New Turkish Law May Compel Jewish Children to Go to Jewish Schools; Turkish Jewry Awakening

New signs of activity are now beginning to appear in the life of the hitherto congealed and isolated Turkish Jewry. This new activity has been called forth to life because of certain legal projects which the government intends to carry out, projects which involve indirectly the status of Jewish kehillahs and Jewish schools of Turkey.

As may be known, the main centers of Turkish Jewry are the three most important cities: Constantinople, Smyrna and Adrianople. Each city has its united kehillahs, because the city is divided into many quarters, widely separated one from the other; besides several Sephardic, there is also one Ashkenazic kehillah.

These kehillahs now find themselves in an unusual and entirely abnormal situation from a juridical standpoint. There are no laws in Turkey about Jewish kehillahs—as if they weren’t in existence at all. But while on the one hand the kehillahs receive no official recognition from the government, the government nevertheless negotiates with these kehillahs with regard to school questions, cemeteries, etc.

TURKISH-JEWISH LIFE HARMED

This abnormal situation does much harm to organized Turkish-Jewish life, both internally and externally. On the one hand, in accordance with tradition and with the constitution of the kehillahs, every Jew is regarded as a member of this or that kehillah. On the other hand the kehillahs, because they are not officially recognized are lacking in authority and are powerless. As a result, many Jews (perhaps a majority) do not meet their obligations to the kehillah with regard to the payment of kehillah taxes. True, the kehillah does often collect taxes when a Jew is forced to avail himself of its services, as in case of a wedding, circumcision ceremony, burial, etc. But it is clear that through such collections alone the kehillahs cannot function in a normal fashion and are not even able to make out their yearly budget in advance, in order to cover their large expenditures.

LEADERS PLACE HOPE IN LAW

The leaders of the kehillahs are now placing great hopes upon the new law with regard to religious associations which is soon to be adopted in the Turkish parliament, believing as they do that this will change the situation for the better. According to this new law, the kehillahs will be able to register officially and will thus receive a certain government recognition. The law is still far from being satisfactory, for the principle underlying each association is voluntary, not obligatory, membership. If a Jew does not desire to belong to a kehillah, the law in this respect will effect no change. But still it is hoped that the authority of the kehillahs will be strengthened when they are registered and their existence recognized.

And just as the legal status of the kehillahs is abnormal, so the relationship between the kehillahs and the Chief Rabbinate leave much to be desired. In conjunction with the Chief Rabbinate of Turkey, there exists a rabbinical federation in which the most prominent representatives of the kehillahs participate. They do not however represent the kehillahs, but are there personally on their own responsibility. The Executive of this “Vaad Ha’Rabanuth,” or Rabbinical Federation, manages all activities that are related to the Chief Rabbinate. This, by the way, is the same “Vaad” which at one time renounced the Jewish minority rights granted by the Lausanne treaty and protested against American-Jewish intervention, with the late Louis Marshall at the head, in favor of such rights.

“VAAD” HAS NO AUTHORITY

From its composition it is clear that the “Vaad” has no authority to speak on behalf of Turkish Jewry. Louis Marshall was right when a few years ago he came out against the Vaad and showed that it by no means represents Turkish Jewry. But nevertheless the “Vaad” today is the only institution which is regarded in Turkey as the representatives of Jewry. It is hoped that the new law about religious associations will end the rule of the “Vaad.” The kehillahs will undoubtedly organize and create a central “consistoire”, which will include all the kehillahs in the country and will really have the authority to speak in the name of Turkish Jewry. This is the plan of the Jewish communal leaders, who realize evils inherent in the present status.

FINANCIAL SITUATION CRITICAL

The financial condition of the kehillahs is a critical one. The main reason for this lies in the bad economic situation of the Jews of Turkey. Turkey is now undergoing an ecomonic crisis. Commerce and industry are in a dormant state; the value of Turkish money on the international exchange is quite low and is getting lower and lower, while foreign capital does not come to its assistance. The debts of the old Turkish Empire press very heavily upon the new republic, and its credit abroad is quite meagre. Naturally the Jews suffer from all this very much. As is the case everywhere, the Jews are here, too, the main sufferers in a crisis, and among the great number of merchants who go bankrupt Jewish merchants occupy a very prominent place.

The bad economic situation of the Jews affects the kehillahs in two ways: in the first place, it reduces the income of the kehillahs, and in the second place it robs them of their most active members, who in the past rendered much help to the kehillahs with their money, time and effort. Never before have the kehillahs felt such a lack of devoted workers as is the case today. The deficits of the kehillahs have taken on an epidemic character; their debts amount to hundreds of thousands of Turkish liras.

SCHOOL UPKEEP MAIN ITEM

The upkeep of Jewish schools is one

of the main items of expense of the kehillahs. The Constantinople kehillah “Galata-Pera-Shisli” has during the past year spent 15,000 Turkish lira (about $7,500) to cover the deficit of its two schools. The schools are now causing much concern, since there is no likelihood that the economic situation is soon to change for the better. The government renders them very little help. All the kehillah schools together received during the year 1929 only $1,000 which is like a drop in the ocean. The Jewish schools also suffer from the fact that the number of their pupils is very small. A very large number of Jewish children attend the missionary schools, where less of Turkish and more of foreign languages is taught. Jewish parents believe that such schools are more practical for their children, and are therefore even ready to overlook the danger inherent in such schools.

NEW LAW IS REMEDY

The remedy for this danger lies in a new law which is soon to be passed, according to which all children who are born in Turkey are forbidden to attend missionary schools. This law includes also Jewish children. The kehillahs hope that this will force Jewish parents to send their children to Jewish schools, which in turn will improve the financial condition of these schools. Naturally the kehillahs are, above everything else, happy over the fact that this law will tear Jewish children away from the missionaries and their harmful influences, and will help rear a Jewish generation which will feel closer ties to its own people.

Both laws—the one with regard to religious associations and the one with regard to schools—will undoubtedly have a good effect upon Turkish Jewry. Jewish communal leaders are waiting impatiently for the confirmation of both laws by the Turkish parliament in Angora.