Turkey's Jewish intellectuals denounce being targeted over Israel's Gaza assault

A group of Turkish-Jewish intellectuals have denounced being targeted over Israel’s recent operations in Gaza, describing attempts to hold them responsible for Israel’s policies as "racist."

Prominent figures such as scholar and columnist Soli Özel, leftist writer Roni Margulies, economist Cem Behar and former radio host and activist Avi Haligua, stressed their opposition to Israel’s actions in a letter released Aug. 29. However, they also added that no one should expect unity of opinion in a community of 20,000 people, and expressed their wish that their opinion not be interpreted based on their identity.

Here is the full letter:

"Israel’s latest attack on Gaza led, once again, to cries of ‘Why does the Jewish community remain silent?’ A campaign was even launched that claimed that the Jews of Turkey bear responsibility for what Israel does in Gaza.

"No citizen of this country is under any obligation to account for, interpret or comment on any event that takes place elsewhere in the world, and in which he/she has no involvement. There is no onus on the Jewish community of Turkey, therefore, to declare an opinion on any matter at all.

"It is anyway not possible for a community of 20,000 to declare a unified opinion. No human community can be monolithic and the Jewish community is not. Its members include people of all kinds, with a great variety of views.

"In the same way the people of Turkey cannot be held responsible for the barbarity of what the Islamic State [of Iraq and Levent, ISIL] does because a number of Turks are among its fighters, the Jewish community of Turkey cannot be held responsible for what the state of Israel does. It is racism to hold a whole people responsible...