“We are not safe,” a Jewish source said in a theme that was repeated over and over, in every conversation with JewishPress.com. “In fact, no one is truly safe at the moment – my Muslim friends are in just as much danger right now as I am. Da’esh (ISIS) looks upon them as infidels because they drink coffee with me, we relate to each other. The PKK targets us all. Terrorism is a scourge that knows no boundaries. But for Jews there are other dangers besides anti-Semitism, which is also still rampant here.
“Those of us who still remember who and what we are, and want to remain as Jews, must consider our next steps carefully. Some have already left – many, in fact – quietly, carefully. It’s frowned upon because we are loyal Turks; but our loyalty is no longer appreciated by our government or even most of our countrymen.
“Most of the synagogues are closed. There are no kosher stores left. Our neighborhoods are gone. Those of us who want to marry have few options to find Jewish mates. Every time Israel gets involved in a war, we are blamed by extremists here, regardless of what happens — and we have nothing to do with it! But underneath, way deep, our neighbors hate us.
“Probably when those who decide to leave here, finally actually go, they will be allowed to take with them only a fraction of what they now own, if even that — just like any other Jew who has ever left anywhere else in this region.
“But Turkish Jews must soon make a choice: do we survive as Jews, or do we choose Islam?”