Erdoğan to be marriage witness at Turkish synagogue

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said he will attend a wedding ceremony at a synagogue and be a marriage witness for the couple. When asked about the upcoming event, the Turkish Jewish Community (TYC) declined to give further details.

During his visit to the United States last week, Erdoğan received a delegation of members from Jewish associations in the U.S. During the meeting, Erdoğan stressed the need for cooperation against anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in the West. Pointing to the rise of racism in the West, Erdoğan said: "Unfortunately, anti-Semitic, Islamophobic and xenophobic movements have been taking center stage in politics. We have to fight against those hatred-based movements in a cooperative manner."

Erdoğan also mentioned his phone call with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin. Presidential sources further added that the representatives of the U.S. Jewish associations expressed their gratitude to Turkey for the Israeli victims of the terror attack on Istanbul's İstiklal Avenue perpetrated by DAESH. The representatives also extended their condolences to Erdoğan for the victims of the recent terror attacks in Ankara and Istanbul.