Review: REVEALING A HIDDEN COMMUNITY: lgaz Zorlu and the Debate in Turkey over the

Dnme/Sabbateans
Author(s): Marc David Baer
Review by: Marc David Baer
Source: Turkish Studies Association Bulletin, Vol. 23, No. 1 (Spring 1999), pp. 68-75
Published by: Indiana University Press
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 TheTurkish
Studies
Association
Bulletin
, vol.23,no. 1 (Spring1999):68-75

Review Article

REVEALING A HIDDEN COMMUNITY:

ilgaz Zorlu and the Debate in Turkey
over the Dnme/Sabbateans
By Marc David Baer

lgaz Zorlu, Evet,BenSelanikliyim:

Tiirkiye iistiine
Sabetaycilik istanbul:
Makaleler,
BeigeYayinlan,1998. Pp. 174.

I. Reassertingthe existenceof a vanished minority

Whoarewe;where arewefrom? Arewenative, ordowefeelasifweareforeign? Perhaps,
amongalltheethnic inTurkey
groups expected toanswerthese
questions,we[theSabbateans]
arethepeoplewhohavethemostdifficult time.Thesubjectofthiswritingis thestrange
ofhowevery
story dayas a groupofpeopleweliveas ifthereisnodifferentcharacteristic
betweenus [Sabbateans
andMuslims], notdisplaying inreligion,
anydistinction language,
andcustom, butintruth
webelong toa secret
community which onlyathomehasprotected
andkeptaliveitsownmystic withgreat
structure zealforthree
centuries.
In provocativefashion,lgaz Zorlu's Evet,Ben Selanikliyim (Yes,I AmfromSa-
lnica)challengesTurkishsocietyto reopena debatefromthe1920sconcerning
theexistence and identity ofa malignedminority group.Then,as now,thedebate
surroundstwo questions:does a Sabbatean"community" exist,and do any of
itsmembers stillbelieveinthemessianicmissionoftheseventeenth-century Izmir
rabbiSabbataiSevi?Zorluproudlyproclaims hisdescentfrom Jews who converted
toIslaminthelateseventeenth century,followingtheexampleoftheirproclaimed
messiah,inhisbook,whichis nowon thebest-seller listinTurkey.
Evet, BenSelanikliyim is a collectionof previouslypublishedarticles.In an
interview forthemass-circulation Zorluclaimedthatall theSab-
dailyHiirriyet,
68 bateanshe interviewed said, "WearenotfromSalnica,"sincetheybelieveitis
shameful tobe labeledin sucha way.1Theauthorconverts an insultintoa badge
ofhonor.Thebookhasgonethrough fourprintingsinlessthansixmonths andhas

1Zorlu, p.124.Ayen
Evet, Giir, BenSelanikliyim,"
"Evet, Tatil
Hiirriyet 19September
(istanbul),
1998,p. 3. Theanthropologist
LeylaNeyzifoundthata Sabbatean whomsheinterviewed
heldsimilar views:"Myfathertoldmenever tosayI amSalonican
toanyone I didnotknow.
Thisis a humiliating peoplewillbelittle
thing; you.BecauseofthisI wasforced tolearnof
Sabbateanism notfrom butfrom
myfamily books/' Kim?"Gazete
"Selanikli Pazar(istanbul),
5 October 1997,p. 15.

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REVEALINGA HIDDEN COMMUNITY
attracted intheTurkish
a greatdeal ofattention press.Althoughhewas lambasted
ina critical
reviewinan important Turkishliterary Zorlu
journal, hasbeenlionized
in theIslamicistpress,which has paid themost attention
to thebook.2His work,
forexample,was named"bookof themonth"by theRightist-Islamicist journal
Matbat.3

II. The debate over the Sabbateans

Itiscommon knowledge thatuntiltheearlytwentieth century,thedescendants

ofSabbataiSevi's originalfollowers who converted to Islammaintained a belief
thatSabbataiSevi was themessiah,recitedseventeenth-century Jewishmystical
prayers, and practiced hisrituals.4
The descendants ofhisfollowers calledthem-
selvesMa'aminim ("Believers"inHebrew),butMuslimspejoratively labeledthem
Avdeti or Dnmein Turkish("one who changes,"i.e.,a convertto Islam)because
theyassumedtheSabbateanswerenotsincereconverts. Becausemostresidedin
Salnica,inthelatenineteenth andearlytwentieth centuries,Sabbateans alsocalled
themselves Selanikli("Salonican").Thosewhocontinued tobelieveinSabbataiSevi
as themessiahpreferred thetermSabetayci(Sabbatean).5
Unmolested by theOttomangovernment, Sabbateansfacedpublicscrutiny
onlyin theyearsfollowingtheFirstWorldWarand thefirstfewyearsof the
TurkishRepublic.An anonymousauthorwrotea bookletentitledDnmeler, in
whichhe attackedSabbateansforbeingneitherMuslimnorJewish, and being
disloyaltotheTurkish nation.6
Theywere"thegreatest factorin thespreadingof
immorality,irreligion,andcontagious diseasesamongtheMuslims."7 A Sabbatean
and veteranofWorldWarI, retired MajorSadikibnSleyman, wrotea rebuttal
entitledTheTruth abouttheDnme , in whichhe illustrated theSabbateans'good
A publicdebateabouttheloyaltyand identity
qualities.8 ofSabbateanswas born.
In 1924,a SabbateanofSalnicanamedKarakazadeMehmedRtbecamethe
firstSabbateanto presentthe secretsof the community to the Muslimpublic
whenhe wrotean open letterto theSabbateansand presentedit to theGrand
NationalAssemblyin Ankara.He claimedthatthe10-15,000Sabbateansacted
likeMuslimsin publicbutsecretly maintained theirSabbateanritualsand beliefs
at home.He attackedtheSabbateansfor"sacrificing neithera drop of blood"
nor any partof theirwealthforthe countryand nation,instead"livingas a

2Fora criticalreview oftheworkandexamples ofitslionizationintheIslamicist

press,see
Rifat
N. Bali,"Evet, BenSelanikliyim," 15(January
Virgili 1999):44-47.
3Mustafa Aydin, Yahudi
"Sabetaycilik DinininBirParasidir!"
Matbat 30(stanbul),
Novem- 69
ber1998,pp.27-30.
4Gershom Scholem,Sabbatai
Sevi:TheMystical
Messiah, 1626-1676,trans.R.J.ZwiWeblowsky,
Bollingen SeriesNo.XCIII(Princeton:PrincetonUniversityPress, 1973).
5Fora definitionofthetermDnme asitisusedinpopular
/Selanikli political inTurkey,
culture
seeAlper SedatAslanda andBaskin Biakci,
Popiiler
SiyasDeyimler (Istanbul:
Szlgii letiim
Yayinlan, 1995).
6stanbul:emsMatbaasi, A.H.1335.
7Ibid.,p. 10.
8Dnmelerin Hakikati Dersaadet
(stanbul: Karabet Matbaasi,A.H.1335).

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 MarcDavid Baer

spongingparasite."He concludedthattheSabbateanshad to "eitherworkto

definitivelymix and intermarry withTurksin orderto sharein all aspectsof
thefatherland and nation/'or leave Turkey.9 Duringthesame year,newspaper
serialsabouttheSabbateanswerepublishedinVatan, Vaidi,andResimliDiinya.The
Sabbateanwhowrotetheten-part series"AMysterious of
Page History/' published
inVatan, arguedthatincontrast towhatMehmedRiitii hadclaimed,Sabbateanism
Sabbateanidentity
and a distinct werethingsofthepast,sinceSabbateanswere
intermarrying with Turks.10Ibrahim AlettinGvsa,thedirector ofan istanbul
Sabbateanboardingschool,disagreed.DespiteSabbateanattempts todemonstrate
thattheywereon thevergeofdisappearing, Gvsa claimedthatsomepreserved
Sabbateanrituals,includinggoingto theseashore,waitingforthemessiah,and
sayinginSpanish,"SabbataiSevi,I waitforthee."11
In the1970s,thetopicofSabbateanidentity becamepopularamongFascist
andIslamicistcirclesthatattacked JewsandSabbateansalike.12M. ErturulDzda,
knownto Ottomanhistorians as theauthorofan editedcollection ofthefeivasof
eyhiilislmEbussu'dEfendi,also wroteHiddenFacesinourRecent Past,which
is devotedto revealingthe negativeinfluencethatJewshave had in Turkish
history.13Mostofthebookis devotedtothe"threat" posedbythe"anti-Muslim"
Sabbateans.14 a
Similarly,divinity schoolprofessor AnkaraUniversity
from wrote
a bookthatborrowsfreely fromclassicanti-Jewishand Nazi tracts,
and ostensibly
concernsSabbataiSevi and the Sabbateans.The author'saim, however,is to
demonstrate how Jewsare untrustworthy sincetheyalwaysremainsecretJews
evenwhentheyconvert toIslam.15

III. Sabbatean History,Religion, and IdentityRevisited

Zorlu'sbookis thelatestonthesubject.His mainthesisis thattheSabbateans

are Jews,thatSabbateanismis a Jewishsect,and thattheStateof Israelmust
recognize theSabbateansbyaccepting a SabbateanChiefRabbiintheJewish State.
It is forthelastreasonthatZorlumadea tripto Israelin theearly1990s.Evenif
theChiefRabbiofTurkey and theStateofIsraeldenythatSabbateansareJewish,
"thesepeople have Jewishrootsand are partof Jewishculture"(pp. 141,147,
161).ZorluattacksworldJewry, IsraeliJewry, and theTurkishJewish community
fornotrecognizing thatSabbateanism is a Jewishmovement thatemergedfrom

9"SelnikDnmelerine AikMektup," Vak.it

Gazetesi
(Istanbul),7 Knunusani
1924.
10"Tarihin birSahifesi,"
Esrarengiz January1924.
70 11SeeAbraham Galant,Nouveaux documents
surSabbetaSevi Socit
(Istanbul: anonyme de
etd'imprimerie
papeterie [Fratelli
Haim], tbrahim
1935). Alettin Sevi:izmirti
Gvsa,Sabetay
Meqhur Mesih
Sahte Hakktnda Tarih
veItima
Tetkik
Tecrbesi
(Istanbul:SemihLtfiKitabevi,
Fora review
1939). ofthisbook, seeMarcDavidBaer,"Osmanli Musevilerinin
MesihiveOnun
Tiirkiye
Cumhuriyetindeki trans.
Izleri," Esrazyrek, 11(September
Virgiil 1998):48-51.
12Gvsa,SabetaySevi,pp.86,97.
13Yakirt
Tarihimizde 2nded.istanbul:
Gizliehreler, z Yayincilik, 1994).
14Dzda,Gizliehreler,
p. 162.
15Abdurrahman Kk, Dnmeler 3rded.(istanbul:
Tarihi, Hamle,1997).

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REVEALINGA HIDDEN COMMUNITY
withinJudaism, and whosebasisis theZohar,themystical Jewish BookofSplendor ,
an inseparable partof Jewish and
history religion(p. 81).
Thebookisdividedintothreemainsections. Thefirst contains articlesrelating
to thehistory ofSabbateanism, thesecondarticleson Sabbateanreligiousbeliefs,
and thethirdotherwritings relatingto thesubject.The mostimportant articles
arein thefirst sectionofthebook.Theyare "A Few NotesConcerning Atatrk'
s
FirstTeacher, emsiEfendi/' "Three Family Tree Documents concerning Sabbatean
Culture,"and "TwoOttomanLanguageTreatises Written abouttheSabbateans."16
Thefirstshedslighton emsiEfendi,MustafaKemal'sschoolteacher and major
intellectualinfluence in Salnica,and Zorlu's ancestor.Atatrk mentioned in his
important speech Nutuk how hisfathersenthim toemsi Efendi' s Fevziye Mektebi
sinceitwas themostmodernandprogressive schoolofitsday(p. 17).In thearticle
concerning Sabbateanfamily trees,Zorluoffers proofofoneofthemeans
tangible
by which the Sabbateans maintained theirseparateidentity, distinctfrom Jewsand
Muslims.In thethirdarticle,theauthornamestwotreatises written in theearly
twentiethcentury abouttheSabbateansandprovidessomeinformation abouttheir
authors,their contexts, and their contents.
The articlesin thesecondpartof thebook are devotedto Sabbateanbelief
andcustom.Throughout thesearticles,ZorluemphasizesthreethesesofGershom
Scholem.ZorluarguesthatSabbateanismand SabbataiSevi's messianicbeliefs
camedirectly fromtheKabbalistictheologyofthesixteenth-century Safedrabbi
andmystic IsaacLuria.17 Second, theauthor contendsthat Sabbatai Sevi's mainaim
was togatherall theJewsinPalestine(p. 109).Thus,Zorluconsiders SabbataiSevi
tobe oneofthefirst Zionistleaders,and theSabbateanmovement tobe essentially
Zionist(p. 145).Finally,theauthorcontendsthatSabbataiSeviandSabbateanshad
relationswithvariousMuslimmystics, includingBektais, Alevis,Melmis,and
Niyz-iMisr.18
The author'smostpoliticalclaimsare made in thearticles,editorials, and
interviews in thelast sectionof thebook. The firstarticlein thesection,"The
SabbateansofTurkey: A SecretEthnicGroup,"forexample,containstheauthor's
fantasticestimatethatthereare 100,000people in Turkeytodayof Sabbatean
origin(p. 130).19He also arguesthattheOttomansallowed theSabbateansto
liveunmolested forthreecenturies, whereastheintolerant Turkish Republichas
subjectedtheSabbateanstoattack.Forexample,in 1942,as Turkey leanedtoward
Nazi Germany, theTurkishgovernment brandedtheSabbateansa non-Muslim

16"Atatrk'nilkgretmeni emsi EfendiHakkinda BirkaNokta,"pp.71-21;"Sabetayci

KltreaitSoyagaci Belgesi," Hakkinda
pp.33-35;"Sabetaycilar kiOsmanlica 71
Yazilmi
pp.46-53.
Risale/'
17Seethefollowingarticles: pp.65-81;"Mistik
"Sabetaycilar," birKiilik:
SabetayZwi,"pp.
82-87;"Kabbala'nm Mistik Aleminde,"pp.98-101;"Kabbala'daLuriaciAkimveMaiah,"
pp.102-104;"SabetayciliktaMaiahveSabetay Sevi,"pp.105-109; Kabbala'nm
"Sabetayci
Esaslan,"pp.110-113;"Kabbala'nm Mistik
Dnyasmda KisabirYolculuk,"
pp.118-123.
18Aydin, veOsmanli
p. 30;Zorlu,"Sabetaycilik
Sabetaycilik, pp.40-45;Ahmet
Mistisizmi,"
Keke-Erdalimek,"Dnmeler Akit
Yahudidir," (istanbul),
Haaya (14June
Bakt$ p.54.
1998),
19"GizliBirEtnikCemaat: Trkiye pp.124^134.
Sabetaycilari,"

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 MarcDavid Baer

groupand forcedthemto pay theWealthTax(Varlik ), whichwas putinto

Vergisi
inordertostripArmenians,
effect andJewsoftheirwealth.20
Greeks, Zorlublames
theTurkishgovernment foroppressing in Turkey.21
all ethnicminorities He also
warnsofthedangerfromFascists-Islamists whoblameMasons,Sabbateans, and
Jewsfor thecollapseof theOttoman Empire and thefoundationof thesecular
TurkishRepublic(pp. 132-133).

IV. "Proving" Stereotypes

AlthoughZorluis a Sabbatean,his claimsabouthis community echoanti-

Jewish and anti-Sabbatean mythspopularinTurkey. Thesubjectof"AnInterview
Conductedwitha SabbateanfromTurkey ConcerningSabbateanPersonality and
Character,"forexample,criticizes thephysical andmoralcharacter ofSabbateans in
terms thatechotheanti-Sabbatean Dnmeler.22
treatise ZorluclaimsthatSabbateans
becameanxiouscowardsbecausetheyalwaysremainedsecretand wereafraidof
beingdiscovered (p. 153).Itisnocoincidence thatTurkssaya cowardhasa "Saloni-
canheart."Atthesametime,restrictions on marrying outsidethecommunity led
tophysicaldegeneration, as well(p. 153).Zorluand hissubjectagreethatthereis
an "oppressive Sabbateanmother type,"thatSabbateanwomenareunhappy, and
thatSabbateansingeneralarepessimistic (pp. 154-155).Zorluand hissubjectalso
concurthatill and pathological children areproducedbyunhappy, angry,tense,
and controllingSabbateanmothers (p. 156).
Zorlu oftenconfirms the worstsuspicionsraisedby otherstereotypes in
Turkeyabout theSabbateans,namely,thattheyhave linkswithMasons,who
are considereda sinisteratheistforce;thattheycontrolthemediaand govern-
ment;and thatthe leadingfiguresin the foundationof the TurkishRepublic
wereSabbateans.23 He defendsSabbateansagainstaccusations ofengaginginholy

20SeeRidvanAkar, Varlik Vergisi(Istanbul:BeigeYayinlan, 1992).

21Following thisarticle isaneditorial byAytun thatappeared
Altindal intheTurkish daily
Yeni (stanbul):
Yiizytl "BirProvokasyon muTezghlaniyor?" Yeni 5 February
Yiizytl, 1997.In
hiseditorial, thewriter castsdoubtonwhether therereallyis someone namedilgazZorlu,
anddeniesclaims thattheallegedperson made,namely, thatSabbateans wereunder attack
inTurkey andthattheyhadtomigrate enmasse toIsraelandbe automatically accepted
as Israeli(i.e.,Jewish) citizens ( p. 135).In hispublished defense, alsoreproduced inthis
collectionofarticles, ZorlunotonlyhadtoclaimthatSabbateans as heusually
exist, makes
a pointofstressing inhisarticles, butthat"I amnota person witha fakename/7 lgazZorlu,
"Sabetaycilik veKendim Hakkinda BirkaNokta," YeniYiizytl,
10February 1997.Headmits
72 thathewenttoIsraelforresearch and,whilethere, wasinterviewed bytheforeign press
andanswered questions relating totheSabbateans, butinsists thatheneverclaimed that
theywanted tomigrate enmasse toIsrael.Tothiscollection Zorluadds"BirProvokatrn
Yayimlanmayan Cevabi," pp.143-151. He arguesthathenevercomplained aboutTurkish
treatment oftheSabbateans toanyone, butthattheSabbateans havefacedoppression in
Turkey (p. 148).
22"BirTrkiyeli Sabetayci ileSabetayci Karakter Hakkinda YapilanMlakat," pp.152-159.
23Zorluiscommended intheIslamicist pressforproving allthatDzda,Kiiiik, andothers
wrote previously onthetopic. Aydm, ,p.27.Balicriticizes
Sabetaycilik Zorluseverely forbeing
usedbyIslamists andformerely parrotingtheiranti-Sabbatean andanti-Jewish He
rhetoric.

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REVEALINGA HIDDEN COMMUNITY

orgiesin hisarticle"TheCandleWas Extinguished: A SabbateanRitualofGreat

Interest/'24Concerning Masonry, however, Zorlu twoviews.In an article
presents
entitled "Sabbateanism andMasonry," theauthordefendsSabbateanmembership
bynotingthatMasonlodgesplayeda crucialroleinpoliticsinturn-of-the-century
Salnica.25 Unlikethemilitary and mystical lodges,Masoniclodgeswerea space
wherenon-Muslims wereacceptedand perhapstheonlyinstitution in Ottoman
society in which non-Muslims couldoperate in a free
and democratic atmosphere
(p. 59).Butininterviews intheIslamicistpress,Zorluacceptstheassumedevillink
betweenSabbateanism and Masonry.26
ZorluopenlyacceptsthethesisthattheSabbateanscontrol theTurkish media,
and also agreeswithanti-Republican Islamistswho seekto provethatKemalism
andKemalists haveSabbateanorigins(p. 171).Zorluconfirms forIslamicistwriters
thatSabbateansareheavilyrepresented today in the for
media,claiming, example,
thatthe familythatowns YeniYiizyilhas Sabbateanorigins(p. 150).27Zorlu
also arguesthatthefounders ofmodernTurkeyareall intellectuals ofSabbatean
origin(p. 166).In coded languagemeaning that Atatrk himselfwas a Sabbatean,
theauthorclaimsthat"Turkey's founderswereall ofSalonican[i.e.,Sabbatean]
origins."In hisinterview withtheradicalIslamicist dailyAkit,he also acceptsthe
idea thatSabbateanshavealwaysadministered theTurkish Republic(p. 53). His
viewsconcerning Sabbateaninfluence are no different,in fact,fromanti-Jewish
and anti-Sabbatean publishedin Islamicist
diatribes newspapers.28

argues thatthere is absolutelynodifference inwhatZorluandIslamists wishtoprove. He

citesexamples from thepress.Soonafter Zorlu'sarticle onemsi Efendi first
appeared in
January 1994, theIslamicistnewspaper Beklenen Vakit(which laterbecame Akit)published a
headline " ina Jewish
front-page readingAtatrk Studied School" (28January 1994).Zorlu's
articlepublished inBirikim inApril1995,"GizlibirEtnik Cemaat: Turkiye Sabetaycilari,"
wasthesource ofthefront-page headline fortherightist weekly Kurultay: "100,000Dnmes
inTurkey" (30August 1996).Bali,"Evet,BenSelnikliyim," p. 44.
24"okMerak Edilen BirSabetayci MumSnd,"
Riteli: pp.60-64. According toSabbatean
andMuslim accounts published inthe1920s, theSabbateans celebrated a spring holiday
calledtheHoliday oftheLamb(KuzuBayrami) atwhich everyone exchanged sexualpartners.
Butaccording toZorlu, noneofthese claims isbasedonwritten evidence (Zorlu, p.63).Zorlu
claims tohaveinterviewed a Sabbatean whoaccepted thatSabbateans celebrated theholiday.
Butaccording tohim, nowomen werepresent sinceitwasa religiousceremony, andnosexual
ritualoccurred.Other Sabbateans claimthatalthough they didnotseeitwiththeir owneyes,
theyheardofthepractice beingobserved inthepast,butending attheturn ofthecentury.
Zorlucastsdoubtontheveracity ofthepractice andargues thatifitdidoccur, itisa thingof
thepast.SeeGalant, Nouveaux documents , pp.50-51.
25"Sabetaycilik ve Masonluk," pp.54-59.
26Keke-imek, Dnmeler, p. 54;Aydm, p. 30.
Sabetaycilik, 73
27Mehmed evket Eygi, "Diktatrlge Doru," MillGazete 24July
(Istanbul), 1997, p.2.This
editorialintheTurkish dailyaffiliated
withtheIslamicist Welfare Parywarns thereader ofthe
power thatSabbateans allegedlyholdinTurkey The
today. writer arguesthat ofthe two major
mediagroups, oneisownedbya Sabbatean, andthatevery dayoneofthemasscirculation
dailiesattacksIslam, callingit"reactionary."TheSabbateans arethemostoppressive group
andlobby, andthemostpowerful minority inthecountry, andtheSabbateans causedthe
Welfare Party tofallfrom power.
28DcaneCndioglu, "BlbllerinSesineGelenMesih/'Yeniafak (Istanbul), 25 August
1998,alsoincludes theowners ofSabah inhislistofSabbateans, andasksZorlutonamethe

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 itjioav
tynvAu
uawi
V. The Futureof the Sabbateans

Not sincetheearlyyearsoftheTurkish Republichas theissueofSabbatean

been
identity publicly discussedby a Sabbatean. Hence,theimportance ofthebook
doesnotstemfrom the"evidence"providedconcerning Sabbateanbeliefandritual,
forit is neithersubstantiated nororiginal.It is ironicthatdespitetheauthor's
claimsto have conductedexhaustiveresearchon Sabbateanbeliefin Jerusalem
and istanbul,hisarticleson Sabbateanreligion infact,littlefrompreviously
differ,
publishedscholarly work.29The author has nothingnew to say aboutSabbatean
and
spirituality, the readeris betterserved by readingScholem,YehudaLiebes,
and MosheIdei.30The latestscholarship on Sabbateanbelief,forexample,such
as theworkofLiebes,questionstheallegedZionismofSabbataiSevi,and argues
thatratherthanintending to gatherall theJewsin Palestine, SabbataiSeviaimed
insteadonlytoreform thespiritual
lifeoftheJews.Furthermore, contrary toZorlu's
claims, theconnection between Sabbateans and Muslim mystics still
awaits proof.
TheauthorclaimstohavespentmuchtimeinSabbatean"synagogues" inIstanbul
and participated in Sabbateanfunerary rites;and to posessSabbateancalendars
withSabbateanand Jewishholidayson them,and Sabbateanprayerbooksthat
membersofthecommunity stilluse. Butnoneof thisknowledgeis reflected in
thework.Itis theauthor'sreluctance topublishphotographs, and
transliterations,
translationsofthismaterialthatmakesthesearticlesmuchless informative than
theycouldbe.
The book is significant, despiteits deficiencies,31sinceit is an important
contribution to thehistoricaldebateconcerning Sabbateanidentity and religion.
Theauthorcompareshimself toMehmedRtbecausebothSabbateanmenmade

newspaper atwhich Jewish mysticism classesaresupposedly taught oncea week.Mustafa

Kaplan,"imon Zwi'ninTorunu," Akit, 19August 1998,arguesthateveryone knowsthat
Sabbateansarea secretforceinthecountry thatworkstooverthrow regimes.Healsoreiterates
thatSabbateans areowners ofonewingofthemediamonopoly andplayedanimportant
roleinforming theTurkish Republic. Another typical editorial
is thatofMehmed evket
Museviler,"
Eygi,"Sabatistler, MilliGazete,11June 1997, p.2.ThewritercallsSabbateansthe
mostpowerful lobbyinTurkey, withgreat influenceinthemedia, finance,
culture,
politics,
theeconomy, andcommerce. Theauthor alsoaccusesSabbateans ofaiming tocontrolthe
countryandestablish their ownrule.
29Thearticle"Sabetaycilara aitBilinmeyen BirDua ve DinselAnlamlari," pp.36-39,for
example,isbasedona textpublished yearsagoinIsrael.
fifty
30Yehuda Liebes,StudiesinJewishMyth andJewish Mysticism,trans.
Batya Stein(Albany:State
UniversityofNewYorkPress,1993);MosheIdei,Kabbalah: NewPerspectives(NewHaven:
74 YaleUniversity Press,1988).
31Itisunfortunatethatsuchanimportant bookreceived suchpooreditingfrom itspublisher.
Tonamebuta fewerrors, Sabbatai Seviis bornin1622(incorrect) onp. 125,andbornin
1626onp. 65.Ononepage,theVarlik Vergisioccurs in1946(incorrect,p. 132);onanother,
itoccursin1942(p. 161).Gershom Scholem' s history ofSabbataiSevi,whichappeared in
Englishtranslationin1973, isgivena 1977publication date(p.36).Words arespelledseveral
different
waysthroughout thebook, andHebrew andother non-Turkishterms suchasmaiah
(messiah)andkipur ("atonement/' as inYomKippur) areusedwithout beingdefined. Why
theauthorinsistsonspelling SabbataiSevi'ssecond nameas Zwiwhenwriting inTurkish
is
unknown. Countless other terms arespelledinvarious waysthroughout thebook.

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REVEALINGA HIDDEN COMMUNITY

publicappeals to theircommunity. UnlikeRt,however,Zorlu does nottell

Sabbateansto assimilatebuturgesthemproudlyto maintaintheirpracticesand
Zorlutoldthisreviewerthathis workis butone aspectofhis personal
identity.
missionto educateSabbateanyouthand helpthemunderstand thebasisoftheir
troubled He
identity. aims toreturnassimilated Sabbateanyouth thoseignorant
and
oftheirpasttothepractices ofthesecretcommunity.
As partofthismission, ZorluproposesseveralmeasurestohinderSabbatean
assimilation(p. 169). He envisionsthe establishment of a Sabbateanresearch
institutein Turkeythatwill fundstudiesconcerning theSabbateansand pre-
serveSabbateandocuments in orderto educatethenextgeneration. Second,the
Sabbateanswill have theirown publicplace of worshipand mysticalstudy,an
unusedorrestored synagoguedonatedbytheJewish community ofTurkey.These
proposalscontradict theauthor'sclaimsthatminorities ingeneralandSabbateans
inparticularfaceoppression inTurkey. How muchworsewillthesituation be ifthe
Sabbateansopenlyproclaimtheiridentity and pursuetheiruniquereligiousprac-
tices?Futhermore, considering thepoorrelationsbetweenJewsand Sabbateans,
howwillingwilltheformer be tohelpthelatter?
Zorluexplainsthatit is necessaryto end thetwo-facedness, and open the
community to theoutside.32 The greatestparadoxof theauthor'sargumentis
thatiftheSabbateans"comeout,"theneedto maintaina Sabbateanidentity and
Sabbateanbeliefswilldisappear.TheSabbateanraison' treis definedbysecrecy.
IfSabbateansflourish, we shouldnotknowaboutit.Zorlutriesin all hisarticles
to haveitbothways:he wantstheSabbateansto be exposed,yethe protects his
sourcesand subjectsfrombecomingknown.33 He calls foropennessyetat the
sametimerefusestorevealtheSabbateandocuments thathe has read,thenames
ofSabbateanrabbiswithwhomhe has studied,and theaddressesofSabbatean
synagogueswheretheSabbateanspray.Zorlu is tornbetweenrevealingall he
knowsabouttheSabbateansand maintaining theirveneerofsecrecy.34 Theauthor
has written thearticlescomprising thisbookin an attempt to inform Sabbateans
andtheTurkish publicaboutSabbateanism, andconvince Sabbateans torevealtheir
In so doinghe ironically
identity. has confirmed conspiracy theories thatmanyin
Turkeyhavelongimagined.Contrary to his aims,Zorlumayactuallycause any
remaining believingSabbateansto becomeevenmorecommitted to hidingtheir
existence.

75

32Aydin, p. 28.
Sabetaycilik,
33Ibid.,p. 27.
34Neyzifaced thesamedilemma a Sabbatean
whensheinterviewed woman forhernewspa-
perGazete Pazar.
Ontheonehand, topublish andthenameofthewoman
a photograph gave
risetothepossibility
thatthewomanandherfamilywouldfacea backlash
fromSabbateans,
Jews,andIslamists. Ontheother
hand,nottopublishinformationaboutthewomancasts
doubtontheveracity oftheinterview.

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