Jews in Turkey:
A Rich Heritage

82.5 million

country population

~16,000

Jewish population

1916

JDC entry date

For more than two millennia, Jews have found a home in Turkey. JDC was born in Turkey, when U.S. Ambassador Henry Morgenthau sent a cablegram from Constantinople (now Istanbul) requesting help for destitute Jews living in Ottoman-era Palestine.

Turkey has a rich, expansive Jewish history. Following their 1492 expulsion from Spain, many Jews found refuge in Turkey, where they were welcomed by the Sultan. For the next 300 years, Turkey’s Jewish community experienced a Golden Age of politics, medicine, and literature. During World War II, Turkey served as a safe passage for at least 15,000 Jews fleeing the Nazis. In the ensuing decades, a vibrant Turkish community continued to thrive, forging ties with Turkish Jews who emigrated to other countries, including Israel.

Today, JDC is proud to partner with the Turkish Jewish community by supporting social welfare programs for the vulnerable and leadership initiatives for its youngest generation of Jews.

Powering the Next Generation of Turkish Jews

JDC supports the Ulus Jewish Day School in Istanbul. JDC helped design the school’s Jewish studies curriculum and brought in expert consultants to train teachers on the latest and most effective educational techniques. The Ulus school upholds rigorous academic standards and promotes a deep connection to Jewish life among its 600+ students. And in Izmir, JDC helped design the curriculum for the Jewish Sunday school, Izmir’s only Jewish educational institution.

JDC also provides scholarships for Jewish youth to attend Szarvas, the JDC-Ronald S. Lauder Foundation international Jewish summer camp in Hungary, as well as regional leadership and community development programs. These opportunities help connect Turkey’s Jewish youth to the broader Jewish world, enriching their sense of Jewish life and identity.

Care for Vulnerable Turkish Jews

The 2008 financial crisis devastated Turkey and many Jews are still living with the economic hardships it sparked. This crisis, combined with population decline, has made the cultivation of Jewish life and leadership all the more urgent. During these difficult times, JDC remains by the community’s side, working to protect and strengthen the Jewish population.

JDC partners with the local welfare organization YAD to provide food, medicine, and other vital care to vulnerable families and elderly Jews throughout Turkey. Working alongside local Jewish leaders, JDC helps to strengthen social services for the community’s most vulnerable members. This assistance includes seed funding and technical expertise to Jewish communal leaders in Istanbul and Izmir, Turkey’s two largest Jewish communities. Both aim to keep the community strong and innovative, engaging young adults in community life and caring for its most vulnerable members. In addition, JDC supported the community in its efforts to open two day centers in Istanbul, which serve more than 100 elderly Jews.