The Last Thriving Jewish Community in the Muslim World

For centuries, Jewish life vanished across the Muslim world — but Turkey was the exception. Shaped by Romaniote roots, Sephardic arrivals, and centuries under Ottoman rule, Turkish Jews survived upheaval, nationalism, and pressure to assimilate. At the crossroads of empires, the community was held together by Ladino culture and a quiet code of survival. Today, their numbers are small and the future is uncertain. Still, Ladino melodies echo, old recipes live on, and their centuries-old community continues to endure. 0:00 Introduction 0:39 Ottoman Empire 3:06 Shabbetai Tzvi 4:51 WW1 and the Turkish Republic 6:50 Ladino and Nationalization laws 8:27 WW2 10:44 Law on the Wealth Tax 13:22 The Istanbul Program 14:24 Neve Shalom Synagogue m@ss@cre 15:17 1992: The Quincentennial Deal 17:29 Turkish Jews nowadays Sources Ottoman Greek Gen0cide. Asia Minor & Pontos Center, 2013. “Armenia.” Univ. of Minnesota, CHGS. “How Many Jews Are There in Turkey?” JPR. “Romaniote History.” Kehila Kedosha Janina. Sephardic Judaism in Republican Turkey Part I. Sephardic Brotherhood, 2020. Sephardic Judaism in Republican Turkey Part II. Sephardic Brotherhood, 2021 (Feb 18 & 25). “The Jewish Legacy of Türkiye.” WJC. “The Story of the Struma.” Yad VaShem. “Synagogue Bombings in Istanbul.” Washington Institute, 2003. “Turkish Jews in Elections.” JTA, 1950. Altaras, N. “Sephardic Jews & Ladino Identity,” 2020. Avlaremoz. Ay, H. “Struma Disaster.” Daily Sabah, 2015. Bedrosyan, R. “1942 Wealth Tax Disaster.” Armenian Weekly, 2019. Bulut, U. “800 Refugees Perished.” JNS, 2021. Bulut, U. “Press-Ganged Minorities.” Providence, 2023. Fairey, J. Review of Mechanism of Catastrophe, 2007. Harroch, M. “Jewish Community in Turkey.” Times of Israel, 2023. Mazza, R. “Cemal Pasha & Jaffa Expulsion.” In Syria in WWI, 2016. Türkiye MFA — Struma Press Release, 2015. Plen, M. “Who Was Shabbetai Zevi?” My Jewish Learning. Pressman, H. “Ladino Zoom Boom.” Hadassah, 2021. Trofimov, Y. “Israel vs. Turkey.” WSJ, 2024. Ulker, E. “Settlement Law of 1934.” EJTS, 2008. Wall, H. “Buyukada, the ‘Jewish Island.’” NY Jewish Week, 2017. Subscribe and turn on your notifications so you don’t miss future uploads! https://www.youtube.com/UNPACKED?sub_confirmation=1 Recommended video—The Rise and Fall of Jews in the Ottoman Empire https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMFYBNMR3pg&list=PL-DNOnm… We have merch! – http://shop.Unpacked.media/?utm_medium=youtube&utm_source… Let’s connect: Website — https://www.Unpacked.media Instagram — /unpackedmedia Twitter — /unpackedmedia TikTok — /unpackedmedia Facebook — /unpackedmedia ----------- Image and footage credits: Cambridge University Library, "Ktiv" Project, The National Library of Israel From the collections of Alliance Israelite Universelle (Paris), The National Library of Israel. "Ktiv" Project, The National Library of Israel Biblioteca Palatina of Parma, Ministero per I Beni e le Attività Culturali, Italy, The National Library of Israel. "Ktiv" Project, The National Library of Israel U.S. Hol0caust Memorial Museum, courtesy of David Stoliar Yad VaShem © IWM © NATO (NAT 2042) ----------- Executive Producers: Michael Steinhardt Co-Executive Producers: Marc Shmuel Levine Iris & Shalom Maidenbaum Gold Level: The Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life ----------- Translation credits: Portuguese: Saymon Pires About Explainers: From ancient Jewish traditions to the modern State of Israel, we explain it all. Diving into anything and everything related to Jewish culture, history, and even religion. Understand Jewish holidays, Israeli politics, Jewish diasporic communities, and more. Learn about Judaism in pop culture, debunking myths about Jews, and explore obscure Israeli landmarks. We’re asking questions as basic as “What is the Talmud?”, and as obscure as “How did hip-hop boost Kosher wine sales?”, and everything in between. About Unpacked: We provide nuanced insights by unpacking all things Jewish. People are complex and complicated — yet we’re constantly being pushed to oversimplify our world. At Unpacked we know that being complex makes us more interesting. Because of this, we break the world down with nuance and insight to drive your curiosity and challenge your thinking. #history #turkey #culture