The Turkish fundamentalist (Islamist) press gave an antisemitic slant to its coverage of a wide range of subjects connected with Jews and Israel. It tended to focus more on Middle East topics in the latter part of the year when the al-Aqsa intifada broke out.
THE JEWISH COMMUNITY
The Turkish Jewish community consists of approximately 20,000 citizens out of a total population of 65 million. Some 18,000 live in Istanbul, 1,500 in Izmir and the rest are scattered throughout the country.
The Jewish community is represented by the chief rabbinate, headed by the Haham Bashi. There are about 30 active synagogues in Turkey, more than half of them in Istanbul, where there are also Jewish schools. The community publishes a weekly newspaper, Shalom, in Turkish and Ladino, and a bi-monthly magazine Tiryaki.
ANTISEMITISM AND THE TURKISH POLITICAL ARENA
A wide range of subjects related to Jews and Israel were treated with an antisemitic slant by the fundamentalist (Islamist) media. These included the weapons trade between the two countries; agricultural projects in southeast Turkey connected to GAP (the South-East Anatolia Agricultural Irrigation Project), involving Israeli experts; mutual visits between Turkish and Israeli officials; and the alleged role of the Mossad in Turkey. Another theme discussed frequently in the fundamentalist media was “Domme,” concerning the followers of Shabtai Zvi (1626–76) who converted to Islam.
With the upsurge of tensions in the Middle East in the last months of 2000, the fundamentalist media focused more on Middle East politics. Mass protests took place at universities and mosques at which Israel was cursed and its flag burnt. The radical Islamist terrorist Turkish Hizballah have transferred their activities from the rural areas to the big cities and, according to police, are planning to strike at Jewish targets. On the Internet, two Turkish sites were active in promoting anti-Jewish and anti-Israel sentiments, one supported by right-wing activists as well.
The mainstream Turkish media was criticized for mentioning the religion of non-Muslim peoples in negative news items and three major newspapers promised to refrain from mentioning religion in the future. As in previous years, several journalists of mainstream publications, such as Sedat Sertğlu, Güneri Civağolu, Ertuğrul Özk
