Turkish Jews, refugees who were evicted from their homes in frontier zones in Turkey and who succeeded in reaching Salonica today, revealed that at the time of the expulsion pogroms were organized against Jews, which took place simultaneously in a number of towns.
Crowds of Turks attacked the Jews. Women and girls were violated. Many of the victims were forcibly taken to secret hiding places in mountains and their fate is unknown. The rabbi of Kirklisse was stripped and brutally beaten by the pogromists.
Turkish officials continue to minimize the incidents, promising that all concerned would be punished severely. Several battalions of Turkish infantry have arrived in Thrace and mass arrests of those who took part in the pogroms are being carried out. Sixty Turks, said to have been ring-leaders, are already in prison. A large number were arrested and are being held for questioning.
A proclamation issued by Turkish officials demanded that pogromists return property looted from Jewish homes. The situation in the frontier regions has returned to normal, but most of the Jewish refugees are still in Istanbul and other cities fearing to return to their own homes, despite the fact that the Turkish government has promised Jewish citizens the fullest protection.
There are rumors that Hikmet Bey, Turkish Minister of Education, resigned from the government, having opposed from the beginning the mass removal of Jews from frontier zones.
Many foreign embassies in Angora, Turkish capital, intervened with the Turkish government, protesting against the brutal treatment of the Jews.
A telephone call received today from the Istanbul Jewish community stated that all was quiet now.
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.
