The Washington herald., 1912-03-10
JEWS In TURKEY
NOW In TURMOIL
Resignation of sephardio Chief
Rabbi in Capital stirs Up
an Ancient Trouble.

constantfnopIe. March S-considerabie
excitment prevails at the present moment
among the Jews in Turkey, owing to the
unexpected resignation OF the chief rabbi
OF the Sephardic community, Hahn Ma
hum Enendi- The occasion OF the resig-
nation was a dispute between the chief
rabbi and the lay council, or consistorS,
on the question Of the formal extension
to the Ashkenazim, or Jews from East
ern Europe Of the privileges enjoyed in
Turkey by the Sephardim or Espaniolo
Jews.
The lay council had adopted schene
by which the AshkenaZim were TO be in
corporated in the Sephardic community
as a kind OF subcommunity, possessing
certain autonomous rights. The chief
rabbi was strongly opposed to this
scheme. and made its adoption a ground
for handing in his resignation. Appar-
entity the union between the Sephardi
and Ashkeuazi communities will be car
ried into effect, and this union will mark
the beginning of an interesting period in
which the immigrant element from Rus
sia Austria, and Germany. will work in
the Jewish community in Turkey, on an
equal footing with the old established
Espaniolo element. That is to say, Span
ish and German speaking Jews. will be
welded together in one organization. See
ing that religious communities are re-
garded in Turkey as national organiza-
tions, and the heads Of these communi-
ties whether patriarch, eNarch,. or chief
rabbi as the recognized chiefs OF their
respective nationalities. il is not surpris-
ing that the present conflict should have
aroused very considerable emotion in the
Jewish communities.
international in Scope.
The main Importance of the conflict
lies, however. in its international bear
ing. The resignation of the grand rabbi
has served to reveal in a very curious
manner the play OF international rivalries
among the Ottoman Jews. A powerful
Jewish organization. the Alliance Israeli
ite Universelle, which has its, headquar-
tiers in Paris, has for many years past
contributed large sums toward the estab-
lishment and maintenance OF Jewish
schools in Turkey. Recently complaints
have been made against this body on the
ground that It had assumed an exclusive
~ French character ana was devoting
all its energies to the promotion of French
national interests in the East.
. French is employed as the language of
instruction in the alliance schools, and
efforts are made to counteract German
influence Hahn Nahum Efrendi, who had
received French education, was strong
supporter of the alliance. The present
national character, and resents the SUBJ
,ugation in the work of the alliance OF
Jewish to French national interests. II
urges that the language OF instruction
in the Jewish schools IN Turkey should
be Hebrews, the Jewish national lau-
guage. and in the north Of the empire
Turkish. and in Palestine, Arabic. In
this way, It affirms. Jewish children will
be far better equipped than under the
present system for serving their COM
munity in the country of their birth.
An organ which supports the lay coun-
ell declares: Let the Germans and the
French struggle. let the German Jews
and tho French Jews aid them in this
struggle, il they Will That Is their
affair. But we. who are neither German
nor. French, but Ottoman Jews, have no
desne to be involved in this struggle.
We do not wish to be made the sport of
Franco-German rivalry and TO be placed
between the hammer and the anvil"