In Trouble, Turkey’s Leader Blames Israel—Raising Tension for His Country’s Jews
Many blame Recep Tayyip Erdogan for rising anti-Semitism, but the legacy of his conspiracy-mongering may outlast his rule
One recent sunny Shabbat morning just after services, the congregation of Istanbul’s Italian Synagogue, in the city’s Galata district, sat down at long tables for breakfast. Plates laden with cheese, boiled eggs, and savory Turkish pastries called poğaça were passed around to the hungry members, whose numbers totaled about 38, most of them men. Carafes full of strong tea offered warmth in the drafty room, but some who were feeling festive drained a bottle of raki, an aniseed liquor with an alcohol content slightly higher than most whiskeys.
More:Trouble for Turkey’s Jews as PM Blames Israel for Scandal – Tablet Magazine