mikemike85

Hello,

I was thinking about traveling to Turkey (mainly Istanbul) at the end of this year and had a question surrounding "safety." I guess mainly my question has to do around the fact that I am "Jewish." I don't practice, I am not religious in the least bit and don't wear the yarmulke or anything, never been to Israel, I'm not a Zionist, or anything like that. I am just "Jewish" by race, whatever that means (because my parents are non-practicing Jews). I have been told by a few middle eastern friends I can even pass for Turkish, Lebanese, or Moroccan too.

However, my main concern though is my surname is pretty famously "Jewish" and some people blame some Zionist stuff on a family bearing my surname. Even though there is a large business with an office in Istanbul with my surname, I still would like to know if it's safe to travel there currently?

I am in love with Turkey even though I've never been there and all I'd like to do is visit and enjoy.

Thanks!

mikemike85

I should add that I don't think Turkey is an unsafe place, it's just a few things I have heard lately about some growing anti-semitism and still would like to know if it's safe there.

Michael

If you are worried about your ID, pay everything in cash and only immigration and the hotel will know your name. But I think that it is a misplaced concern.

NataliyaNewYork

Turkey is far evolved beyond anti semitism. There are extreme cases but you can have anti semitism in NYC, too. I agree with previous poster. If you're that concerned, don't pay with credit cards anywhere but hotels.

walkabout

99.9% of the people you encounter will not know what your surname is, so your name should not be an issue. However, I do not want to be dismissive of your concerns because I have read several media stories of anti-Semitism in Turkey, and your question is a legitimate one.

Here are two 2010 Fodors threads that may interest you:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...and-turkey.cfm
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-concerned.cfm

qwovadis

http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/c.../cis_1046.html

Istanbul very cosmopolitan generally

little predjudice there in hotel tourist areas

though some Israeli resentments due to military boarding

killing aid workers on a Turish ship headed for Palestine.

More anti-Israel than anti-jewish though also

Kurdish/Fundamentalists are biggest issues there avoid

"soft" targets like bus stations etc...best to be safe

insuremytrip.com always wise.

Happy Travels!

otherchelebi

there is quite a large jewish community in istanbul who lead very normal lives, using jewish names, attending the synagogue if devout or for ceremonies and visiting very openly placed cemetaries, both Ashkenazi and safartic.

there is no risk at all from the man in the street, let alone the tourist scene.

there are also some good jewish heritage tours that you can take if you wish.

if you were practicing, you could have difficulty finding all kosher food. All my jewish friends do not mind eating at regular restaurants, although i do not remember whether that includes Fridays and Saturdays.

Aduchamp1

I am Jewish, even though my name is not.

When we were in Turkey last October there was a bombing in Taksim Square. It was aimed at the police, not at civilians, foreign political entities, or businesses.

And if you paid by credit card, a anti-semitic cabal would need to exist at a hotel so that the person processing the card would have to inform the other satff members, in order to treat you with contempt.

Dudisimo

I have a friend whose husband is Jewish, they spent their honeymoon in Istanbul and return there at least twice a year, if not more frequently.

My own surname could be construed as being Jewish (it actually dates back to Anglo-Saxon times), but it would never occur to me not to use a credit card for fear of being thought to be Jewish. I'm not quite that paranoid!

As others have said, there may be some anti-Israeli sentiment, but your chances of coming across any anti-Semitic fanatics are virtually nil.

otherchelebi

Dudisimo, Welcome to Fodor's. I appreciate your appearance.

There is another post just in your alley. I answered as best as i could but i hope you will get a chance to look at the Gocek question.

For those of you who are meeting Dudisimo for the first time, you will find that he is a significant resource especially for the Aegean and also some other parts of Western and Eastern Turkey.

KTtravel

We visited Turkey in April and had no problems. My husband is often mistaken for Jewish but we had no issues. Most people were very friendly and welcoming and we hope to return some day.

Dudisimo

Thanks OC, nice to be here.

Despite having been a "Hispanicist" for most of my professional life, I've been travelling to Turkey for nearly 20 years and visited a few places that are not on the normal tourist trail, so I hope that I can give some useful input when it's appropriate.