Perceptions of Anti‐Semitism among Turkish Jews

What is it about?

It is commonly believed that there is little or no anti-Semitism in Turkey; for this reason, the Jewish community there is considered to be fortunate. Even the Thrace Incidents of 1934, the 1942 Capital Tax or the 6-7 September Events in 1955 are considered to be examples of discrimination against all non-Muslim minorities in Turkey and not only against the Jews even if the Jews were the main targets of violence like in the Thrace Incidents. This study investigates the validity of this optimistic view with the help of empirical research conducted on a sample group of Turkish Jews. More precisely, it deals with the question of how Jews living in Turkey perceive anti-Semitism with a perspective that prioritizes the voices of the Jews themselves and gives an account of their experience regarding their status as a religious minority in a Muslim majority society.

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Why is it important?

This paper discusses the results of the research based on in-depth interviews with Jewish respondents and reflects on the nature, sources and extent of anti-Semitism in contemporary Turkey in the eyes of Turkey’s Jews themselves.