ENGLISH CORNER, CON LINDA JIMÉNEZ – This week’s trivia question: How many Jews were there in Turkey in the 1920s when the Republic was created, and how many are there now?
Dr. Simon Waldman is a Teacher in the Defence Studies Department at King’s College, London. His research focuses on international diplomacy towards the Middle East, state-building and leadership in the region, Turkish history and politics and the Arab-Israeli conflict from a historical perspective. Simon is the author of Anglo–American Diplomacy and the Palestinian Refugee Problem and the co-author of The New Turkey and its Discontents. He is also a contributor to Haaretz and other international media.
His latest book, Looking for Elsewhere: The Jews of Turkey Then and Now, explores the history of Jews in Turkey from both a historical and personal perspective. The book is easy reading; sometimes it almost seems like a novel, but it intersperses Simon’s personal experiences with serious historical and cultural information. The history is presented in a very readable, accessible way and is not at all academic.
To prepare for the book Simon visited many historical neighborhoods and communities in different parts of Turkey, most with very few or no Jews left. He writes about them in detail, and also about conversations he had with remaining members of some of these communities. And for those interested in learning more about the Jews of Turkey, the book includes a very ample bibliography.
ON OCTOBER 20 AT 6:OO SIMON WILL PRESENT THE BOOK IN ENGLISH AT CENTRO SEFARAD-ISRAEL, CALLE MAYOR, 67 IN MADRID. COPIES, ALSO IN ENGLISH, WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE AND SIGNING.
