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Israeli, Turkish chefs hope food can bridge divide

For Israeli food blogger David Dudi Califa, a victim of the IS attack in Istanbul a year ago, the best reply to terrorism is to cook with love.

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Israel's top chefs visit Istanbul for a gastronomic tour organized by food blogger David Dudi Califa (wearing a white hat) in memory of the Israeli victims of an IS suicide bomb attack a year ago, July 21, 2017. — The Hungry Tourist

It took quite a few months for David Dudi Califa to decide to come back to Istanbul following the attack by a suicide bomber on March 19, 2016, on one of Istanbul’s busiest streets. Califa, a food blogger from Israel, was leading a gastronomy tour when an Islamic State (IS) bomber killed three of his friends and injured 10 more of his group, including himself.

“Even while I was lying in a pool of blood and broken glass on that unfortunate day, I remember making a vow to myself that hate will not win. A little over a year after the incident, I’ve decided to start again to build the bridge of friendship between the Turkish and Israeli people,” he told Al-Monitor when he visited Istanbul on July 20.

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