Turkish earthquake emergency: Missing Jewish couple feared dead

A Jewish couple in southern Turkey missing for nearly 24 hours are feared dead.

A spokesperson fro the the Jewish community in Istanbul told Jewish News that both Saul and Fortuna Cenudioglu from the city of Antakya are “still missing, unfortunately.”

Israel’s ambassador to Turkey, Irit Lillian, told Channel 12 News on Tuesday: “Regrettably, the president of the Jewish community in Antakya, Saul Cenudioglu, and his wife, were apparently killed in the disaster.”

Saul’s nice, Ela Cenudioğlu described her uncle as “a visionary leader committed to the Jewish community and the values it represents.” She said he had, since his birth in 1941, lived in Antakya, where the family operated a textile business.

Saul “did everything in his capacity to have the small Jewish community of Antakya thrive and connect with the rest of the communities in Turkey and the world,” she told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “I deeply hope that he and his wife (who has always been a mother to me) come out of this safely, for all I wish is to see his kind smile and hug him again.”

The tiny Jewish community of Antakya numbers around 12 people. Most of the Jewish community in Turkey lives in areas of the country that weren’t severely affected by the earthquakes.

Mendel Chitrik, a rabbi in the Jewish community declined to speak to Jewish News, but posted a video on Twitter showing him removing Torah scrolls from a synagogue in Antakya.