TWELVE REFUGEE GERMAN JEWS IN TURKEY HAVE BEEN OFFERED THE CHOICE OF CITIZENSHIP AND CONVERSION TO ISLAM, OR EXPULSION FROM THE COUNTRY, IT WAS LEARNED TODAY BY THE HAVAS NEWS AGENCY.
THIS FOLLOWED STEPS RECENTLY TAKEN AGAINST THESE FORMER GERMAN JEWS WHO HEAD, OR HOLD HIGH POSTS IN VARIOUS COMMERCIAL ORGANIZATIONS HERE. REGARDED AS UNDESIRABLE ALIENS, THE REFUGEES WERE GIVEN 48 HOURS TO LEAVE THE COUNTRY, AN ORDER LATER COUNTERMANDED FOLLOWING THE PROTESTS OF LEADING TURKS AND JEWS.
THE NATURALIZATION AND RELIGIOUS CONVERSION SOLUTION WAS ARRIVED AT LATER, AND IT WAS ANNOUNCED THAT ALL ORDERS AGAINST THE “UNDESIRABLE” JEWS WOULD BE CANCELLED IF THEY BECAME TURKISH CITIZENS AND FOLLOWERS OF MOHAMMED. THOSE REFUSING WOULD BE EXPECTED TO LEAVE THE COUNTRY.
THE DECREE WAS UNDERSTOOD TO HAVE BEEN ISSUED BECAUSE THE INTERIOR MINISTRY DID NOT WISH TO SEE FOREIGNERS HOLDING POSITIONS WHICH WERE CLAIMED BY TURKISH CITIZENS.
IN THIS CONNECTION IT WAS RECALLED THAT THE APPOINTMENT OF GERMAN-JEWISH PROFESSORS BY THE EDUCATION MINISTRY THREE YEARS AGO HAD PROVOKED LIVELY PROTESTS IN TURKISH ACADEMIC CIRCLES.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
