Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06ISTANBUL1625
2006-09-08 14:38:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Consulate Istanbul
Cable title:  

TURKISH JEWISH COMMUNITY MEETING WITH PRIME

Tags:  PGOV PHUM TU 
pdf how-to read a cable
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DE RUEHIT #1625 2511438
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 081438Z SEP 06
FM AMCONSUL ISTANBUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5840
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L ISTANBUL 001625 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/08/2016
TAGS: PGOV PHUM TU
SUBJECT: TURKISH JEWISH COMMUNITY MEETING WITH PRIME
MINISTER ERDOGAN


Classified By: Consul General Deborah K. Jones for reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L ISTANBUL 001625

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/08/2016
TAGS: PGOV PHUM TU
SUBJECT: TURKISH JEWISH COMMUNITY MEETING WITH PRIME
MINISTER ERDOGAN


Classified By: Consul General Deborah K. Jones for reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d).


1. (C) Summary. At their request, PM Erdogan met with
Istanbul's Jewish Community in the wake of last month's
events in Lebanon and perceived growing animosity towards the
community here. While initially skeptical, the PM offered a
sympathetic hearing and gave assurances he would take steps
to calm the environment. End Summary


2. (C) Coincident with this summer's conflict in Lebanon,
Turkey's Jewish Comunity noted growth of "nasty" Turkish
press newsaper articles regarding the conflict. An increase
in personal innuendo and some actual threats agaist members
of the community surfaced in parallelto growing criticism of
IDF operations in the prss. When we visited the community
in early Augut, they were working to lower their already low
rofile and considering other steps to manage increaing
animosity against Jews in Turkey. Among a vriety of
options, the community was considering ancellation of a
Daniel Barenboim concert schedued for August 16 in Istanbul,
more careful organzation of an annual Iftar dinner and
visits to nespaper editors to request more responsible
editorial oversight of articles regarding the conflict in
Lebanon. At the time, Lina Filiba, Executive Vice President
of the Jewish Community in Turkey, commented that the
negative sentiments Turks were then directing toward
acquaintances in the community were often just below the
surface but that in times like these, the "polish" was
wearing very thin and sentiments were coming out into the
open.


3. (C) In that growing atmosphere of tension and fear,
Jewish Community President Silvyo Ovadya requested a meeting
with Prime Minister Erdogan to express their concerns and
request a statement from him. The Prime Minister's summer
travel plans delayed the meeting until Saturday, September 2.
Ovadya and Filiba provided us a summary of the 15 minute
meeting, noting that in the end, the Prime Minister
recognized the danger overheated rhetoric could pose to
community members and agreed to make appropriate remarks
following the Parliamentary vote Tuesday, September 5, on
Turkish troop deployment to UNIFIL. In his meeting with the
Prime Minister, who was accompanied by advisor Egemen Bagis,
Ovadya related several of the incidents that had heightened
the sense of insecurity for the Jewish community. Among
these were increased incidents and level of vitriol leveled
against Jews in Turkey in various internet chat rooms. In
August, a cantor received an anonymous phone call in the
middle of the night and was told to take extreme care for his
personal safety. Twenty of the harshest incidents against
the community have been referred to a local prosecutor.
According to Ovadya, the Prime Minister was at first slow to
recognize the basis of the community's concerns; however, he
eventually agreed that the situation merited his
intervention. Ovadya was taken aback when several times the
PM referred to Israeli PM Olmert as "your" prime minister
(i.e., the Jewish community,s PM). Ovadya in turn used the
conversation to identify members of the Jewish community as
Turks first, Jews second. Ovadya received assurances that
the situation would be addressed and feels confident the
Prime Minister will make appropriate comments in the near
future.


4. (C) Comment. Erdogan's agreeing to make a statement in
support of the local Jewish Community, many of whom trace
their ancestry to Spanish Jews who fled the inquisition in
the 1500s, is a positive step and should help forestall
opportunistic attacks. However, the Prime Minister's
reference to Olmert as "your PM" is reflective of sentiments
held by a broad spectrum of Turks of all political
persuasions. End comment.
JONES