Turkish Jews Could Be Relocating

The forced expulsion of Jewish People from Spain in 1492 represents one of the most tragic chapters in the world’s long, sad history of anti-Semitism.

On July 30th of that year, all of the Jews of Spain who refused to convert to Roman Catholicism — possibly 500,000 or more people — were driven out of the kingdom by decree of the king and queen, Ferdinand and Isabella.

Tens of thousands of Jewish refugees died while trying to reach safety. In some instances, Spanish ship captains charged Jewish passengers exorbitant sums for transportation, then dumped them overboard in the middle of the Mediterranean.

A large majority of Spain’s Jews ended up in Turkey, where the Ottomon Turk Empire had offered them refuge. Many never left. Indeed today, the vast majority of Turkey’s modern Jewish population is descended from those Spanish refugees.

In a fascinating historic twist, that 15th Century migration may soon be reversed, and for the same reason — virulent anti-Semitism.

A news report this week in the New York Times revealed that large numbers of Turkish Jews are thinking of leaving the country due to escalating anti-Semitism. But these would-be migrants are not looking to the United States, or even Israel, for a new home.

Instead, after more than 500 years of exile, they are looking to Spain, where the parliament is due to vote this month on whether to grant Spanish nationality to the descendants of Jews expelled from the country during the Inquisition of 1492.

Spanish Parliament Building

It is currently unclear how many of Turkey’s Jews will actually choose to relocate to Spain, but the offer represents a fascinating and possibly prophetically significant turn of events.

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