Reinscribing the Dönme in the Secular Nation-State had also made their money mainly in the textile trade,^35 likewise played a
major role in school administration, both before and after the split, and
İsmail İpekçi was able to bring the Dilbers and Kibars together.^36 İsmail
ran the school until his death in 1936 , after which Suleiman Kâni İrtem,
one of the first graduates of the Feyz-i Sıbyân, headed the board until his
death in 1946 ( 223 ).
The Dönme school did its best to fit into the new republic, chang-
ing its aims from ethno-religious community building and international
commerce to Turkish nationalism. According to the new school regula-
tions, the Feyziye had only educational aims, was not established for po-
litical ends, and any Turk could be a member of the board ( 201 ). In 1934 ,
it changed its name to Işık (Light) ( 211 ). Atatürk himself sent a telegram
celebrating its fiftieth anniversary, and the change of name ( 213 ), in re-
sponse to a telegram the school had sent him, which alluded to its origins
in Salonika with Şemsi Efendi, Atatürk’s own first teacher, and noted that
the school board had pledged loyalty to the republic and its leader and
placed a wreath at the Republic Monument in Taksim Square. The school
thus became like most others in Turkey, although its student body, if not
its pedagogical aims, remained distinct.
from terakki to şişli terakki
The Kapancı school also survived “keeping it within the family,” but
underwent a major overhaul by changing to reflect the realities of the
republic. In 1919 the Salonikan Terakki was reopened in Nişantaşı, Şişli,
Istanbul. Reflecting this move, in 1922 , its name became Şişli Terakki.
The minutes of the first meeting of the board reveal that no members
of the Kapancı family attended; they were still in Salonika.^37 One of the
early decisions was not to allow girls wearing head scarves to attend,^38
making it one of the first Istanbul schools to demand something on
which the new republic would pride itself in encouraging later. Thus one
of the reasons for the Dönme schools’ reputation for secularism stems
from such measures enacted not in Salonika, but in Istanbul. After 1923 ,
Salonikan Dönme arrived and enrolled in the school. In 1925 , the Sertel
family began to participate in the life of the school, with Sabiha Sertel
serving as general inspector.^39 The board membership in 1925 reflected
continuity with Salonika: its members were professionals and interna-
tional merchants (tobacco, textiles), and ambassadors. Among them