Papers by Louis Fishman
IEMed Mediterranean Yearbook, 2022
A publication by the European Institute of the Mediterranean
Turkish Jews and their Diasporas, 2022
This chapter focuses on how the memory of Jews in Turkey is being constructed through the refurbi... more This chapter focuses on how the memory of Jews in Turkey is being constructed through the refurbishing of synagogues in areas of Turkey where Jews no longer exist. Some of these projects are carried out by agencies of the central state, others by local municipalities. More recently, the memory of Jews is also being constructed through historical surveys of the Jewish community, which are featured on municipal webpages creating virtual sites of memory. Initiatives aimed at bringing the Jewish past alive have also been launched by independent individuals such as architects and artists, contributing to a growing, if contested and fragmented sphere of Jewish memory in Turkey.
Istanbul Political Research Institute, 2021
For years, Turkey’s relations with Israel have been stalled. During Prime Minister Benjamin Netan... more For years, Turkey’s relations with Israel have been stalled. During Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s last 12 years in power (2009-2021), the relationship has continued to hit lower and lower points, with few moments to celebrate. In fact, the deterioration of relations has correlated with numerous public spats between Netanyahu and Turkey’s leader, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. However, many analysts have overlooked the fact that a status quo was reached that enabled economic ties to thrive despite frequent crises and outbursts by the leaders. With Netanyahu now out of power, the question is whether this status quo can hold considering the antiErdoğan stance held by key members of the new government.
Revue d’histoire culturelle (XVIIIe-XXIe siècles), 2021
This article focuses on how a group of Sephardic intellectuals, some who identified as Arab Jews,... more This article focuses on how a group of Sephardic intellectuals, some who identified as Arab Jews, succeeded through their experiences in Cairo, Beirut, and Istanbul, to become influential actors within Ottoman Palestine’s Jewish community. Past scholarship has focused on how they tried to build a “shared homeland” with the local Palestinian population. However, this article argues that despite their success in constructing shared communities outside of Palestine, they were overall unsuccessful in forging ties with Palestinians. Through the lives of these intellectuals, we also learn about the makeup of Ottoman Palestine’s Sephardim and the complication of defining them within the framework of language and nationalism.
Current History , 2019
“These two minority communities have to work within the confines of ethnonationalist states that ... more “These two minority communities have to work within the confines of ethnonationalist states that question their right to participate in the political system.”
This chapter problematizes the notion that the political realities introduced following the 1908 ... more This chapter problematizes the notion that the political realities introduced following the 1908 Young Turk Revolution augmented a sustainable sense of harmony among the different communities in Ottoman Jerusalem. In fact, it will argue that the revolution perhaps even hindered the forging of an urban community or an idealistic type of citadinité. It does not aim to disprove that relations between communities existed within the urban arena of Jerusalem. However, it will question the extent of these relations and will set out to show how new barriers between the different communities were created as a result of political events in Istanbul and, in particular, in Palestine.
During the last decade, LGBT rights has transformed into an international issue, making it more u... more During the last decade, LGBT rights has transformed into an international issue, making it more urgent for Ankara to address issues of its own LGBT community. When placed in the domestic context, the LGBT struggle has followed the path of other communities demanding freedoms. However, on the international front, the issue becomes much more complex. Further, if checked in a historical context, the promotion of LGBT rights by international organizations and the U.S. State Department can be seen as an extension of European intervention in Ottoman affairs in the mid-19th-century, and the early years of the Turkish Republic. This fact could lead some to perceive their agenda as a type of Western exclusivism or cultural imperialism. Due to these reasons, it seems that if change is to come in Turkey, it will be a result of domestic activism and Turkey's choice to continue with EU reforms.
Turkish-Israeli Relations in a post-Arab Spring* : A Historical Perspective, 2013
By the beginning of 1997, the two states had secured numerous civil and military agreements, whic... more By the beginning of 1997, the two states had secured numerous civil and military agreements, which gave rise to a genuine feeling of a common identity and a mutual future. Özet Bu makale tarihsel bağlamda Türkiye-İsrail ilişkilerine odaklanıyor. Türkiye 1949 yılında Yahudi Devleti'nin varlığını kabul eden ilk müslüman devletti. Bu noktadan sonra Türkiye, İsrail ve Arap Devletleri ile ara-sında kurduğu ilişkiyi dengelemeye devam etti. 90'ların sonuna doğru ise Türkiye ve İsrail arasındaki ilişki daha da kuvvetlendi. Ancak İkinci İntifada'nın gerçekleşmesiyle ilişkiler zedelenmeye başlayarak son dört yılda kopma noktasına geldi. İsrail'deki son seçimler göz önünde bulundurulduğunda İsrail'in Türkiye ile ilişkilerin düzeltmesi gerektiği görülüyor. İki ülkenin ilişkileri düzeltmesi, Arap Baharı'nın getirdiği zorluk-lara karşı göğüs germeye olanak sağlayacaktır.
Book Reviews by Louis Fishman
Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies, 2013
Review of book by Michelle Campos, Ottoman Brothers: Muslims, Christians, and Jews in Early Twent... more Review of book by Michelle Campos, Ottoman Brothers: Muslims, Christians, and Jews in Early Twentieth-Century Palestine.
Israel Studies Review: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 2022
Review Liora Halperin's book:
The Oldest Guard: Forging the Zionist Settler Past
(Stanford, CA: S... more Review Liora Halperin's book:
The Oldest Guard: Forging the Zionist Settler Past
(Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2021)
AJS Review , 2017
Gur Alroey opens the book with a personal story of growing up in an Israel
that recognizes his As... more Gur Alroey opens the book with a personal story of growing up in an Israel
that recognizes his Ashkenazic kibbutznik grandparents as the mythical Zionists, the “new Jews,” while ignoring the contribution of his urban Sephardic grandparents, who lived in Tel Aviv. While the former represented pioneers tilling the Land of Israel’s soil, the latter were more traditional and represented lower-class, menial laborers.
H-Net Reviews, 2022
The Jews of Ottoman Izmir: A Modern History, Dina Danon sets out to tell the story of how the Ott... more The Jews of Ottoman Izmir: A Modern History, Dina Danon sets out to tell the story of how the Ottoman Jewish community of Izmir underwent a transitional period in the late nineteenth century, during which new understandings of community emerged. Unlike recent literature on Ottoman non-Muslims that focuses on the relationship between Istanbul's Jewish community and the city's Muslim political elites, Danon's work looks inward to explore the dynamics within Izmir's vibrant Jewish society. What emerges is a comprehensive social history of a community that to a great extent maintained a character unique from those of other Sephardic Ladino-speaking communities, such as in Istanbul and Salonica. Through her detailed descriptions of issues of poverty, class, and social mobility, Danon exposes a narrative that stands in stark contrast to those of Ashkenazi European Jews, whether in the Russian Empire, where Jews suffered persecution or, in western Europe, such as France and Germany.
Turkish Studies , 2021
Louis Fishman (2021): Sultanic Saviors and Tolerant Turks: Writing Ottoman Jewish History, Denyin... more Louis Fishman (2021): Sultanic Saviors and Tolerant Turks: Writing Ottoman Jewish History, Denying the Armenian Genocide, Turkish Studies, DOI:10.1080/14683849.2021.1897466
Opinion, News Analysis, Arts by Louis Fishman
Haaretz, 2023
Post-election Analysis
Haaretz , 2023
A short read about the upcoming Turkish elections and the Turkish opposition is giving Erdogan hi... more A short read about the upcoming Turkish elections and the Turkish opposition is giving Erdogan his greatest challenge yet. Also, it explains why it is still an uphill battle for the opposition.
Haaretz , 2023
February, 2023, Haaretz: "As the death toll from earthquakes, corruption and poor governance rise... more February, 2023, Haaretz: "As the death toll from earthquakes, corruption and poor governance rises above 35,000, both Erdogan’s grandiose vision of a ‘New Turkey’ and his decades-long lock on power have increasingly fragile foundations"
Hyperallergic , 2022
Silvina Der-Meguerditchian’s work stands as a testament to how art exhibited in the present provi... more Silvina Der-Meguerditchian’s work stands as a testament to how art exhibited in the present provides an important key to the forgotten and erased histories of the past.
Uploads
Papers by Louis Fishman
Book Reviews by Louis Fishman
The Oldest Guard: Forging the Zionist Settler Past
(Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2021)
that recognizes his Ashkenazic kibbutznik grandparents as the mythical Zionists, the “new Jews,” while ignoring the contribution of his urban Sephardic grandparents, who lived in Tel Aviv. While the former represented pioneers tilling the Land of Israel’s soil, the latter were more traditional and represented lower-class, menial laborers.
Opinion, News Analysis, Arts by Louis Fishman
The Oldest Guard: Forging the Zionist Settler Past
(Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2021)
that recognizes his Ashkenazic kibbutznik grandparents as the mythical Zionists, the “new Jews,” while ignoring the contribution of his urban Sephardic grandparents, who lived in Tel Aviv. While the former represented pioneers tilling the Land of Israel’s soil, the latter were more traditional and represented lower-class, menial laborers.
Brings together leading voices on Sephardi Jewish history and Turkish studies,
Offers a critical contribution to the debate on the Turkish Republic as a project of modernity.