Jewish Affairs - South African Jewish Board of Deputies

JEWISH AFFAIRS ROSH HASHANAH 2012to generate a commercial revival. 8 Soon after thecity’s capture, therefore, he ordered the Jews inthe empire to relocate there. At the time the Jewsresented this forced relocation and to pacify themMehmet II, according to tradition, issued thefollowing proclamation using phrases from thebooks of Genesis and Ezra:Who among you of all my people that is with me,may his God be with him, let him ascend toConstantinople, the site of my royal throne. Lethim dwell in the best of the land, each beneathhis vine and beneath his fig tree, with silver andwith gold, with wealth and with cattle. Let himdwell in the land, trade in it, and take possessionof it. 9As a result of this proclamation many Jewscame to Constantinople, which became the capitalof the Ottoman Empire. Whenever the sultancaptured a town, he transferred its Jews to there.The Jews’ economic and religious situationimproved greatly by comparison with theircondition during the Byzantine era: “There cameinto being in Constantinople splendidcommunities; Torah, wealth and glory increasedin the congregation.” 10The original Jews who lived in Turkey fromByzantine times are known as Romaniot – GreekspeakingJews. Although some had been residentsof Constantinople prior to the Ottoman conquest,most were settled there subsequently. Whilst theyplayed an important role in the Jewish communityduring the early years of Ottoman rule theirposition of influence was gradually eroded by theinflux of new Jewish communities. 11Rabbi Isaac Tzarfati moved to the OttomanEmpire from Europe and became the chief rabbi.He wrote a letter (dated by Heinrich Graetz to1456) 12 to the Jews of Germany, who at the timewere subject to cruel persecution, encouragingthem to settle in Turkey:I Isaac Tzarfati…proclaim to you that Turkey isa land wherein nothing is lacking….Is it notbetter for you to live under Muslims than underChristians? Here every man may dwell at peaceunder his own vine and fig-tree…. Arise! Andleave this accursed land for ever! 13This letter stimulated an influx of AshkenaziJews, who established communities in manyTurkish towns. 14 By 1478, Constantinople’s Jewsnumbered 10 000, comprising some 10% of thecity’s population. 15In 1492, more than 160 000 Jews were expelledfrom Spain, 16 and of these approximately 100000 17 ultimately settled in Turkey. Sultan BayazidII (1481-1512) not only permitted these Jews tosettle in the Ottoman Empire but according toBernard Lewis they were “encouraged, assistedand sometimes compelled.” 18 Bayazid II is reputedto have said about King Ferdinand of Spain “Canyou call such a king wise and intelligent? He isimpoverishing his country and enriching mykingdom.” 19The migration of Sephardi Jews did not stopafter the Spanish and subsequent Portugueseexpulsion. It continued into the 15 th and 16 thCenturies as Marranos left Spain and Portugaland settled in various countries before ultimatelyestablishing themselves in Turkey, which provedto be the safest place to return to Judaism. 20Among the Sephardi Jews expelled from Portugalwere Ephraim Caro and his young son JosephCaro, who later settled in Safed and wrote theShulchan Aruch.The arrival of Sephardi Jews significantlychanged the composition of the Jewishcommunity. According to certain calculations, 40000 Jews migrated to Constantinople and 20 000to Salonika. 21 Constantinople soon became thelargest Jewish settlement in Europe. In time, itwas rivalled and then outstripped by Salonika(now part of Greece) which became apredominantly Jewish city and remained so forfour centuries.The Jews were a heterogeneous communityand the Romaniots, Ashkenazim and Sephardimkept separate congregations. The Sephardim evenkept separate sub-communities, withcongregations from different Iberian townsfunctioning separately. The Sephardicommunities, writes Zimmels, exhibited twospecial features, viz. an inclination to domineerover others and to quarrel amongst themselves.The former characteristic led to the absorption ofmany non-Sephardi communities by theSephardim, and the latter frequently led tosecession from an existing congregation and theformation of a rival one. 22Sephardi immigrants made an importantcontribution from the mercantile perspective andinternational trade in the eastern Mediterraneanwas largely Jewish controlled. They also providedthe Turks with armaments and gunpowder, whichaccording to Graetz thereby suppliedChristendom’s arch enemy with the weapons thatenabled them to inflict on the Christians “defeatafter defeat” and “humiliation on humiliation.” 23Sephardi Jews were conversant with Europeanpolitics and had knowledge of Europeanlanguages. Turkey was the most powerful state inEurope and for the first time since Hasdai ibnShaprut in 10 th Century Cordoba, Jews played aprominent role in international politics.No case was more striking than that of DonJoseph Nasi (1524-79), who became one of themost influential individuals in the Turkish Empire.His aunt and mother-in-law Dona Gracia Nasi(1510-69) was the most benevolent and adoredJewish woman of her day. They were PortugueseMarranos whose significant business interestswere managed by Gracia Nasi after the death ofher husband with Don Joseph’s assistance.Together, they built and expanded the House of20