Foreword
On the morning of August 3, 1492, when Columbus set sail on what would become his most famous expedition to the New World, his fleet departed from the relatively unknown seaport of Palos because the shipping lanes of Cadiz were clogged with Sephardic Jews expelled from Spain by the Edict of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand.
The Jews — forced either to convert to Christianity or to leave — left their land, their property, their belongings, all that was theirs and familiar to them, rather than abandon their beliefs, their traditions, their heritage.
“The Catholic monarch Ferdinand was wrongly considered as wise, since he impoverished his country by the expulsion of the Jews, and enriched our empire.”— Sultan Bayazid II, 1492 (attributed)
In the faraway Ottoman Empire, one ruler extended an immediate welcome to the persecuted Jews of Spain, the Sepharadim. He was Sultan Bayazid II. He dispatched his navy to the coasts of Spain to bring the exiles safely to Ottoman shores, and ordered the governors of his provinces to receive them cordially.
This humanitarianism is consistent with the beneficence and goodwill traditionally displayed by the Turkish government and people towards those of different creeds, cultures and backgrounds. Indeed, Türkiye could serve as a model to be emulated by any nation which finds refugees from any of the four corners of the world standing at its doors.
Turkish Jewry celebrates not only the anniversary of this gracious welcome, but also the remarkable spirit of tolerance and acceptance which has characterised the whole Jewish experience in Türkiye. The events planned — symposiums, conferences, concerts, exhibitions, films, books, and the restoration of ancient synagogues — commemorate the longevity and prosperity of the Jewish community, and demonstrate that it is not impossible for people of different creeds to live together peacefully under one flag.
Continue to the full history: Jewish communities in Anatolia long before 1492.
A History Predating 1492 →