The Crescent Moon and the Magen David: Turkish-Israeli Relations Through the Lens of the Turkish Public

The nationalist outlook of the Turkish state since the beginning of the Republican era in 1923 targeted uniform identity formation. While Turkey did not recognize the existence of ethnic identities as long as they were Muslim, non-Muslims were challenging this ideal. During this social engineering, the religious minorities and the state had very turbulent relations based on mistrust, resulting in many discriminative legislations. The Republican story of the Jews provides significant insight to highlight the difficulties and challenges encountered in the formation of the Turkish Republic as well as the changes in the Turkish public with the new nation state in effect. Following the Second World War, a new state was established in the Middle East. During the Cold War, the Soviet threat led Turkey to recognize the State of Israel, established as a Jewish state. The main reasoning of Turkey in recognizing Israel was to be accepted to the Western camp. While the bilateral relations of Turkey and Israel increased gradually, a surprisingly high number of Turkish Jews, nearly 40 percent of the Jewish community in Turkey, immigrated to the new country. This book is an attempt to investigate the establishment of the State of Israel, Turkey’s recognition of the Jewish state and its repercussions on the Turkish public between the years 1936 and 1956. It explains the establishment of the State of Israel and the first three decades of the Turkish Republic. It includes the religious minorities of Turkey, with a special focus on the Jewish community as it is one of the major links between Turkey and Israel. It combines Turkish public reaction to the establishment and recognition of the State of Israel, shedding light on the reasons of the mass Jewish immigration, which is at the same time the second biggest immigration out of Turkey after the labor immigration to Europe starting from the 1960s.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgements Dedication Table of Contents Introduction 1 Introduction Turkish Public Reaction Methodology Literature Review Turkish Press Two Critical Clarifications PalestineZionism 2 The Road Toward the Establishment of the State of IsraelPre-First World War Palestine Demography of Palestine Historical Homeland vs. Nature of Population: Two People, Two Claims The Yishuv First Aliyah and the Jewish Settlement The Establishment of Agricultural Settlements Ottoman Reaction to the Jewish Immigration to Palestine Struggle to Survive The Arab People of Palestine Second Aliyah and the First Jewish Defense Organizations Theodor Herzl and The Zionist Congress The Rise of Pan-Arabism The First World War and the Dissolution of the Ottoman Empire The Outbreak of the First World War The Role of the Palestinian Jews in the First World War The Balfour Declaration vs. Hussein-McMahon Correspondence Conflict Between the Arab and Jewish Population of Palestine The Third and Fourth Wave of Aliyah and 1920 Riots The Establishment of Haganah and the division among ZionistsThe Fifth Wave of Aliyah and 1929 RiotsThe Arab Revolt of 1936, the Introduction of the White Paper in 1939 The Mandate of Palestine During the Second World War HaShoah (Holocaust) The UN Partition Plan and the Creation of the State of Israel Palestine Issue in the Turkish Press During 1930s and 1940s 3 The Jews of Turkey The Jewish Population of the Ottoman Empire The Millet System of the Ottomans A Revolutionary Change in Education; The Alliance Israelite Schools Nationalist Movements in the Ottoman Empire The Treaty of Lausanne Turkish Republic, a New Beginning Full of Hope The First Decade of the Republic The Ideal of Turkism From Nationalism to Racism Creating a Turkish-Muslim Middle Class Restoring the Effendi Class Turkish Language as a Unifying Element The Language of the Minorities Unification of the Education ‘Citizen, Speak Turkish!’ Campaign Steps for Dismantling the Community Structure Two Positive Steps on Turkification Process; the Law on Headgear and Dress (Hat Revolution), and the Law of Surname A Milestone in the History of the Jews of Turkey; The Murder of Elza Niyego 4 Changing Balance in International System Affects Turkey Rise of Fascism, Nazi IdeologyTurkey during 1930s, under the Shadow of Nazism Press Freedom in Turkey During the First Four Decades of the Republic German Academics, 1933 The Settlement Law of 2510 and the Exodus of the Jews of Thrace Turkey’s Foreign Policy during the Second World War Jewish Immigration to Palestine Discriminatory Policies Concerning the Minorities During the Second World War The Conscription of the Twenty Classes (Yirmi Kur’a Ihritiyat) 1941-1942 The Capital Tax 1942-1944 Republican Party and Minority Report Survival Tactics: Kayadez 5 Turkish – Israeli Relations and Turkish Aliyah of 1948 5.1. Zionism in Turkey The Idealist Pioneers The UN Partition Plan, 1947 Urfa Massacre, 1947 The Creation of the State of Israel and Turkey’s Position Aliyah Boosted with the Establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 Reactions to the Immigration Turkish Jews in Israel The Recognition of Israel – 28 March 1949 An Historical Date: The Opening of the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul Turkish Foreign Policy During the Cold War Turkish Aliyah Expanded Cultural and Economic Relations Life in Turkey for the Ones Who Stayed 6Conclusion Bibliography

About the Author :
Karel Valansi, born in Istanbul, completed her BA in Koç University. She wrote her MA thesis on Turkish-Israeli relations in Kadir Has University. She continues her Ph.D. studies in International Relations at the same university. In addition to her academic track, she has been writing for Salom newspaper as foreign news editor and columnist. She also contributes to many newspapers and journals. She appears for commentary on various TV and radio programs. She specializes in Turkish-Israeli relations, Arab-Israeli conflict, and Turkish Jewish history. She contributed to Atilla Dorsay’s book about the disappearance of the old Istanbul symbolized with Emek movie theater; “Emek Yoksa Ben De Yokum!” (Kirmizi Kedi, 2014), to “Meçhul Yahudiler Ansiklopedisi” edited by Rifat N. Bali (Libra, 2016) on the history of ordinary Turkish Jews, and to “Türkiye’de Yahudi Olmak, Bir Deneyim Sözlügü” edited by Rasel Meseri and Aylin Kuryel (Iletisim, 2017) on the Jewish experience in Turkey. She is the winner of the 10thAltindag Short Story Contest in March 2017.