Jews in Turkey are taking an active part in celebrations marking the 500th anniversary of the conquest of Constantinople by the Turks. Chief Rabbi Raphael Saban issued a message lauding the Turkish people for their tolerance towards all sections of the community and noting that since the city of Constantinople, now Istanbul, was conquered by the Turks, the Jews of the city have enjoyed full freedom.
A newly issued book by Professor Abraham Galante, leading Jewish historian, points out that there was a Jewish community in Constantinople in 318 C.E., or about 1,100 years before the Spanish Expulsion.
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