Jews were oppressed in the modern Turkish Republic

Submitted by Iskender (United States), Oct 4, 2011 at 00:06

We agree. The pogrom of Thrace targeted 15,000 Jews and caused them to leave their towns, losing their property. It was done on the watch of Kemal Ataturk. Such a thing did noit happen in modern Greece or Bulgaria. The Jews of Thessaloniki were not oppressed by the Greeks. In WWII the Nazis were the ones who took the Jews of Thessaloniki. They were told by their chief rabbi to obey the Germans. The Greek church saved many Jews by issuing false baptismal certificates. And the Jews that joined the Greek partisans survived or died fighting for their country. Bulgaria was especially good to its Jews during WWII and managed to protrct them by being an ally of the Nazis.

Of course, the Jews were better off in the Ottoman Empire than in modern Turkey. We should all know that modern Turkey has been pure hell for its non-Muslim minorities. But many Turks try to hide this fact in so many ways: denying the Armenian genocide, ignoring the pogrom of Thrace and distorting the 6-7 September events of 1955.

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