History of Turkish Jews  ·  By Naim Güleryüz

History of Turkish Jews

Five centuries of coexistence — from the Ottoman welcome of 1492 to the community of today.

History of Turkish Jews

By Naim Güleryüz, researcher and vice president of the Quincentennial Foundation

This section presents a comprehensive history of Jewish life in Türkiye, from ancient Anatolian settlements through the golden age of Ottoman Jewry, the founding of the Turkish Republic, the trials and triumphs of the twentieth century, and the vibrant community of today.

Introduction
Foreword
Columbus, 1492, and the Ottoman welcome that changed Jewish history.
Read → Ancient to medieval
A History Predating 1492
Jewish communities in Anatolia centuries before the Sephardic arrival.
Read → 1492
A Haven for Sephardic Jews
Bayazid II’s welcome and the five centuries of community that followed.
Read → Ottoman golden age
The Life of Ottoman Jews
Court physicians, diplomats, scholars, and the printing press.
Read → 1923 onward
Equality and a New Republic
The Republic, World War II, the Varlık Vergisi, and the diplomatic heroes of the Holocaust.
Read → 2026
Turkish Jews Today
The community today: ~15,000 people, 26 synagogues, a living culture.
Read → Language & culture
Education, Language & Social Life
Ladino, Turkish, schools, hospitals, and community institutions.
Read → Since 1989
The Quincentennial Foundation
The foundation that commemorated 500 years of Jewish life in Türkiye.
Read →