DADDY, WHY DO THEY CALL US DÖNMEH? – Suzan Nana Tarablus

Daddy, why do they call us Dönmeh? is a collection of interviews through which the author was able to shine a light on the famous messianic movement of Sabbatai Sevi from the 17th century and which continues to survive in its multiple identities. Even if today most of the old community has disappeared, the remaining few members of this society keep fighting to preserve their traditions by telling stories about their families as well as by laying bare both their fears and hopes for the future of the Salonican.

Suzan Nana Tarablus was born in Istanbul. She graduated from the Arnavutköy American College for Girls and studied American Language and Literature at Istanbul University. During the years 1995-1997, she was the first professional editor-in-chief of Şalom Newspaper. Her research and travel articles have been published in Şalom Magazine where she has also been working as the editor-in-chief since 2016. She is the author of three other books, Bir Sabah Galata’da Uyandım (One Morning I Woke Up at Galata), Çek Kayıkçı Balat’a (Boatman row to Balat!), and Kuşaktan kuşağa Kuzguncuk yolculuğum (My Kuzguncuk journey through generations) all published by Varlık Yayıncılık. She is a member of the Press Council since 2020 and the mother of two sons, Eyal and Eytan.