The Jews of Van-Bashkale in terms of cultural experiences

This study is about the Başkale Jews, who lived in the Başkale district of Van province for many years and had no presence in the region with the migration of the last family in 1969. In the study, when, where and for what reasons the Jews came to the region, how their socio-cultural life was in the region after their arrival, and the reasons for their migration from the region were investigated. It is known that the Jews dispersed to various parts of the world and experienced a widespread diaspora situation after being taken into captivity as a result of the exiles and wars originating from Assyria and Babylon. It is claimed that Baskale Jews are one of these diaspora communities. Due to the insufficiency of written sources, there is no detailed information about the socio-cultural life of Baskale Jews other than superficial studies. In my opinion, this study is important in terms of filling the gap in the literature on the past and socio-cultural life of the relevant social group. An attempt was made to reach information about the Baskale Jews in local and foreign sources and Ottoman and Presidential archives, and then a field study was carried out. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with participants who had indirect/direct relations with Jews, and online interviews were conducted with the last Jewish families who immigrated from the region. The obtained data were supported by visuals and tables where necessary, and interpretive and descriptive content analyses were applied. As a result, it has been understood that the Jews, who define themselves as Nash Didan, came to this region through Mesopotamia, Iraq and Iran, and that they built a social, cultural, religious and economic life in Başkale for at least 200 years, according to the earliest data.