The Yunus Emre Institute DC hosted a bi-weekly movie night on Friday, December 7th, 2018. The heart touching movie called The Turkish Passport (Turkish: Türk Pasaportu) narrates a true story of oppressed and subjugated Jews of the WWII time period and shows how the brave and kind-hearted Turkish diplomats helped them by giving them a Turkish Passport.

The theater was a full house and people from all over the DC area, including many dignitaries, showed up. People were quite emotional and humbled after watching the movie. Many people showed interest in the future movie night events at our institute in DC. After the screening, people enjoyed a hearty Turkish meal of Doner Kebab with Ayran (yogurt milk) and had an insightful conversation about the movie events. 

The story of these diplomats who saved numerous Jews during the WWII was posted in Turkish Embassies and Consulates in several European countries for years. The diplomats helped foreign Jews who were in the dark tunnel of oppression and pain by giving them Turkish Passports and fled them to Istanbul. These diplomats’ actions lit the candle of hope and allowed the Jewish people to travel to Turkey where they found the light and freedom.

The movie shows real people and their testimonies and how they traveled by train to Istanbul. It also shows written historical documents and archived footages to tell the story of rescue. The diplomats did not only save the lives of Jews but also set an example of brevity and virtue for the future generations to come.