Young Turkish Jews Flee Growing Anti-Semitism

inn ^ | 10/22/13 | Ari Soffer

[Nachum]

Turkish Jews are leaving the country due to growing anti-Semitism, exacerbated by the Islamist AKP government's antagonism towards Israel and Jews.

So says Nesim Güveniş, deputy chairman the Association of Turkish Jews in Israel.

Speaking to Turkey's Hurriyet Daily Güveniş claimed that young Jews are particularly keen to leave, hundreds of whom have already moved to the US and Europe in recent years.

The infamous Mavi Marmara incident and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's decision to storm out of a televised interview with Israeli President Shimon Peres were all contributing factors to the growing sense of unease among Turkey's 15,000-strong Jewish community, who saw it as pure antagonism on the part of their own Prime Minister.

"Is [Israeli President Shimon] Peres a man that could be told ‘one minute’? He is known in the world as a man of peace," protested Güveniş, who himself made aliyah (emigrated) to Israel in 1981, and is one of approximately 80,000 Turkish Jews living in Israel today.

But anti-Israel politics are just the tip of the iceberg.

[JoeFromSidney]

The Turkish Prime Minister's long history of anti-Semitism is no secret. Prior to his stint as PM, in 1998 Erdogan - then mayor of Istanbul - infamously declared that "the Jews have begun to crush the Muslims in Palestine, in the name of Zionism. Today, the image of the Jews is no different than that of the Nazis."

Interesting. I was living in Istanbul in 1998, and regularly read the English-language TURKISH DAILY NEWS. I don't recall that being reported. Nor did I ever encounter any hint of anti-Semitism among my fellow faculty members. Those that I discussed politics with were more afraid of Saudi-style Wahabbism.

[Jewbacca]

“among my fellow faculty members.”

Well, perhaps you were in an Ivy Tower, insulated from reality.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Nachum.

...growing sense of unease among Turkey's 15,000-strong Jewish community... approximately 80,000 Turkish Jews living in Israel today.

[SJackson]

Middle East and terrorism, occasional political and Jewish issues Ping List. High Volume

If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.

..................

[JoeFromSidney]

Well, perhaps you were in an Ivy Tower, insulated from reality.

I was probably insulated from a lot, by my inability to speak Turkish beyond a bit of dickering in the market. However, as I said, nothing about this ever appeared in the only newspaper I could read.