TURKEY'S JEWISH COMMUNITY: FRIGHT BUT NOT FLIGHT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ISTANBUL 000474 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/23/2014 TAGS: PHUM PTER TU SUBJECT: TURKEY'S JEWISH COMMUNITY: FRIGHT BUT NOT FLIGHT REF: A. (A) 2003 ISTANBUL 1579 ¶B. (B) 2003 ISTANBUL 1703 ¶C. (C) 2003 ISTANBUL 1704 ¶D. (D) ISTANBUL 432 Classified By: Consul General David L. Arnett for reasons 1.4 (b) and ( d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Two synagogue bombings and a recent attack on a Masonic lodge (which attackers reportedly believed was filled with Jews) have thoroughly unnerved Turkey's Jewish community. Synagogue services are now more centralized and sparsely attended, and youth and cultural groups have suspended activities or relocated. Though some within the Jewish community have discussed the possibility of emigration, none appears to be planning to leave. Another spate of attacks could change that, though. END SUMMARY. History and Fantasy -------------- ¶2. (U) Most of Turkey's Jews are descendants of the original Sephardim, who were evicted from Spain by Ferdinand and Isabella in 1492. Offered refuge by the Ottoman emperors, they have lived in Istanbul and parts of western Turkey for 500 years. A small group of Ashkenazi (European) Jews also sought refuge in Turkey during the Second World War, and have remained. Since the founding of the State of Israel, Turkish Jews have generally felt more secure and been more prosperous than other Jewish communities in the Muslim world. Today, Turkey's 20,000 Jews represent the last vibrant Jewish community in a Muslim-majority country. ¶3. (U) Another, less well-known offshoot of the Jewish population in Turkey are the Sabbateans, (or "Donme"),the followers of a 17th century Jewish cleric, Sabbatai Sevi, who lived in Izmir (and later Thessaloniki) and claimed to be the messiah. Confronted with the option of converting to Islam or dying, Sevi became a Muslim. Many of his followers did so as well, while secretly maintaining their Jewish observances. No accurate statistics exist regarding the size of the Sabbatean community, or how many of those still adhere to Jewish traditions, though they may number in the thousands. ¶4. (C) Jewish history in Turkey occasionally provides fuel for the paranoid fantasies of extremely nationalistic Islamists. Among the facts occasionally cited as "proof" of Jewish interference in Turkish political life are: Ataturk's birth in Thessaloniki (a heavily-Jewish city at the time), and attendance at a school run by Sabbateans; Masonic (believed to be a Jewish/Zionist organization by many Turks) membership of many leaders of the Young Turks and early Republic; the relative affluence and better education of Turkey's Jewish community; and the widely-accepted rumor that former Foreign Minister Ismail Cem was descended from Sabbateans. Recent Attacks -------------- ¶5. (C) On August 22, 2003, a 39-year-old Jewish dentist, Yasef Yahya, was killed in his office in Sisli, in central European Istanbul (ref A). Yahya was a member of the board of directors of a Jewish retirement home, a member of B'nai Brith, and a regular attendee at the Haskoy synagogue. According to press reports, Yahya was killed "execution style," with a single bullet to the head. Police report that Yahya was found with a woman's stocking stuffed in his mouth, and his briefcase and cell phone were missing. However, Yahya's wallet, containing TL 43 million (USD 31),and his watch were still on the body. ¶6. (C) On November 15, 2003, two truck bombs were simultaneously detonated in front of synagogues in Istanbul, killing 23 and wounding over 300 people (refs B and C). Each attack was carried out by suicide bombers using small trucks with fake license plates carrying 300-400 kilograms of explosives. ¶7. (C) On March 9, 2004, two suicide bombers entered the Free Mason temple in Yakacik in the Kartal district of Istanbul, shot a security guard, and, while shouting Islamic slogans, opened fire on a Masonic lodge assembled for dinner (ref D). Police report that 4 of 14 bombs strapped to the bombers then exploded, killing one bomber and a waiter, and injuring the other bomber and several Masons. The investigation has led to over a dozen arrests. Police have linked one of the weapons used in the attack to the murder of Yasef Yahya. One of the men arrested has reportedly confessed to Yahya's murder. Jewish Community Reaction -------------- ¶8. (C) Poloffs spoke with Jewish merchants, lawyers, academics, and Lay Council members about the changed security environment confronting the community, all of whom concurred that the events of the past year have deeply shaken the community. Synagogue attendance is down significantly, and the community leadership now organizes services at only two of the four commonly-used synagogues. Security at the synagogues has been increased, and police are providing more officers before, during, and after services. Youth and cultural centers (which were in unsecured rented space) have been closed. The Swissotel has offered assistance, and youth activities now take place in the hotel's ballroom when it is not otherwise occupied. Jewish families have stopped letting youth volunteer as synagogue security. Two families have removed their children from the Jewish school, fearing it may be a future target. Lay Council VP Lina Filiba recently returned from a fund-raising tour in the United States, soliciting Jewish communities there to help pay for necessary school upgrades to Jewish schools, synagogues, and other properties. ¶9. (C) All contacts spoke of the linkage between the murder of Yasef Yahya and the attack on the Masonic Lodge as a source of fear. One interlocutor, Prof. Rifat Bali, said that he believed the knowledge that Yahya was killed by terrorists willing to carry out larger operations simply for being Jewish was even more frightening to the community than the synagogue bombings. Individual assassinations, he said, were more fearsome than larger-scale attacks. ¶10. (C) Still, none of post's contacts reported any knowledge of Jewish community members planning to leave Turkey. One on-line Turkish-Jewish discussion group laid out options in case of a substantially worse situation, and discussed relatives in the U.S., Israel, and Europe who might help them emigrate, but at this time no one appeared to be doing so. Jewish shop-owners with whom poloffs spoke said they too had discussed various options outside Turkey with their families, but had no plans to leave, because their families and businesses were in Istanbul. Comment -------------- ¶11. (C) Conspiracy-theory fueled fantasies have convinced some radical Islamists that Zionists and Masons are behind all the woes of the world's Muslims. This paranoia is not exclusive to Turkey. Now, however, radical groups in Istanbul are acting upon these fantasies, and making the city, like much of the Middle East, a hard place of residence for Jews. ARNETT