Five Jews Seek Seats in Turkish Parliamentary Elections

Five Jewish candidates are contesting for seats in the Turkish National Assembly, elections for which will be held on Sunday. Two of the candidates were named by the incumbent Democratic Party which has put up two candidates from each of Istanbul’s religious and racial minority groups. This is the first time in the history of the Turkish republic that any party has nominated two Jews.

The Republican Peoples Party, which is the main opposition group, nominated one Jew for the Assembly as did two other opposition parties, the Freedom Party and the Republican National Party.

One of the Democratic candidates, Yusuf Salman, only Jewish member of the Istanbul City Council, had to resign as secretary-general of the Grand Rabbinate’s Lay Council in view of the Rabbinate’s policy of not being involved in politics. His chief rival, Erol Dilek, likewise had to resign as legal advisor to the Grand Rabbinate.

In the 1954 elections, a majority of the Jews of Istanbul voted for the successful Democratic Party because they blamed the Republican People’s Party for the infamous “varlik” discriminatory tax which all but ruined the Jewish community and other minority economically in 1942. In the current election, there appears to be come tendency to hold the Democrats responsible for the anti-Greek riots in 1955 which turned, in part, into an anti-Semitic demonstration. The question of responsibility for the “varlik” is a major campaign issue among the Jewish candidates.

Foreign policy has not figured as an election issue and there have been few or no references to Israel during the campaign. Both the Republican Peoples and the Freedom Party have voiced criticism of the government’s attitude and favor restoration of normal diplomatic links with Israel by having the Turkish Minister return to his post there.

The second Democratic Party candidate is Isaac Altabev, president of B’nai B’rith in Istanbul and chairman of the coordination committee grouping the 11 Jewish charitable and social institutions here. Dr. S. Becerano, a specialist in mental diseases, is candidate of the Freedom Party. The Republican National Party designated Dr. Isaac Taranto, who is on the staff of the Jewish hospital and other medical institutions.