Discovering the Diary
In late 2005, while researching my family and community roots, I visited David Demirel, Sinior’s son and a cousin of my grandfather, Rahamim Demirel. My father, Gabriel Demirel, came with me and helped convey the seriousness of the project.
Only after a period of conversation, when David became convinced that I was serious, did he bring down an old notebook densely written in Turkish and Aramaic. In it, his father, Sinior Demirel, recorded the history of the Salmas community and his own life: from the old Jewish quarter, Kohna Shahr, near Lake Urmia, through Van and Başkale, to Istanbul. The diary interweaves Jewish life with that of neighboring peoples amid the wars and struggles for control in the region.
Three Years of Translation with David
For about three years I visited David every week. We talked, ate Chava’s food, and translated the notebook into Hebrew. David’s knowledge of Turkish, Lishan Didan, and the family world enabled him to decipher his father’s meaning faithfully.
A close friendship grew between us. We planned to add the next chapter—the immigration to Israel—but sadly did not have time to complete it. I dedicate this translation and editorial work to David Demirel, Sinior’s son and a true friend.
From a Family Notebook to the Public
I kept the work for years and contacted the Ben-Zvi Institute in the hope of publishing it as historical testimony from a vanished community. When the institute withdrew, I began editing and publishing the diary on the Nash Didan community website. Responses from relatives, readers, researchers, and institutes showed how important this testimony is for understanding life around Lake Urmia and in eastern Turkey, particularly minority life in the early twentieth century.
Dr. Mordechai (Moti) Zaken and His Editorial Contribution
In 2019 Dr. Mordechai (Moti) Zaken contacted me and asked to consult the materials for a book he was writing. After I completed the Nash Didan publication, I gave him access and my blessing to use the material with credit.
From May 2020 especially, Moti sent detailed written comments on language, places, chronology, and the distinction between eyewitness testimony, hearsay, and research hypothesis. Only after his death, which came suddenly to me, did I understand that he may have known he would not complete his book and wanted to leave me tools to continue. He was a rare person and a passionate scholar. I am deeply grateful for his generosity, precision, and love of research. May his memory be a blessing.
Thanks to My Father, Gabriel Demirel
I offer special thanks to my father, Gabriel Demirel, for his support, companionship, and partnership over the years. He joined meetings with relatives and community members, accompanied me to my first meeting with David, and helped establish and maintain the website and preserve the project’s materials.
A central motivation for renewing this project is the wish of my father and his brothers to see the original diary itself made accessible, organized, and readable. Presenting the manuscript pages and their transcription alongside the edited edition allows the family to encounter Sinior’s own handwriting and words directly. For me, it is also a way to return the diary to the family from which it came while opening it to the community and the wider public.
Creating the New Online Edition
This edition seeks to preserve Sinior’s voice while making the testimony clear and accessible. It combines manuscript scans, transcription, translation, editorial notes, links to people and places, and presentation in Hebrew, English, and Turkish.
Artificial-intelligence tools also assisted with transcription, translation, research, editing, and image preparation. They served only as aids; the decisions, verification, and responsibility for the text and presentation are mine.
I thank every relative, community member, scholar, and reader who contributed information, comments, and encouragement.