Arutz Sheva , Israel
March 7 2010

Turkish Police Accost Sabbath Worshipers in Synagogue

by Hillel Fendel

(IsraelNN.com) A Turkish newspaper reports that police burst into an
Istanbul synagogue during recent Sabbath services and demanded
worshipers’ ID’s.

The Turkish Milliyet newspaper reported that the Muslim government in
Turkey appears to be cracking down on non-Muslim minorities. The
individual communities are not being permitted to have their own
leaders; one person will be recognized by the government to represent
all the minorities as one. As the Christian community outnumbers the
Jewish one, it is expected that a Christian will serve as `Chief
Rabbi.’ This issue may have been resolved, however; see below.

In addition, Christian and Jewish children are being placed in
separate non-Muslim public school classes. In Jewish schools, only
Turkish citizens are allowed to be registered ` preventing the son of
a Jewish United States consul worker from studying in a Jewish school.

Finally, Turkish authorities raided the Hemdat Yisrael synagogue in
Istanbul one Sabbath morning, the most crowded day of the week, and
demanded that worshipers produce identification and proof of
residence. Most worshipers did not have the required papers because of
Sabbath restrictions, but were allowed to produce them at the
conclusion of the Sabbath.

Leaders of several minority religious communities convened for an
emergency meeting last month to discuss the worsening situation.

Rabbi Yitzchak Haleva, Chief Rabbi of Turkey, says it’s `much ado
about nothing.’ Speaking with Israeli media sources last week, Rabbi
Haleva said that all misunderstandings had been resolved and that he
himself will be running for re-election for the position of Chief
Rabbi about two months from now. Regarding the mid-services Sabbath
check of ID’s, Rabbi Haleva told Makor Rishon’s Yitzchak Hildesheimer
that it was only a matter having to do with internal security.

A Turkish Jew quoted on Ynet did not sound confident, however:
`Everyone here is apathetic, they are involved in their own business
and their work – but we do feel that the situation has changed, even
though it is being ignored. It is reminiscent of other periods in
history¦’

Turkey Recalls US Ambassador
Turkey recalled its ambassador to the U.S. last week after the House
Foreign Relations Committee narrowly approved a resolution recognizing
the Turkish slaughter of Armenians during World War I as genocide. The
London-based Al-Quds Al-Arabiye editorialized that the "Jewish lobby"
in Washington is to blame for the resolution.

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