in the event brought red and white roses, symbolizing unity and friendship, to each person at the dinner, Thomas Wolfe, senior vice president and dean of student affairs, gave his final thoughts.

He said: ‘Friendship is the beginning of hospitality.’

sfanelli@syr.edu

Published on October 9, 2011 at 12:00 pm