Diaspora identity of jews in Turkey

The study examined whether the Jews in Turkey, who strongly embraced a "minority" identity, also mobilized a diaspora identity, and if so, how the diaspora identities of Jews in Turkey were formed and how these related to their prior minority identity. To answer this question, the following key points need to be examined. What do Jews in Turkey consider as their homeland?Through which mechanisms do Jews in Turkey sustain their culture?Do Jews in Turkey view Turkey as a homeland, or only as a country to which they are legally tied through citizenship, residence, and daily life? In order to examine this question, we carried out participant observation, interviews among the Jewsih communities in İstanbul and İzmir, and content analysis of the Jewish periodical Şalom and the independent online platform Avlaremoz. Jews in Turkey, especially among the younger generations, increasingly possess a diaspora identity and make use of various modern means to mobilize this identity. One manifestation of this is the emergence of a Turkish–Jewish hybrid identity, growing connections with the global Jewish diaspora, migration to Israel and other countries, and the consciousness of being a transnational nation. While Jews have supported Israel's right to exist since its founding, they do not exhibit a strong identification with Israel and do not significantly support Zionist ideology. Rather, they tend to view Israel primarily as a social and cultural homeland. The reason why Jews in Turkey emphasize their minority identity is to assert that they are an autochthonous people of Turkey and to consider Turkey itself as one of their homelands. The political and economic hardships that Jews have experienced—particularly during the Republican era—do not prevent them from perceiving the Turkish state and country as a homeland in historical, cultural, and social terms (as the place where their community has long been rooted). Keywords: Diaspora, Identity, Homeland, Jews, Jews in Türkiye