| ID | 077864 |
| Title Proper | Dönmes |
| Other Title Information | Crypto-Jews under Turkish Rule |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Landau, Jacob M |
| Publication | 2007. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | The dönmes (converts) are a community descended from the disciples and adherents of Sabbatai Tsevi, who abandoned Judaism and adopted Islam in the late seventeenth century. Wary of their Muslim neighbors, they kept to themselves, maintaining strict secrecy in all their religious practices and general behavior. Our knowledge of the dönmes is therefore rather limited.
The main dönme center was in Salonica, where they had a real impact on social and economic life until 1924, when, as a result of the population transfer, the dönmes moved to Turkey, chiefly to Istanbul and Izmir. This migration caused their communal institutions to break down, and growing assimilation into the Muslim Turkish environment (including intermarriages) diminished the dönme population considerably. The hostility of sections of Turkish ultranationalists and extreme Islamists also affected the community |
| `In' analytical Note | Jewish Political Studies Review Vol. 19, No.1-2; Spring 2007: p109-133 |
| Journal Source | Jewish Political Studies Review Vol. 19, No.1-2; Spring 2007: p109-133 |
| Key Words | Turkey ; Islam ; Islamic Community |