Reevaluating Turkish Transnationalism: Insights from the Israeli Context

• In Event: Jewish Perspectives on the Republic of Turkey: Past and Present

Abstract

Our paper explores the significance of the Turkish Jewish diaspora in the mid-twentieth century in enhancing our understanding of broader Turkish diaspora dynamics. In the nineteenth and early twentieth century, Jewish migration from the Ottoman Empire followed a gradual and gradual trajectory of non-Muslim migration, primarily towards the United States and Latin America, akin to global migration trends at the time. However, the period of 1948-1949 witnessed a drastic shift in the pace, nature, and direction of Jewish outflux from Turkey, when almost half of the Jewish community emigrated to Israel, in what was deemed ethnonational “repatriation” by them and the state.
In contrast to Turkish-Armenians and Turkish-Greeks, whose memories are overshadowed by genocide and ethnic cleansing, Turkish Jews exhibit a nuanced view of Turkey, balancing admiration for Atatürk with criticism of governmental policies, notably their discontent with their marginalization under the Republic of Turkey, exemplified by the imposition of the Varlık Vergisi (capital tax) in 1942-1943. This perspective shaped their enduring connections with their Turkish homeland even after migrating en masse to Israel, driving their efforts to leverage these ties for self-representation and to aid their integration into Israeli politics, economics, and cultural spheres.
Our study aligns with the prevailing perceptions regarding the Jews of Turkey, both in their country and in the diaspora, as “unseen,” “invisible,” and “silent”. We analyze the ways in which they made themselves present in early historical stages. Delving into the Turkish diaspora in Israel, our discussion seeks to address a gap in scholarly discourse on Turkish transnationalism and migration. In so doing, our study emphasizes the significance of comparative and broadly framed analysis in enhancing our understanding of migration in broader Middle Eastern contexts.

Authors

• Tamir Karkason, Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg

• Aviad Moreno, Ben Gurion University of the Negev