The above photo is by Izzet Keribara and is a view of the The Quincentennial Foundation Museum of Turkish Jews of the Ladino Community in Turkey. Their website can be viewed at:   http://www.muze500.com/content/view/285/253/lang,en/

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THE LEGACY OF JEWS IN TURKEY

By Cassandra Whitehead

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Atlanta, Ga. - January 15, 2010 – Many people know the term ‘Latino,’ but few have heard the term ‘Ladino.’ The Judeo-Spanish heritage of the Ladino community belongs to a group of descendants of Jews expelled from Spain in the 15^th century in contemporary Istanbul.

Istanbul Center, a non-profit Turkish-American organization in Atlanta Ga, and its co-sponsors (listed in full below) present an historical exhibition of images commemorating over 500 years of Jewish-Turkish history, courtesy of The Quincentennial Foundation Museum of Turkish Jews in Istanbul, Turkey. Known in Turkish as the “500. Yil Vakfi Türk Musevileri Müzesi,” this official museum archives objects and images documenting Jewish life in Turkey since the 15^th century.

Twenty photographic images are touring the Southeastern United States, as chosen by the Museum’s director, Mr. Naim Guleryuz. The collection is designed to illuminate the special relationship between the Jewish community and the Turkish people that began primarily in the when Jews fleeing persecution from King Ferdinand of Spain settled in the Ottoman Empire at the invitation of the Ottoman Sultan, Mehmet II.

The Ladino community today is estimated between 20,000 and 22,000 according to Mr. Guleryuz. He adds that a majority of the community lives in Istanbul with other groups living in Izmir, Adana, Ankara, Antakya, Bursa, Canakkale and Kirklareli, among other cities in Turkey.

About 96% are Sephardic Jews, an estimate given by Mr. Guleryuz.

The language of Judeo-Spanish is referred to as the Ladino language; however, today’s Jews in Turkey speak Turkish as their native language.

Mr. Guleryuz and The Quincentennial Foundation Museum of Turkish Jews in Istanbul work to preserve the history and heritage of the Judeo-Spanish community. The Museum's mission is to "collect, preserve, exhibit, interpret and disseminate knowledge about the cultural heritage of the Turkish Jews." The official website of the Museum can be found at http://www.muze500.com.

In 1453, the Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinople, at which time the Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II found the oppressed Jews who had been living under the former Byzantine emperor. Mehmet II’s proclamation to all Jews at that time encouraged them, even compelled them ‘…to ascend the site of the imperial throne, to dwell in the best of the land, each beneath his vine and his fig tree, with silver and with gold, with wealth and with cattle….” according to an English translation provided by Mr. Guleryuz.

The expulsion of Jews from Spain eventually ended up enriching the Ottoman economy and society as many Jewish citizens were doctors, lawyers, scholars and diplomats in the Ottoman courts, avers Mr. Guleryuz.

Ladino communities under Ottoman rule were allowed to have their own local laws, schools, and judiciary, among other attributes of society. For example, the Turkish-Jewish newspaper titled Shalom began circulation in 1843 and remains as the prominent Ladino newspaper today. It is published weekly in Turkish with one page in Judeo-Spanish (Ladino) and a monthly supplement also in the Ladino language, declares Mr. Guleryuz.

During the WWII era, Turkey maintained an important political stance as a neutral country and was, therefore, able to accept many German Jews fleeing the Nazi regime.

In October 2009, the exhibit debuted at Georgia State University's Middle East Institute. Access to display the pieces is granted through December 2011 during which the collection will tour the Southeast. For more information, please see the exhibition dates at the bottom of this article, or go to www.istanbulcenter.org. If you would like to host this exhibition, please contact Cassandra Whitehead, PR Coordinator, Istanbul Center, via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The exhibit will be shown in the atrium of Fulton Science Academy, a charter school in Alpharetta, Ga, from January 11 through January 22, 2010.

The exhibition will travel to Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN from February 1, 2010 through February 20, 2010.  The images will be on display at the Jewish Studies Program at Vanderbilt University from February 1, 2010 through February 12, 2010 with a reception on February 8, 2010 at 5:45 pm. The Jewish Studies Program is located in Buttrick Hall at Vanderbilt University.

The exhibit will then be hosted by the Gordon Jewish Center in Nashville, TN from February 15, 2010 through February 20, 2010. A reception will be held on February 18, 2010 at 6:30 pm with remarks delivered by Professor Julia Phillips Cohen, Assistant Professor in the Program of Jewish Studies in the Department of History at Vanderbilt University.

Official co-sponsors of the exhibition include Istanbul Center, The Quincentennial Foundation Museum of Turkish Jews in Istanbul, Turkey; Georgia State University's Middle East Institute in Atlanta, GA; Congregation Or VeShalom in Atlanta, Ga.; and the Israeli Consulate General in Atlanta, GA.

Istanbul Center is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded in 2002 by Turkish-Americans. Istanbul Center focuses on promoting dialogue among people of different backgrounds and cultures through educational, cultural, humanitarian, and specialty programs. For more information on this and other events organized by Istanbul Center, please visit http://www.istanbulcenter.org.