Who are Turkey’s Jews?
SIDEBAR
By Cnaan LiphshizMay 29, 2015 4:11pm
ISTANBUL (JTA) – For centuries, Turkey served as a safe haven for Jews fleeing anti-Semitism.
The earliest records of Jews in Turkey date back to 220 B.C.E., but the area saw a major Jewish influx in the early 14th century, when Jews expelled from Hungary, France, Sicily and elsewhere migrated here. Their positive impact on trade convinced the land’s Ottoman rulers to welcome more Jews.
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