We are excited to announce that we have started a book campaign to build a small library on Turkish literature, culture, and history at TACC.  As the number of our members and friends increase, we need more resources on Turkish culture. We also welcome books on other themes and there is demand for books in Turkish or/and English. The collection will be used by students of our weekend school, and by our members and friends, who want to learn more about Turkey.

Please consider supporting our campaign.  Sundays between 9AM and 12PM, TACC is always open and available to accept your book donations or alternatively please contact info@taccmadison.org to set up a time to donate your books.Thank you for your support.

********************************************************************************************************************

Sevgili Dostlar,

Turk-Amerikan Kultur Merkezi bunyesinde, Turk edebiyati, kulturu ve tarihi konularinda kucuk bir kitaplik olusturmak amaciyla baslatmis oldugumuz kitap bagisi kampanyamizi duyurmak istiyoruz. Toplulugumuzdaki sayisal artistan dolayi kulturumuzle ilgili kaynaklara olan ihtiyacimiz da artmaktadir. Turk-Amerikan toplulugumuzun bu gereksiniminin karsilanmasi amaciyla daha fazla Turkce ve/veya Ingilizce kitaba ihtiyacimiz vardir. Diger konularla ilgili kitaplari da memnuniyetle kabul edebiliriz. Bu kitaplarin hem hafta sonu okulu ogrencilerimize hem de ulkemize ve kulturumuze ilgisi olan tum dostlarimiza faydali olacagi inancindayiz.

Kampanyamizi desteklemenizden onur duyacagiz. Kultur Merkezimiz, kitap bagislariniz icin, Pazar sabahlari saat 9-12 arasi acik olacaktir. Ayrica, info@taccmadison.org e-posta adresine mesaj gondererek de randevu talebinde bulunabilirsiniz. Desteginiz icin tesekkur ederiz.

Saygilarimizla,

Madison Turk-Amerikan Kultur Merkezi

437 S. Yellowstone Dr. Suite 110  Madison, WI 53719

http://www.taccmadison.org/contact/

Ayrica Kultur Merkezi’ndeki bulusmasindan once 25 Ocak Carsamba gunu saat 19:00′da Sayin Fatih Yildiz vatandaslarla bulusacaktir. Vatandas toplantisi’na katilmak isteyenler icin adres:
The Pyle Center, Room 313, 702 Langdon Street, Madison, WI, 53706

Saygilarimizla,

Madison Turk-Amerikan Kultur Merkezi

At the beginning of the program, Turkish-American families served a rich meal, including meat, rice, salad, and baklava. Then, Alper Bolat, a Turkish businessman, gave the keynote speech. He extended his sympathies to those who lost their loved ones in Van Earthquake. In his speech, he explained the meaning of “Bayram”, and encouraged the audience to watch Azra Bebek’s rescue in Van Earthquake and see an Iranian movie, called Children of Heaven, in order to better understand the blessings we have. He also shared a meaningful story about Sanki Yedim Camii, a mosque in Fatih, Istanbul. At the end of his speech, he thanked the ladies for preparing the food. As TACC, we are also thankful to Turkish American ladies for preparing the delicious food.

Also, Ismail Fersat, a Turkish American Businessman, made a collective prayer for the victims of Van Earthquake. As TACC, we would also like to extend our deepest sympathies to those who lost their loved ones in this horrible earthquake.  As a sign of respect, we cancelled entertainment part of our program. However, we organized some fun activities only for kids. Toys were presented as bayram gifts; the clown entertained the kids during the whole program; and Mr. Fersat prepared cotton candies. Kids loved it!

As TACC, we thank all who joined our program and shared the Bayram (Eid al-Adha) with us. We hope to see you at our future events.

[Show as slideshow]

Eid al-Fitr, the festival of fast-breaking, is an important Muslim holiday, celebrated at the end of Ramadan.

We believe that  festivals like Eid al-Fitr help bring together people from different cultural and social backgrounds to reinforce friendship and emphasize on the values such as mutual understanding, respect, love, and peace. Nevzat, a member of TACC-Madison’s executive committee, made a presentation about Ramadan’s meaning for Muslims in spiritual and social life after the dinner.   Among our guests are UW-Madison faculty and staff members, religious leaders, business people, students and families.

Here is a testimonial by Russell Knudson, Graduate Student at UW-Madison:

“The Turkish American Cultural Center of Madison hosted a wonderful event in celebration of their holiday Ramadan. It was clear that the idea of sharing with your neighbor is very important to the Turkish people and they invited many people from different religious and social backgrounds. The food and tea was very delicious, many of the recipes I would like to learn to cook someday, and we were invited to eat as much as we wanted. Finally, some background information about the holiday and the religious significance was explained to all of us, which was very educational. I enjoyed this event, and felt very welcomed by the TACC, thank you!”

We believe these friendships will persist over years and help cement mutual understanding and dialogue in the society.

Hope to see you next time! Eid Mubarek!

[Show as slideshow]

We also informed our guests about our past and upcoming events. Among our guests are UW-Madison faculty and staff members, religious leaders, business people, students and families. The dinner helped bring together people from different walks of life to reinforce friendships and emphasize on the values such as mutual understanding, respect, love, and peace.

We thank our guests for joining us and sharing a delicious dinner with us.

[Show as slideshow]

On July 24th, a beautiful Sunday afternoon, the Turkish American community got together with American families for a picnic at Lake Mendota Public Park.

The weather was perfect for the picnic. People were smiling, chatting, laughing, talking and enjoying each others company. The friends we didn’t see for a long time were seen. Meeting many different people and just seeing smiling faces made us all happy. There were fun activities and as people talked, the children made new friendships and played around. The air was full of the delicious smell of roasting chicken. Peace was made. Cultures were shared. Sunny skies, a light summer breeze and the sound of laughter boosted up a person’s positive attitude. As people sat down, waiting for the food they continued talking. Finally, the food was ready and everybody started eating. Scrumptious Turkish-style chicken and meat, refreshing cold water and soda, crunchy chips with salsa, salads, and the famous Turkish nutty baklava were served.

Everyone was in a good mood and at the end, finally said concluding good bye’s and see-you soon’s. The picnic was a wonderful experience for people and left a good, nice attitude in people’s hearts. We hope to keep friendships tied together forever.

By: Vildan Z. Karaca

[Show as slideshow]

]]> http://www.taccmadison.org/2011/07/24/community-picnic/feed/ http://www.taccmadison.org/2011/04/23/japan-earthquake-relief-turkish-japanese-friendship-meeting/ http://www.taccmadison.org/2011/04/23/japan-earthquake-relief-turkish-japanese-friendship-meeting/#comments Sun, 24 Apr 2011 02:02:51 +0000 admin http://www.taccmadison.org/?p=381

The loss of life and great destruction of property in Japan due to the 8.9 magnitude earthquake followed by a devastating tsunami on Friday, March 11, 2011 saddened Turkish Community of Madison. We remember very well that Japanese people generously and graciously extended their helping hand to Turkish people in the aftermath of Kocaeli, Gölcük Earthquake in 1999. To share the pain of Japanese friends in the aftermath of this unprecedented disaster and to remember our common history, we organized a get-together friendship meeting on April 23rd, 2011 at TACC-Madison with the Japanese Student Organization and the members of Japanese society of Madison.

It is our honor, as TACC-Madison, to be able to stand by Japan and to host its brotherly people at TACC-Madison. On behalf of the Japanese Community of Madison, Mrs. Rie Fredrickson kindly stated her thoughts as “It really worked for us that you gave this opportunity, we could receive positive energy and thinking from Turkish people’s warm, kind hospitality. We got the energy to live for the future!”

Even though it is our impression that our Japanese friends stand strong and steadfast after this tragic earthquake, we would like to once again take this opportunity to express our sincere condolences to our Japanese living in Madison in particular and Japanese people in general.

It is our hope that we, Turkish and Japanese societies of Madison, will organize many more activities and events together. May our friendship last forever!

TACC-Madison hosted a celebration for Noah’s Pudding Day (Aşure). Following a brief presentation about Prophet Noah and Noah’s Pudding traditions in Turkey, our guests enjoyed the great taste of Noah’s Pudding, which is cooked by our volunteers. We also served a selection of Turkish cookies and appetizers. This event provided us a great opportunity to bring together people from different walks of life to reinforce friendships and emphasize on the values such as mutual understanding, respect, love, and peace. Our guests enjoyed delicious Turkish food served by volunteer members as well as friendly conversations. We look forward to celebrating Noah’s Pudding Day next year.

A Common Story: Noah’s Ark

Every year, on and after the 10th of Muharram, also called the day of Ashure, TACC-Madison volunteers prepare a dessert called Noah’s Pudding. This is a Middle Eastern, and more specifically a Turkish tradition, celebrating the landing of Noah’s Ark after the Great Flood, which has references in the Holy Books of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The story of Noah is told slightly differently in the three Holy Books but the basics are very similar.

Origin of Noah’s Pudding

According to one version of the traditional/anecdotal story, when Noah’s ark landed on a mountain, there was great joy. To celebrate the end of the flood and offer thanks to God, Noah gathered scraps of the foods and mixed them together, producing a delicious dish.  Today we call the meal they prepared “Noah’s Pudding”.

Similar dishes, similar traditions…

The making of this pudding is a common practice among Muslim people in the Middle East. In Turkey, it is customary to prepare this dessert, which is called “Ashure”. Christian communities throughout the Middle East prepare a similar sweet wheat dish.

Armenians also cook a meal very similar to ashure to celebrate their local festivity, Anoushabour-Christmas Pudding , ( ‘anoush’ means ‘sweet’ and ‘abour’ is ‘soup’)   which is also based on Noah’s legend. In the 40th day following a funeral; Orthodox Christians give away dry ashure, “koliva,” which is also prepared under different names in predominantly Orthodox countries such as Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria. Also they serve it in Commemoration of saints.

The tradition still continues

The pudding prepared at home is shared with the neighbors. As tradition goes the residents of forty houses to your east, west, north and south are considered neighbors. One has the responsibility of maintaining good relations with their neighbors regardless of what their religion or beliefs may be. It is also a custom to prepare the pudding in large cauldrons and distribute it to the poor.

What is special about this pudding?

Made out of a strange set of ingredients, yet it’s delicious. Wheat, white beans, chick peas, almonds, dried apricots, walnuts, raisins, cinnamon, clove, rose water, milk, sugar and water.

Noah’s Pudding symbolizes…

This unique dessert, which contains contrasting flavors, is not only delicious but also a perfect symbol of a harmonious society. The heterogeneous nature of Noah’s pudding also resonates the cultural diversity of the United States.

Ashure is the secret of making the scarce abundant; it is something done in collectivity and eaten together. It is the symbol of coexistence in both good and bad days, of rejuvenation, solidarity, being a human being, sharing and the joy of giving away. Ashure is the ability to ensure the coexistence of differences. It is the ability to view differences and diversities as richness. It is the ability to appreciate that people in the world are different, just like the ingredients in the dish. It is the symbol of coexistence in peace just like the ability of its ingredients to be together. It is the common cultural value of three divine religions (Islam, Christianity and Judaism). It is the core of alliance of civilizations.

This day is a symbol of sharing joy – the joy of the landing of the Noah’s Ark, and God’s bestowments to many other Messengers. Sharing Noah’s Pudding is a representation of the unity and essential relationship of humans to one another and to their Creator.

What does Noah’s Story and Noah’s Pudding reminds us?

Our guide: The belief in God and the belief in living together with harmony and peace
Our flood (disaster): Ignorance, global terror, clash of civilizations, wars, oppressions, high crime rates, famine, epidemics, poverty, ecological dangers, etc.
Our ark: To gather around the common values in search for solutions and consensus.

[Show as slideshow]

We have been working on changing the format of the program a little bit. Therefore, this month, we tried something new. We turned our watch and learn demonstration to a hands-on cooking class. We had three groups working to make their own dishes as Rabia demonstrated the steps. In the end, we had four pots of delicious and hearty Ezo Gelin soup and got to take it home for our friends or families.

Although Rabia insists that she is a beginner in cooking, we are quite convinced that she has an innate skill for it. The Ezo Gelin soup was certainly a success.

So if you want to try it yourself, here’s the recipe:

Ezo Gelin Soup

Ingredients:

• 1,5 cup red lentils
• ¼ cup rice
• ¼ cup fine bulgur
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 2 tbs butter
• 1 large onion,garlic
• 1 large toma
• 2 tbs totomato paste
• Red pepper
• Dried mint
• Black pepper & salt
• Lemon wedges

1) In a medium-size saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter over a medium flame.

2) Finely dice 1 large white onion and then finely dice 3-4 cloves of garlic.

3) Add the garlic and onions to the saucepan and stir gently with a good wooden spoon. Turn down heat to low.

4) Now, peel the skin off 1 large tomato, remove the seeds and chop them.

5) Add 2 tablespoons of the tomato paste to the saucepan.

6) Now add the chopped tomatoes and stir the ingredients together.

7) Add 1.5 cups of red lentils, thoroughly rinsed.

Add ¼ cup long grain white rice, thoroughly rinsed.

9) Add ¼ cup bulgur, thoroughly rinsed.

10) Add 6 cups of warm water

11) Add a dash of red pepper, black pepper and salt to taste.

12) Last but not least, add 1-2 tablespoons of fresh dried mint. Cover and bring to a slow boil.

13) Stir occasionally until rice is cooked and lentils have blended in with the stock. If the soup is too thick (it usually is), then add more water. Cooking time runs approximately 1 hour. Do frequent taste tests to be sure!

14) Once the soup has finished cooking, remove from heat and let it cool for 10 minutes. Then, heat some butter on low heat in a small saucepan and add a pinch of mint. Ladle the soup into bowls and drizzle the butter mixture on top for a delicious kick! Serve each with a lemon wedge and enjoy it:)

Afiyet Olsun!

[Show as slideshow]

They gave a presentation about their daily work, and also some informative topics including personal safety tips, local/state laws not well-known by the public, safety education for parents, calling 911, etc.

There was a questions and answers session at the end of the program.

We gave a gift Kütahya hand-made plate to Madison Police Department to thank for their great work.

“We really appreciate the opportunity to discuss our role in the community and answer your questions.  The gift that we were presented with was very thoughtful and appreciated.  I will be forwarding the plate to our Chief, Noble Wray.” Madison Police Lt. David Jugovich said.

We as TACC-Madison members are so honored for having Madison Police Department representatives in the cultural center.

[Show as slideshow]