Ottoman Empire: What Was It and What Happened To It?

 Nadene Goldfoot                                                  

Osman I or Osman Ghazi  died 1323/4) was the eponymous founder of the Ottoman Empire and was from the land of Turkey.  The Ottoman Empire existed from approximately 1299 to 1922. It began with the rise of Osman I in northwestern Anatolia and was formally abolished in 1922, with the Republic of Turkey was established the following year. 

 The Ottoman Empire was (first known as a beylik or emirate). While initially a small Turkoman principality during Osman's lifetime, his beylik transformed into a vast empire in the centuries after his death. It existed until 1922 shortly after the end of World War I, when the sultanate was abolished.

       Notice that Jerusalem and Damascus are in its power

The Ottoman Empire was a Turkic empire founded by Osman I in 1299 that grew to be a major world power, controlling vast territories across three continents until its collapse after World War I.

Jews lived in Asia Minor and had built a synagogue in the old capital of BRUSA when the Ottoman Empire was established there  by 1336.  Bursa is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in  the Marmara Region after Istanbul. 

Under Byzantine rule, The city prospered after the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I built a palace there. the city then became a garrison city in 562, where imperial guards were stationed. Already by the mid-6th century, Bursa was known as a famous silk textile manufacturing centre. 

(Ottoman Empire) captured SALONICA in 1430 and CONSTANTINOPLE in 1453. Many Jews lived in these centers as well.  

After 1492 (when Columbus sailed) the sultans opened the gates of the Ottoman Empire generously to the threatened Jewish refugees from Spain and also to those later from Portugal and other lands .  Throughout the Ottoman period, most Jews resided in Kuruçeşme, Bursa's Jewish quarter, home to three synagogues. Etz Chaim (Eṣ Ḥayyim), the oldest, predated the Ottoman conquest, while the Gerush and Mayor synagogues were established by Sephardic newcomers.

Jews were favored immigrants, regarded as valuable trading and artisans, and also as a counterpoint to the potentially disloyal Christian minorities.  Flourishing centers were Istanbul (Constantinople) Adrianople, Smyrna (Izmir), and especially Salonica where the intellectual traditions of Sephardi Jewry were centered.  

The land named Palestine by the Romans in 135 CE was captured in 1517 and became part of the Ottoman Empire as was Egypt, Yemen, Iraq, etc.  The Sultans applied the normal Moslem code against the Jews but not strictly.  Persons such as Joseph Nasi and Solomon Ashkenazi were able to exercise great influence in the state. It became the 3rd largest country/Empire in the world after Russia and Austro-Hungary, numbering 350,000 in 1900.  Jews suffered from the loss of their power, becoming a part of another land, and they had been 2nd class citizens in the Ottoman Empire!  Discrimination against Jews in the Ottoman Empire included being classified as dhimmi (non-Muslim subjects), which required paying a special tax called jizya and subjected them to certain legal and social restrictions, such as limitations on clothing, housing, and the right to testify in court against Muslims. While the empire offered more tolerance compared to Europe, these regulations established Jews as second-class citizens, though the strictness of these rules varied depending on the time and ruler.  

 Its history is marked by periods of expansion, reaching its peak in the 16th and 17th centuries, followed by a long decline characterized by military losses and internal struggles. The empire was replaced by the modern Republic of Turkey in 1923, founded by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.                                      

                                Jewish Turks

  That's because they had sided with the Axis in WWI(1914-1917) and losttheir land  to the Allies.  Suddenly, Great Britain and France received 30 year mandates over land of the Ottoman Empire to rule. 

37,000 Jews emigrated to Israel after 1948.  There were 20,000 Jews in the country in 1990, with about 18,000 in Istanbul, 1,500 in  Izmir,and smaller communities in Edime, Brusa, and Ankara. Their distinction, spiritual and cultural, had now disappeared. Some have even found their way to Portland and Seattle, having been in the fish business.  

                    A recent Jewish wedding in Turkey

 There are an estimated 14,000 to 26,000 Jews living in Turkey today, with the majority residing in Istanbul. This population is a mix of Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jews, who trace their roots to different parts of the world. Oh yes, an after-thought;  Turkey has a population of 86,000,000 .TheirMuslim population is 78,000,000-84,400,000 and that makes up 97.8%of the country.  

Turkey has become Israel's enemy, and Erdogen is their leader of it.  As of today, November 9, 2025, relations between Turkey and Israel are at a historical low, characterized by a complete breakdown in diplomatic ties and fierce rhetoric from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Erdoğan's attitude is intensely hostile towards the current Israeli government, driven primarily by Israel's military actions in Gaza, which he has repeatedly labeled a "genocide" and a "shame of humanity".  as the false claims of the news tell today.  

• Severed Diplomatic Ties: Turkey formally severed all diplomatic relations with Israel on November 13, 2024, and recalled its ambassador. There are currently no ambassadors in either country. Arrest Warrants: The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's office announced on November 8, 2025, that it has issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and 36 other senior Israeli officials, accusing them of "genocide and crimes against humanity" in Gaza.  Trade Embargo: Turkey halted all direct trade with Israel in May 2024, stating the embargo will only end after a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and the uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid is ensured. Airspace Closure: Turkey has closed its airspace to Israeli aircraft. Legal Action: Turkey has officially joined South Africa's case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). 
• Turkey wants to be the country selected to guard the terrorists in Gaza. Of course, they would then have easy passage into the land of Israel for a take-over.  How clever of them!  
• So has Qatar, who aided and abided terrorists to kill Jews through Qara-dawi, Egyptian preacher who  was told to leave and sought a home  in Qatar.
• News snippets indicate that Turkey has historically been a strong supporter of Hamas (which is designated as a terrorist organization by Israel and the United States) and does not consider it a terrorist group. Turkey has also expressed interest in playing a role in Gaza's future security arrangements, as have other nations like Qatar, but no such plan as described by the user is in effect or has been officially proposed. 

Resource:

https://www.britannica.com/summary/Ottoman-Empire

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bursa