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Antisemitism in Turkey refers tohistorical and contemporary acts andsentiments of hostility, prejudice, ordiscrimination directed against Jews as individuals or as a community, based on theirreligion,ethnicity, culture, or perceived identity inTurkey.
Jews have lived in the territory comprising modern Turkey for over 2,400 years. Initially, the population consisted of Greek-speakingRomaniote Jews, but the Romaniotes graduallyassimilated into theSephardic Jewish community. The Sephardic community began migrating from theIberian Peninsula to theOttoman Empire's territory in the 15th century as a result of thepersecution of Jews and Muslims by Manuel I of Portugal, theexpulsion of Jews from Spain, theSpanish Inquisition, and thePortuguese Inquisition.[1]
Although Jews constituted only approximately 0.03% of the Turkish population in 2009,[2] the Turkey nevertheless houses one of the largestJewish diaspora communities in theMuslim world. The population of Turkish Jews was counted at 23,000 in 2009 and between 10,000 and 14,000 in 2022; the community is declining.[3][4][5][6] Most Jews reside inIstanbul.[7] As of 2010, there were 23 activesynagogues in Turkey, including 16 in Istanbul alone.[8] Historically, the Jewish population of the Ottoman Empire reached its apex at the end of the 19th century, when Jews numbered around 500,000 individuals, of which approximately half lived in the territory of modern Turkey.
Although Jews form a very small portion of the Turkish population today, antisemitic sentiment is widespread among modern-day Turks.[9] Publiccriticism of Israel in Turkey frequently turns into expressions of general antisemitic sentiment.[10][better source needed]
Since 2009, the Jewish population has declined. By September 2010, the population had dropped to about 17,000 people, mainly due toemigration to Israel precipitated by security concerns from increasing antisemitism sentiments following incidents such as the2006 Lebanon War, the 2008–2009Gaza War, and the May2010 Gaza flotilla raid in which nine Turkish citizens were killed byIsraeli Navycommandos boarding the flotilla ships to uphold the maritimeblockade of the Gaza Strip.[11][12][13][14]
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In accordance withIslamic law (Sharia),Jews in the Ottoman Empire were considereddhimmis, which subordinated them to Muslims. However, the status ofdhimmi guaranteed Jews personal inviolability andfreedom of religion.[15] That said, dhimmitude did not prevent antisemitism in Ottoman Turkey.
The first Ottoman case ofblood libel—that is, claims of Jews abducting and sacrificing non-Jews in sinister rituals—was reported during the reign ofSultanMehmed II in the 15th century (according to other sources, at the beginning of the 16th century).[16] Subsequently, and despite the mass migration of Jews from Spain in 1492, such blood libels occurred rarely and were usually condemned by Ottoman authorities. Some Jewish sources mention blood libel incidents during the reign of SultanMurad IV.[17]SultanMehmed II issued afirman (a royal decree) that was the first of its kind in the Ottoman Empire: He ordered that all cases related to the blood libel should be considered by theDivan, the highest council of the Empire.
In general, theAlhambra Decree and subsequent migration of Jews from Western Europe to the Ottoman Empire were welcomed by the authorities. In 1553, SultanSuleiman the Magnificent, taking up the opinion of his personal physician and adviser,Moses Hamon, reconfirmed the orders of Mehmed II, which prohibited local courts from adjudicating the cases about alleged Jewish ritual murder.[18] He also successfully counter-measured the intention ofPope Paul IV to place theJews of Ancona into the hands of theInquisition.[19]
However, later, the attitude of the authorities towards the Jews deteriorated. In 1579, SultanMurad III reportedly heard that Jewish women wore silk clothes decorated withgemstones and ordered thedestruction of all Jews in the Empire.[20] Even though the decree was lifted, thanks toSolomon Ashkenazi, the adviser to thegrand vizier, special clothing was ordered for Jews to wear. In particular, women were forbidden to wear silk, and men were required to wear the so-calledJewish hat.[15]
There were a number of known cases of blood libel in the 19th century on the territory of the Ottoman Empire:Aleppo (1810),Beirut (1824),Antioch (1826),Hama (1829),Tripoli (1834),Jerusalem (1838),Rhodes andDamascus (1840),Marmora (1843),Smyrna (1864). The most famous of them were theRhodes blood libel andDamascus affair in 1840, both of which had major international repercussions.
A blood libel in Rhodes occurred in February 1840, when theGreek Orthodox Church, with the active participation of the consuls of several European states, accused the Jews of kidnapping and murdering a Christian boy for ritual purposes. The Ottoman governor of Rhodes supported the accusation. Several Jews were arrested, some of whom have made self-incriminating confessions undertorture, and the entireJewish quarter was blocked for twelve days. In July 1840, the Jewish community of Rhodes was formally acquitted of accusations.[21]
In the same year, theDamascus affair took place, in which Jews were accused of theritual murder of father Thomas, aFranciscan friar from theIsland of Sardinia and hisGreek servant, Ibrahim Amarah.[15][21] Four members of the Jewish community died under torture, and the matter resulted in international outrage. British politician SirMoses Montefiore intervened to clear the remaining imprisoned Jews and persuadedSultanAbdülmecid I to issue a decree on 6 November 1840, declaring thatblood libel accusations is aslander against Jews and to be prohibited throughout the Ottoman Empire.[15] The decree read:
"We cannot permit the Jewish nation... to be vexed and tormented upon accusations, which have not the least foundation in truth..."
In 1866, with the resumption of cases of blood libel, theSultanAbdulaziz issued a firman, according to which the Jews were declared to be under his protection. Orthodox clergy limited such accusations thereafter.[19] Another known case of blood libel happened in 1875 inAleppo, but the alleged victim of the murder—anArmenian boy—was soon found alive and well.
In the second half of the 19th century, the Ottoman Empire initiated theTanzimat reforms aimed at aligning the rights among its subjects regardless of ethnic origin and religion. These transformations positively affected the Jews, who finally acquired equal rights.[15] In the beginning of the 20th century, the Jewish population in the Empire had reached 400–500,000 people. In 1887, there were five Jewish members in theOttoman Parliament.[22][23] However, actual equality under the law was not achieved by Jews until much later.
With the appearance ofZionism in the late 19th century, the attitude of Ottoman authorities towards Jews began losing its traditional tolerance, thus marking the first signs of modern Turkish antisemitism.[24] There were also conflicts with localMuslims, especially in the area of present-day Israel. Towards the end of the 19th century, the Arab population protested against the increasing Jewish presence in Palestine, resulting in a ban in 1892 on all land sales to foreigners. Jews were forbidden to settle inPalestine or live inJerusalem, regardless of whether they were subjects of the Empire or foreigners.[25][26] Hostility to Jews grew with the increase in numbers of Jews in the region, and there was a major pogrom inJaffa in March 1908, in which theArab population participated and resulted in 13 people being seriously injured, several of whom died later. The local government was sacked.[27][28]
DuringWorld War I, Jews were persecuted by the Ottoman Empire, as the Ottomans accused Jews of being British and Russian spies, greatly affecting theAliyah and Yishuv community. Subsequently, the Ottomans issued the1917 Jaffa deportation, in which thousands of Jews were expelled or died.[29]
During theGreco-Turkish War of 1919–1922, the Jewish communities inWestern Anatolia andEastern Thrace were persecuted by the Greeks, and apogrom occurred inÇorlu.[15]
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In 1923, when the creation ofTurkish Republic was proclaimed, at that time there were 200,000 Jews living on its territory, including 100,000 inIstanbul alone.[15] Jews were granted civil equality; however, the subsequent pogroms and persecution triggered a mass Jewish emigration, which reduced the Jewish community by 10 times.[23]
In 1920, the opponents of the regime ofMustafa Kemal (Atatürk) launched an antisemitic campaign, claiming, besides classical antisemitic rhetoric, that the Jews supported Greek interests in theTurkish War of Independence and illegally appropriated abandoned property. The campaign did not find widespread support and ultimately ceased with the stabilization of Mustafa Kemal's regime. In the same period the government forced the Jewish community to abandon thecultural autonomy granted to ethnic minorities, thereby violating thetreaty of Lausanne,[15] although this was the general policy of Mustafa Kemal's regime, which also affected Armenians andKurds, among others.
On 2 July 1934, a pro-Nazi group headed byCevat Rıfat Atilhan organizedpogroms against Jews in Thrace. Authorities decisively stopped the anti-Jewish riots, announced a state of emergency in Eastern Thrace, and brought looters to justice.[15] At the same time, some sources mention there was a forcible eviction of Jews from Eastern Thrace, based on theLaw on Resettlement "(№ 2510).[30] Under this law, the Interior Minister had the right to relocate national minorities to other parts of the country depending on the level of their "adaptation to Turkish culture".[31] In particular, the Jews were expelled by Turkish authorities of the city ofEdirne.[32] In 1935, the Turkish Army bought 40,000 copies of Attilhans' antisemitic bookSuzy Liberman, Jewish Spy and distributed them amongst the officers.[33]
In 1939–1942, Turkey again saw antisemitic propaganda spreading that had seen support fromNazi Germany, in which the Turkish government did not intervene. In July 1942, power in Turkey was seized by right-wing politicians. On 11 November 1942, a law on tax on property (Varlık Vergisi) was ratified by theTurkish Parliament. The tax rate for Jews and Christians was 5 times greater than for Muslims. As a result, about 1,500 Jews were sent to labor camps for non-payment of taxes. The Act was repealed on 15 March 1944.[15][34][35] Despite this, Turkey received substantial numbers of Jewish refugees during the rise of fascism in Europe in the 1930s and theSecond World War. There were cases of Turkish diplomats in Europe aiding Jews in escapingthe Holocaust.[36]
From 1948 to 1955, approximately 37,000 Turkish Jews emigrated to Israel. One stated reason for emigration was pressure from authorities to useTurkish language even at home.[7]
In 1950, Atilhan and other right-wing Turkish politicians, to a great extent, spread antisemitic propaganda through the media, some of which, though, were confiscated by the authorities.[37] Attacks on Jews and antisemitic incidents were recorded in 1955, 1964, and 1967. Authorities took steps to protect the Jewish population.[15]
In the 1970s–1980s, antisemitic sentiments in Turkey increased. Anti-Jewish theses existed in the programs of certain political parties.[15] In the wake of the Turkish government's condemnation of the2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict which strained relations between the two countries,[38][39] a 2009 report issued by theIsraeli Foreign Ministry said that Erdoğan "indirectly incites and encourages"antisemitism.[40]
A reviewer of the left-liberal Turkish dailyRadikal, Murat Arman, in 2005 wrote that the situation in Turkey reminds him of 1930 in Germany, where the media often discussed the dominance of Jews in the economy, the assumption about their clandestine activities directed against Germany, and a harmful effect on German society. He believes that this is an extremely dangerous trend and that such a massive agitation against non-Muslims in Turkey has not been recorded for many years.[41][better source needed]
Some experts believe that the growth of antisemitism in Turkey is not taking place,[42] but most agree that a number of hazards exist, in particular, the emergence of antisemitic posters and attempts to conduct antisemitic propaganda in the Turkish schools.[11][23][43][44][45][46][47]
Since the outbreak of theGaza war, antisemitism in Turkey has increased exponentially.[48]
Prominent antisemitic thinkers of the 1930s and 1940s includedBurhan Belge,Cevat Rıfat Atilhan,Nihal Atsız,Sadri Ertem, andMuhittin Bergen [tr].[49]
The main ideological sources of antisemitism in Turkey areIslamism, left-winganti-Zionism, and nationalistright-wing extremism. Turkish intellectuals have always been pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel in their stance, while the debate of theMiddle East conflict among laymen in Turkey often turns antisemitic.[9] Nefes argues that anti-Semitic currents are not mainstream in Turkish politics, while Turkish-Jewry has been seen as outsiders in Turkish society. In other words, Turkish Jewry is not perceived as a local threat, but comes into consideration during relevant international conflicts as a suspicious non-native community.[50]
In January 2010, Israeli newspaperHaaretz published a report prepared by the International Centre for Political Studies at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel, which argued that anti-Israeli statements by Turkish Prime MinisterRecep Tayyip Erdoğan contributed to the growth of antisemitism in Turkish society.[51][52]
A Turkish specialist on inter-ethnic and inter-religious relations,[53]Rıfat Bali and other sources state that Jews who converted to Islam are portrayed by Turkish Islamists as an alien group of questionable loyalty. Islamists, though, refer to groups such as liberals,secularists, and socialists as "Shabbethaians" when wishing to attribute to them disloyalty.[9][54][55][56][57][43][58] For instance, theGreat Eastern Islamic Raiders' Front (İslami Büyük Doğu Akıncıları Cephesi), a radical Islamist terrorist organization established in 1984, advocates the expulsion of any Jewish and Christian presence in Turkish political life.[59]
According to researchers atTel Aviv University, the IslamistWelfare Party was a major source of antisemitism in Turkey until 1997. According to the researchers, the leaders, including the former Prime MinisterNecmettin Erbakan, have presented antisemitic claims in the critique of the state of Israel. In February 1997, an article in the party's newspaper filled with such rhetoric led to protests outside of theTurkish Embassy in Washington. The article stated:[60]
"... a snake was created to express its poison, just as a Jew was created to make mischief."
In 1997, the secular parties came to power in Turkey, and the influence of the Welfare Party has since decreased significantly.[60]
However, in 2003, whenRecep Tayyip Erdoğan, a leader of the IslamistJustice and Development Party, became the Prime Minister of Turkey, it marked the beginning of an Islamisation of the Turkish society. Erdoğan was also to become known for harsh anti-Israeli rhetoric. After the Israeli operationCast lead in the Gaza Strip and with the appointment of newTurkish Foreign MinisterAhmet Davutoğlu in 2009, anti-Israeli sentiments clearly became expressed in Turkishforeign policy.[44][61]
Several sources claim that the conflict following theGaza flotilla incident on 31 May 2010 was deliberately instigated by Turkish politicians in order to aggravate the relations with Israel for the sake of domestic and foreign policy gains.[62][63][64]
Furthermore, according to news reports from December 2012, Turkey'sNational Intelligence Organization has started investigating individuals who may be dual citizens of Israel and Turkey in connection with the Mavi Marmara "Flotilla Incident" of 2010.[65]
On 31 May 2015, a report fromThe Times of Israel revealed that almost 40% of the Turkish population views Israel as a threat, the highest percentage ever recorded, signalling the rampant rise of antisemitism in Turkey, a result of the widespread Turkish government's portrayal of Jewish people.[66]
Left-wing Turkish intelligentsia tends to view Israel as an instrument ofUS imperialism in the Middle East. TheIsraeli-Palestinian conflict is thus interpreted as a conflict between a group "oppressed by imperialism" and a proxy of the United States. This tradition has existed since the 1970s, when Turks of the far-left joined thePalestine Liberation Organization and received military training through said organization, and some participated in combat against Israeli forces.[citation needed][relevant?]
Turkish-Jewish scholar,Rıfat Bali, assessing the Turkish left-wing, says that for it, Zionism is an aggressive ideology that promotes antisemitism. In a special issue of left-wing magazineBirikim in 2004, it was asserted that antisemitism and Zionism are two sides of one coin, "Jewish conscience was captured by Israel," and all efforts should be made for the destruction of Israel in its present form.[9]
The head of the Jewish community in Turkey,Silvio Ovadia [tr], said that "any anti-Israeli statements can easily turn into a condemnation of Jews in general. Whenever a war breaks out in the Middle East, the antisemitism grows throughout the world. He believes that many people are not able to distinguish between Israelis and Jews and transfer the criticism of Israeli policies onto the Turkish citizens of Jewish origin.[1]
At the end of March 2005, the attention of Western media was drawn towards Turkey to the fact thatAdolf Hitler'sMein Kampf was running at 4th place on the Turkish best-seller lists for the first two months of 2005. Its low price ($4.50) made it affordable and drove high sales; from 50,000 to 100,000 copies of the book were sold.[67][68][69][41] On that occasion, Turkishsociologist andpolitical scientist Doğu Ergil stated that "Nazism, buried in Europe, is being resurrected in Turkey."[70]
A columnist of the liberal-leaning national newspaperHürriyet, Hadi Uluengin, wrote in February 2009 about a "new nationalist" antisemitism among secularists.[71]
These groups fiercely criticized the government's plan to provide to an Israeli company a long-term lease of section of the Turkish land on the border withSyria in return for an expensive operation on de-mining of that section (which, after joining to theMine Ban Treaty, Turkey was obliged to undertake until 2014). Opposition arguments on the inadmissibility of investment of the "Jewish finance" were commented by Prime Minister Erdoğan as "fascist" and as a "phobia towards minorities and foreigners."[72]
In June 2010, during one of the anti-Israel demonstrations, protestors used Nazi symbols and slogans which glorifiedAdolf Hitler.[73]
Before the2008–2009 Gaza War, most of the antisemitic manifestations in Turkey were in the print media and books. The researchers atTel Aviv University noted that many young and educated Turks under the influence of this propaganda were forming a negative attitude towards Jews and Israel, although they had never come across them.[74]
Some sources say that many antisemitic sentiments are being published in Islamist publications such asVakit andMillî Gazete as well as in ultraOrtadoğu andYeniçağ. For example, a famous Turkish writerOrhan Pamuk, who is prosecuted for public recognition of theArmenian genocide in Turkey, has been named by the newspaperYeniçağ as "a lover of Jews", "the best friend of the Jews" and "servant of the Jews."Ortadoğu andYeniçağ argued that well-knownKurdish leadersMustafa Barzani andJalal Talabani are Jews by birth and intend to create a "Greater Israel" under the guise of a Kurdish state. The magazineVakit wrote that theMossad and Israel are responsible for laying mines in southeastern Turkey, that is killingTurkish soldiers.[75]Vakit andMillî Gazete published articles that praised Hitler and deniedthe Holocaust.[43][41][76]
Vakit wrote that theChief rabbi of Turkey must leave the country because he did not condemn the Israeli operation "Cast Lead". The publications in the media compared Israel toNazi Germany, and theoperation in Gaza tothe Holocaust, the media puts an equal mark between the words "Jew" and "terrorist".Millî Gazete columnist expressed his desire never to see Jews on the streets of Turkish cities.[43][45]
In Turkey, antisemitic books are published and freely distributed, such asThe Protocols of the Elders of Zion,The International Jew byHenry Ford, and many others, including Turkish authors, who argue in their books that Jews and Israel want to seize power all over the world.[77][43][78][obsolete source]
In 1974, as president of the Beyoğlu Youth Group of the Islamist MSP Party, Erdoğan wrote, directed, and played the lead role in a play titled "Mas-Kom-Ya" (Mason-Komünist-Yahudi [Mason-Communist-Jew]), which presentedfreemasonry,communism, and Judaism as evil.[79]
In 2006, the filmValley of the Wolves: Iraq was screened in Turkey. Many critics regarded it as anti-American and antisemitic.[80][81][82] The latter charge is based on the fact that the film has a scene where a Jewish doctor, an employee in the U.S. Army, trades bodies of prisoners of the Abu Ghraib detention centre.[81][83]
Footage from the Turkish TV showAyrılık ("Farewell") tells a story of love with OperationCast lead in the background. The footage prompted the Israeli Foreign Ministry in October 2009 to summon thechargé d'affaires of Turkey in Israel, D. Ozen[84] to give explanations. Discontents were made as to the scene where the actors depicting Israeli soldiers shoot Palestinian "soldiers" and kill a Palestinian girl, as well as to a number of other scenes. The officials of theIsraeli Foreign Ministry stated that "the scene does not have even a remote connection to… reality and depicts the Israeli army as the murderers of innocent children."[5][85]
In January 2010, after the new TV seriesValley of the Wolves: Ambush was aired in Turkey, the Turkish ambassador to Israel, Oğuz Çelikol, was summoned to the Israeli Foreign Ministry for explanations. The Israel dissatisfaction was a scene where the agents of theMossad, as performed by the Turkish actors, kidnapped Turkish children and took the Turkish ambassador and his family as hostages.[83][86][87] The Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Israel,Danny Ayalon, in a conversation with the Turkish ambassador expressed his opinion that "the scene, similar to the one shown in the series, make life of Jews in Turkey unsafe."[88][89] At that meeting, Ayalon defiantly violated several rules ofdiplomatic etiquette, which eventually led to a diplomatic scandal.[90][91][92] Oğuz Çelikol himself condemned the resumption of the said Turkish TV show series.[93]
Attacks on Jews are also heard on Turkish television.[41][75] Representatives of the Jewish community in Turkey in early 2009 expressed concern about the antisemitic statements that were expressed in a number of television programs.[94]
In July 2014, Imam Mehmet Sait Yaz gave a sermon inDiyarbakır which was broadcast byOdaTV and later translated by cited byMEMRI.[better source needed] During the sermon, Yaz stated that "You shall find the Jews to be the most hostile toward the believers. The most rabid and savage enemies of Islam on this Earth are the Jews. Who said this? Allah did" and that "These Jews spoil all the agreements on Earth and have murdered 17 of their own prophets … And I declare here: All Jews who have taken up arms to murder Muslims must be killed, and Israel must be wiped off the map! This will be done with the help of Allah. Have no fear. These are good tidings. This is gospel...The Muslims will attack Israel and the Jews. The Jews will run and hide. When the Jew hides behind [trees and] stones, the [trees and] stones will say: 'Oh servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind you. Come and get him."AKP lawmaker Cuma İçten, who subsequently posted Yaz's speech on his Facebook page, described Yaz's words as "magnificent."[95][better source needed][96]
In 2015, anErdoğan-affiliated news channel broadcast a two-hour documentary titled "The Mastermind" (a term which Erdoğan himself had introduced to the public some months earlier), which forcefully suggested that it were "the mind of the Jews" that "rules the world, burns, destroys, starves, wages wars, organizes revolutions and coups, and establishes states within states."[97]
Anti-Jewish incidents after January 2009:[45]
The banners at the press conference of the anti-Israeli Federation Association of Culture Osman Gazi in Eskisehir read: "Dogs allowed, for Jews and Armenians the entrance is closed".[98] In Istanbul the leaflets were posted calling "not to buy at Jewish stores and not serve Jews."[46]
Somebillboards in Istanbul had the following text: "You can not be the son of Moses" and "Not in your book", with quotations from theTorah condemning the killing and with pictures of bloody children's footwear.[43]Inİzmir and Istanbul, some synagogues have been desecrated by insulting and threateninggraffiti.[99][100]The lists with names of famous Jewish physicians were distributed with the call to kill them in retaliation for an operation in Gaza.[45] Lists were compiled and distributed with names of Jewish companies, both local and international, toboycott.[45] In June 2010, several Turkish shops put signs reading "We do not accept dogs and Israelis".[14]
In the late 20th to early 21st centuries in Turkey, there were three anti-Jewish terrorist attacks. In all three cases, the militants attacked the main synagogue of Istanbul,Neve Shalom Synagogue.[101][102]
On 6 September 1986, a terrorist from thePalestinian organization of Abu Nidal machine gunned visitors at Neve Shalom Synagogue duringSabbath prayers. 23 Jews were killed and 6 were injured.[101][103][104]
On 15 November 2003, suicide bombers using cars exploded near two synagogues in Istanbul in which 25 people were killed and 300 were wounded.[105][106]Islamists justified their actions by stating that there were "Israeli agents working" in the synagogues. Responsibility for the attacks were claimed byAl-Qaeda and a Turkish Islamist organization, theGreat Eastern Islamic Raiders' Front. For these attacks, the Turkish courts convicted 48 people linked to Al-Qaeda.[107][108][109]
On 21 August 2003, Joseph Yahya, a 35-year-old dentist from Istanbul, was found dead in his clinic. The murderer was arrested in March 2004 and admitted that he killed Yahya out of antisemitic motives.[110]
On 6 January 2009 a basketball match at theEuropean Cup between IsraeliFC Bnei Hasharon and TurkishTürk Telecom was interrupted by Turkish fans. The fans chanted insulting slogans and tried to throw objects at hand at Israeli athletes. Police defended the Israelis from the attack.[111][112]
Also in January 2009, an attack on a Jewish soldier in the Turkish army was reported. The assailant was immediately punished by the commander of the military base. In the same period a number of Jewish students suffered a verbal abuse and physical attacks.[45]
In June 2010, Islamists threatened Turkish Jews with violence in connection with the Turkish-Israeli conflict over the "Freedom Flotilla".[113]
Direct antisemitic actions in Turkey are prosecuted by the government. In 2009, a store owner, who posted on its door a banner reading "Entrance for Jews and Armenians Forbidden!" was sentenced to five months in prison.[114] However, a report of theWorld Jewish Congress noted that during the operation in Gaza, the Turkish justice system did not pursue antisemitic actions of participants and did not interfere with antisemitic incitement.[45]
In October 2004, the socialist Turkish magazine Birikim published a statement entitled "No tolerance for anti-Semitism!" It was signed by 113 well-known Turkish Muslim and non-Muslim intellectuals.[115]
A particularly hostile attitude towards Israel and Jews was reported during Israeli military operationCast Lead, the Turkish police had to take measures to protect Jewish institutions in Turkey.[45] Many liberal journalists in the newspaperHürriyet,Milliyet andVatan published weighted statements, noting that criticism of Israeli policies should not go into hostility towards the Jews.[43] Protection of Jewish institutions in Turkey was reinforced in June 2010 after the incident with the "Freedom Flotilla". Interior MinisterBeşir Atalay said that the authorities will not allow that Turkish Jews suffer from anti-Israel speeches.[116][117]
Addressing criticism of Israel in connection with the operation in Gaza,Prime Minister Erdoğan said at the same time that "anti-Semitism is a crime against humanity".[94][118] On 27 January 2010 at theInternational Holocaust Remembrance Day,Turkish Foreign Ministry announced that Turkey would continue its policy aimed against antisemitism, racism,xenophobia and discrimination.[119]
In May 2021, theBiden administration condemned as "antisemitic" and "reprehensible" comments made by President Erdoğan regarding the Jewish people.[120] On 20 May 2021, the Jewish community in Turkey showed support to Turkish presidentRecep Tayyip Erdoğan and condemned the US calling Turkey an ''antisemitic country''.[121]
In an 2008 survey by thePew Research Center, 76% of Turks had an unfavourable view of Jews and 7% had a positive view on Jews.[9]
Turkish Jews are concerned about antisemitic sentiments in Turkey, for example, some private shops posted tablets with the inscription "Jews are not allowed".[122] A similar concern is also raised by American Jewish organizations.[45][80][46][123]
IDC ProfessorBarry Rubin believes that an open advocacy of antisemitism in Turkey "is far superior to anything that happens in Europe."[100]
After the raid of Israel on "Freedom Flotilla" off the coast of Gaza, on 31 May 2010, which resulted in the death of 9 Turkish citizens, the Turkish Prime Minister Erdoğan said that "Israel must put an end to speculation on Semitism around the world",[124] and Islamist demonstrators on the anti-Israeli rallies have used antisemitic slogans, including phrase "Death to the Jews".[125][126]
Rıfat Bali, believes that any attempt to resist the growth of antisemitic sentiments would lead to the deterioration of the situation, Turkish Jews must either leave, or be prepared to live in a massive antisemitic environment.[9]
ОДЕССА, 21, III. На пароходе "Русского" общества "Царь" сеyearня прибыло в Одессу несколько еврейских семейств из Яффы, пострадавших во время погрома. Беглецы передают, что из числа тяжело раненых евреев несколько человек умерло
Несмотря на то, что на международных форумах Эрдоган постоянно заявляет, что антисемитизм является преступлением против человечности, он по-прежнему "косвенно подстрекает или поощряет" антисемитизм в Турции
Security has been tight at Neve Shalom since a 1986 attack when gunmen killed 22 worshippers and wounded six during a Sabbath service. That attack was blamed on the radical Palestinian militant Abu Nidal. The Iranian-backed Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah carried out a bomb attack against the synagogue in 1992, but no one was injured
Media related toAntisemitism in Turkey at Wikimedia Commons
