‘As a Jew, I’m happier in Turkey than I’d be in Israel’

Prominent Turkish Jewish businessman İshak Alaton has said he couldn’t possibly lead a happier or a more fulfilling life than he enjoys in Turkey if he were to emigrate to Israel, speaking in an interview with a German radio station, news reports said on Friday.

Alaton spoke to a radio show aired on Radio Germany, during a program on the state of Turkey’s Jews and the recent tension between Turkey and Israel. The show’s host underlined that Alaton, who has long been respected for his democratic stance, is also admired for having donated $1 billion to charity efforts to fight famine in East Africa.

Being Jewish in Turkey has never felt like an extraordinary situation to Alaton. He said the crisis between Turkey and Israel certainly doesn’t make it easier for İstanbul’s 25,000-strong Jewish community to live together with Muslims, but noted that he does not have the least concern that the Jewish community will face pressure from the government. “This government is much more understanding toward minorities than any previous government. I remember the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, when we were referred to in legal texts as “foreigners” living here. Today, we are equal citizens of this country. Why should I be more worried now than yesterday?” Alaton said.

Alaton said he has no intention to migrate to Israel because of the crisis. “I can imagine there are segments of Israeli society that wouldn’t be opposed to seeing the Jewish community in Turkey in a difficult situation because of this crisis, because in that case, they could tell us, “come to Israel.” But this is certainly not the case for me. Israel is on the wrong track; the government is increasingly oppressive. I wouldn’t be happier there. The opposite would happen.”

In Alaton’s opinion, the partnership between Turkey and Israel prior to the crisis was not as strong as some make it out to have been. “The truth is coming out now, because the so-called great relationship between the two countries was based on military ties. Contact between the peoples was greatly neglected. The increasing alienation between the two nations was fanned by radical politicians such as Foreign Minister Liebermann, who uses every opportunity to express his hatred of all that is Turkish and Muslim. I’m afraid the relationship between the two countries is likely to deteriorate further than improve.”

Radio Germany said the first wave of Jewish migration to Turkey took place in 1492, when Jews fleeing the Spanish Inquisition regime arrived in Turkey. The radio program also noted that although Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had feelings of antipathy toward Israel, he pursues a policy based on Ottoman tolerance towards religious minorities.

http://www.todayszaman.com/news-256200-as-a-jew-im-happier-in-turkey-than-id-be-in-israel.html

 

Yo. As a non-jew, anybody would be happier in Turkey than in Israel.

 

But moon he said he was a Jew!

Anyway I took issue with this;


"Alaton said he has no intention to migrate to Israel because of the crisis. “I can imagine there are segments of Israeli society that wouldn’t be opposed to seeing the Jewish community in Turkey in a difficult situation because of this crisis, because in that case, they could tell us, “come to Israel.” But this is certainly not the case for me. Israel is on the wrong track; the government is increasingly oppressive. I wouldn’t be happier there. The opposite would happen.”

I have a best friend who is a single parent. He is a long haul truck driver. Anyway, the other day he called me from the hospital telling me he had been in a serious accident, he is bedridden and expects to be in the hospital a month or more. He asked me stay at his home and watch over his child until he got better, he really needed me. However there are a lot of rules there and I like it better at MY home, besides he was on the wrong track, because he fell asleep driving to make extra money to pay his bills and support his family, what was he thinking? Stay at his home? I wouldn’t be happy there...

This is a false story and a bad analogy but do you get the moral of the story?

Rev A

 

: What a load of ****-eyed codswallop .

Is that the sort of rubbish you learnt in bible school. ?

Jeeezuz HELP !


..

 

We had a friend who married an Israeli: she was an intelligent, highly educated liberal/socialist capable of criticising anything any government did and giving evidence for her criticisms. Her home was Manchester, where everyone liked her, and we met her in University, where it was the same. Now she has turned into a narrow-minded hausfrau for whom the zionists are Always Right, and who hates 'Arabs'.

My story ain't got no moral, but it does have a depressing end. If it did have a moral, RevA, I expect you might well get it, if you were listening.

 

..... Speechless. It is in English. Its coherent but yet i still don't know what the hell your little fable has to do with anything let alone this thread.

 

a good thread as well thanks in assisting a pure concept; that no matter which belief, there are contributers within.

 

Linkie, please, or withdraw.

 

Turkey’s Jewish Population Dwindling

A much more plausible explanation—and one to which Turkish Jews attest privately—is that Turkey’s Jewish community is fleeing because of the flames of hatred fanned by Recep Tayyip Erdogan​, Turkey’s Islamist and fiercely anti-Semitic prime minister. The Ottoman Empire welcomed Jews after their expulsion from Spain. Alas, Erdogan seems determined to reverse a more than 600-year legacy of Turkish tolerance.

 

Any 'who' that opens their big mouth with stupidity should be within the reduction of mankinds population, not just in turkey

 

Sounds like the guy has Stockholm Syndrome.

 

Better than your trolling syndrome.

 

Let me try this again; "This is a false story and a bad analogy but do you get the moral of the story?"

I 'learnt' in the fourth grade not to answer a question with a question, Apparently you and your teacher haven’t gone over that yet, or if you have I would ask for my money back, that applies only if you are a student. If you aren't a student and are attempting to flame or be malicious etc it did not work. If I were you I think I would ask the mod for forgiveness seeing that you may be breaking the rules i.e. flame bating and other crimes.

And;

FYI in seminary, no in college...no in high school...ahhh'...no..not in middle school nor in grades 1 through 8 ...about age four I learned common courtesy. When you work through what the moral of the story (above) is you may write your answer (in the form of a statement) in your next reply.

Rev A

 

Which one is the captor and which are the kidnappers?

Rev A

 

Are you aware that the Bahraini Jews are prosperous merchants and civic leaders?

Are you aware that the Bahraini Ambassador to the US is a Jewish lady lawyer?

Libya had a vibrant and prosperous Jewish community that had existed for 2300 years.. They numbered 550,000 people..

The last of them left Libya in 1980.. What do you suppose changed their welcome after 2300 years?

 

As always I admit my mistakes unlike you..eh? And I will take this opportunity to ask nay I plead that the usual suspects or anyone else when quoting me use quote tags! (I might as well use a soap box when I have one). I always use quote tags when even when excerpting someone’s words. You are not nearly as bad as Judge or a couple of other of the usual suspects that refuse to use the entire quote and or quote tags.

Ok ….what I meant in my reply to this quote;

was that he (the author) said he was a Jew. I though you were saying he was a non Jew. So still I do not understand that out of place comment. I was suggesting that your comment was strange and or meaningless. Did I miss something or was your reply strange and or meaningless?

Regards and great sorrow for my horrific blunder’ ::::: Moon ::::::

Rev A

 

I am kind of amused misuided! Out of all these members no one could extrapolate an simple abstract concept ? Well it was rather vague that is why I said it was a bad analogy...Ok let me show you why I think my bad analogy explained how I felt about the authors comments...He was snubbing the offer of isralie friendship to stay in turkey. That’s all...Jeesh! What a hostile crowd...ya~all’ better not read my new thread..

Rev A

 

Better be careful Di Salvo! I don't think comparisons work well with the usual suspects, too difficult. KISS4tUS = (Keep it simple Salvo (4 the) Usual Suspects

Rev A

 

There are always traitors in every population, why would Jews be any different?

 

Guilt through association. Jewish libyans contributing to the society and community, then ostracized and expelled because of a conflict 1500 miles away. A tad more extreme than the internment camps of ww2.

Yes, there is always a rationale for bigotry and intolerance. those guys over there are intolerant so we will be too.

 

They would still be in Libya if not for European Zionism.. they spoke Arabic and shared in Arab culture until events like 1948, Deir Yasin, the Lavon Affait, the Suez crisis, the 1967 war, Sabra and Shatilla..

Everyone has paid for the European Zionism.

 

He's hardly a traitor.

He's a turkish jew who just happened to make a few billion dollars in turkey.

The guy ain't a spring chicken, has loads of dough, is extremely influential and has lived his entire life in turkey. Yep sounds like serious motivation to immigrate.

 

yes like I said, guilt thru association.

A rationale for ethnic cleansing on the muslim side.

I'm not sure if you are justifying it or merely identifying the rationale.

 

Zionism is a legitimate social movement and the Jews have the right to as much land as they can grab from the arabs that tried to drive them into the sea. It's called Reprisal.

The 1948 war never ended, just periods of long ceasefire, but none of that changes the fact that Palestinians are Arabs, and Arabs started the war and therefore the Palestinians deserved what they got for engaging in genocidal war with their arab friends surrounding Israel.They are being punished for the crimes they committed in 1948 and continue to this day.

If another rocket never fired from Gaza or the West Bank again, not a single palestinian would be killed by IDF reprisals.

 

Cause and effect.

If the European refugees hadn't begun persecuting and discriminating against the Palestinians from 1920 on.. If they hadn't formed the Jewish terror gangs and implemented the Zionist plan to take the land and declare a Jewish state.. .. things would have turned out very differently.

They came for sanctuary when no one else would take them.. and abused their hosts...