Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan congratulated Turkey’s Jewish minority on Hanukkah: “The concept of tolerance is one of the most valuable legacies of our deepest history and civilisation,” Erdoğan said in a message on 13 December on the occasion of this Jewish holiday, defining Turkey’s Jewish citizens as an inseparable part of society while stressing that the freedom of religion of all citizens “will be protected by our state”.
Turkey has a registered population of some 14,300 Jewish citizens, most of them of Sephardic origin, descendants of the Jews who were taken in by the Ottoman Empire after being expelled from Spain in 1492 by the Catholic Monarchs: indeed, many still speak Judeo-Spanish today. Nevertheless, the total Jewish population of Turkey is estimated at over 20,000, and some studies put it at several tens of thousands more.
Hanukkah, also called the Feast of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the Maccabean rebellion against the Seleucid Empire, which culminated in the consecration of the Second Temple of Jerusalem. According to Jewish tradition, a miracle occurred whereby the Temple candelabrum could be lit for eight consecutive days, despite the fact that there was only enough oil for one day. This gave rise to the main custom of the festival, which is the progressive lighting of a nine-branched candelabrum. On these dates it is also traditional to exchange gifts, prepare special foods and sing songs accompanied by games.
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Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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