Emigration From Turkey To Israel
When the Republic of Turkey was established in 1923, Aliyah was not particularly popular amongst Turkish Jewry; migration from Turkey to Palestine was minimal in the 1920’s. Emigration increased whens incident reflecting hostility towards Jews occurred. Thus, discrimination was one of the main "push" factors that encouraged emigration from Turkey to Palestine.
After the 1934 Thrace pogroms, immigration to Palestine significantly increased; it is estimated that 521 Jews left for Palestine from Turkey in 1934 and 1,445 left in 1935. Immigration to Palestine was organized by the Jewish Colonization Agency and the Palestine Aliya Anoar Organization. The Varlik Vergisi, which occurred in 1942, was also significant in encouraging emigration from Turkey to Palestine; between 1943 and 1944, 4,000 Jews emigrated.
The Jews of Turkey reacted very favorable to the creation of the State of Israel. After it was established in 1948, emigration from Turkey increased substantially. In fact, the migration of Jews to Israel is the second largest mass emigration wave out of Turkey, the first being the Population exchange between Greece and Turkey. The Jewish emigration is unique in that they did not leave in a government-mandated exchange of populations, but rather of their own free will. Between 1948 and 1951, 34,547 Jews immigrated to Israel, nearly 40% of the Jewish population at the time. Immigration was stunted for several months in November 1948, when Turkey suspended migration permits as a result of pressure from Arab countries. In 1949, the suspension was removed when Turkey officially recognized Israel, and emigration continued.
After 1951, emigration of Jews from Turkey to Israel slowed, and a new synagogue, the Neve Şalom was constructed in Istanbul in 1951. In the mid 1950’s, 10% of those who had moved to Israel returned to Turkey. Generally, Turkish Jews in Israel have integrated well into society and are not distinguishable from other Israelis. However, they maintain their Turkish culture and connection to Turkey, and are strong supporters of close relations between Israel and Turkey.
Read more about this topic: Turkish Jews
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