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Five leading Jewish organizations in the United States wrote a letter to Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan to urge him to "urgently address the current wave of anti-Semitism". (UPDATED)
The organizations expressed their concern over the "anti-Semitic manifestations" in Turkey in a letter to Erdogan.
The letter was signed by the leaders of the American Jewish Committee, Anti-Defamation League, B'nai B'rith International, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs.
"Turkey rightly prides itself on many centuries of coexistence with Jews. But today, our Jewish friends in Turkey feel besieged and threatened," the organizations said.
"Billboards around Istanbul are full of anti-Jewish propaganda posters. The door of a Jewish-owned shop near Istanbul University was covered with a poster that said, 'Do not buy from here, since this shop is owned by a Jew.' The defacing of an Izmir synagogue has brought about the temporary closure of all but one of that city’s synagogues," said the letter, citing such incidents as examples of increasing acts of anti-Semitist in Turkey.
The groups' letter noted a connection between "the inflammatory denunciation of Israel by Turkish officials and the rise of anti-Semitism".
Turkey, Israel’s main regional ally, is one of the countries that have condemned the Jewish state for its offensive on Gaza. The Turkish prime minister has harshly criticized Israel, saying the Jewish state's actions in Gaza "a crime against humanity". Jewish lobby groups are among the strongest supporters of Turkey in Washington.
The Jewish groups said they disagree with the Turkish government's view of the situation in Gaza and with some of Erdogan's harshest statements. "We should certainly agree, however, that such differences of opinion do not justify any display of anti-Semitism in Turkey or elsewhere," the groups said in the letter.
In 2005, Erdogan received an award from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) on behalf of Turkish diplomats who saved Jews during the Holocaust. He strongly condemned anti-Semitism as he accepted the the award presented by Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director.
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