Donmeh refers to a group of Crypto-Jews of the Near East who followed Sabbatai Zevi (also called Shabbatai Zvi) and converted to Islam in 1666. Zevi's conversion is generally understood to have been forced. They are also called Selânikli (person from Thessaloniki) or referred to as Donmeh (dönme (read 'ö' like the 'u' in turn) or avdetî), a Turkish word for a religious convert. Although they consider themselves as some kind of Jews, they are not officially recognised by Jewish authorities. Crypto-Judaism is the secret adherence to Judaism while publicly professing to be of another faith; people who practice crypto-Judaism are referred to as crypto-Jews. The term crypto-Jew is also used to describe descendants of Jews who still (generally secretly) maintain some Jewish traditions, often while adhering... The Near East is a term commonly used by archaeologists, geographers and historians, less commonly by journalists and commentators, to refer to the region encompassing the Levant (modern Israel, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon), Turkey, Mesopotamia (Iraq and eastern Syria). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Islam (Arabic:  ) is a monotheistic religion based upon the Quran, its principal scripture, whose followers, known as Muslims (مسلم), believe God (Arabic: الله ) sent through revelations to Muhammad. ... 1666 is often called Annus Mirabilis. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... It has been suggested that Spiritual desertion be merged into this article or section. ...

History

While outwardly Muslim, the Sabbateans secretly remained close to Jewish beliefs, and continued to practice Jewish rituals covertly. They recognized Sabbatai Zevi as the Jewish Messiah, observed certain rituals with similarities in Judaism and prayed in Hebrew and later in Ladino. They also observed rituals celebrating important events in Zevi's life. They interpreted Zevi's conversion in a Kabbalistic way. Islam (Arabic:  ) is a monotheistic religion based upon the Quran, its principal scripture, whose followers, known as Muslims (مسلم), believe God (Arabic: الله ) sent through revelations to Muhammad. ... Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... In Judaism and Jewish eschatology, the Messiah (Hebrew: משיח; Mashiah, Mashiach, or Moshiach, anointed [one]) has traditionally referred to a future Jewish king from the Davidic line who will be anointed (the meaning of the Hebrew word משיח) with holy anointing oil and inducted to rule the Jewish people during the Messianic... Main article: Mitzvah 613 mitzvot or 613 Commandments (Hebrew: תריג מצוות transliterated as Taryag mitzvot; TaRYaG is the acronym for the numeric value of 613) are a list of commandments from God in the Torah. ... Hebrew redirects here. ... This article deals with the Judaeo-Spanish language. ... A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value, which is prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. ... This article is about traditional Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism). ...

Some of the original Sabbateans were also Muslims or Christians who were converted to Sabbateanism.

There are several branches of the Sabbateans. The first was the Ismirli formed in İzmir, Turkey (Smyrna). The second were the Jakubi founded by Jacob Querido, a successor to Zevi who also made messianic claims. Also were the Osman Baba led by Berechia. This group taught Jacob Frank who led the Frankists in 18th century eastern Europe and the fifth were the Lechli who are of Polish descent who lived in exile in Salonika (modern Thessaloniki, Greece) and Constantinople. Ä°zmir (Ottoman Turkish: إزمير Ä°zmir, Greek: Σμύρνη SmýrnÄ“, Armenian: Ô»Õ¦Õ´Õ«Ö€, Italian: Smirne, Ladino: Izmir, without the Turkish dotted I) is the third most populous city of Turkey and the countrys largest port after Ä°stanbul. ... Jacob Querido (d. ... Jacob Frank (1726-1791) was a Jewish merchant who claimed to be the messiah. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... Regions of Europe as delineated by the United Nations (UN definition of Eastern Europe marked salmon):  Northern Europe  Western Europe  Eastern Europe  Southern Europe Pre-1989 division between the West (grey) and Eastern Bloc (orange) superimposed on current national boundaries: Russia (dark orange), other countries of the former USSR (medium... The Poles (Polish: ) are a western Slavic people inhabiting the country of Poland (in Central Europe) and a number of other states in the world, where they form a significant Polish diaspora. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Map of Constantinople. ...

Several Sabbateans were among the Young Turks, revolutionaries who brought down the Ottoman Empire. At the time of the population exchange between Greece and Turkey, some among the Salonika Sabbateans tried to be recognized as non-Muslims to avoid being forced to leave Salonika. After the foundation of the Turkish Republic, Sabbateans strongly supported the Republican, pro-Western reforms of Ataturk that tried to restrict the power of the religious establishment and modernize the society. In particular, Sabbateans were instrumental in establishing trade, industry and culture in the emerging Republic of Turkey which is partially due to the prominence of Rumeli immigrants in general and of Salonica in particular in the early Republic years. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Cartoon depicting a Turk and a Greek arguing over the exchange. ... Motto: Turkish: Yurtta Barış, Dünyada Barış (English: Peace at Home, Peace in the World) Anthem: Ä°stiklâl Marşı (English: Independence March) Capital Ankara Largest city Ä°stanbul Turkish (Türkçe) Government Secular Republic  - Founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk  - President of the Republic Ahmet Necdet Sezer  - Prime Minister Recep Tayyip... Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881—November 10, 1938), Turkish soldier and statesman, was the founder and first President of the Republic of Turkey. ...

Although they only married within their own community, the mixed-marriage and assimilation began already at the end of 19th century. It should be noted that as of the end of 20th century Sabbateans were fully integrated to the Turkish society and the intermarriage tradition largely ceased after the 1960s. The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ...

Since the publication of the book Şebeke "Network" by socialist writer Prof. Dr. Yalçın Küçük in 2002, a new wave of conspiracy theories popular among the right-wing and left-wing nationalists emerged. According to these speculative postulates, Sabbateans are related to each other through a network that consequently links them to "International jewry" and they are the ones behind consecutive governments in Turkey. Socialism is a social and economic system (or the political philosophy advocating such a system) in which the economic means of production are owned and controlled collectively by the people. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... A conspiracy theory attempts to explain the ultimate cause of an event or chain of events (usually political, social, or historical events) as a secret, and often deceptive, plot by a covert alliance of powerful or influential people or organizations. ... For a discussion of historical Jewish populations, along with estimates of current population from the World Jewish Population Survey, please see Jewish population. ...

An interesting case is the one of Ilgaz Zorlu, a Sabbatean publisher who founded Zvi Publishers in 2000 and sought recognition as a Jew but a Beth Din denied to recognize his Jewishness without a full conversion. He claimed to have converted in Israel and then filed a lawsuit for changing his religion from Islam to Judaism in his registry records and ID. The court voted in his favor. His acts are seen controversial by many, particularly due to his cooperation with Islamic figures like Mehmed Şevket Eygi. This article is about the year 2000. ... A beth din (בית דין, Hebrew: house of judgment, plural battei din) is a rabbinical court of Judaism. ...

Işık University which is part of the Feyziye Schools Foundation (Feyziye Mektepleri Vakfi - FMV) and Terakki schools were founded originally by the Sabbatean community in Salonica in the last quarter of the 19th century but ceased to be community schools after their move to Istanbul. Işık University is a private university located in Ä°stanbul, Turkey. ...

References

• Tarih ve Toplum Dergisi, Iletisim Yayinlari, Istanbul, Temmuz 2002

See also

• Converso
• Marrano
• Muslim Jew
• Fall of the Ottoman Empire
• Conspiracy Theories
• Jacob Frank

Spanish for converted one, converso (feminine conversa) referred to Jews or Muslims or the descendants of Jews or Muslims who had converted, sometimes unwillingly, to Catholicism in Spain, particularly during the 1300s and 1400s. ... Marranos (Spanish and Portuguese, literally pigs in the Spanish language, originally a derogatory term from the Arabic محرّم muharram meaning ritually forbidden, stemming from the prohibition against eating the flesh of the animal among both Jews and Muslims), were Sephardic Jews (Jews from the Iberian peninsula) who were forced to adopt... A Muslim Jew is someone who is Jewish by ethnicity, but who has converted to Islam. ... Fall of the Ottoman Empire summarize the reasons why it could not revert the path that ended with its dissolution. ... A conspiracy theory is a theory that defies common historical or current understanding of events, under the claim that those events are the result of manipulations by two or more individuals or various secretive powers or conspiracies. ... Jacob Frank (1726-1791) was a Jewish merchant who claimed to be the messiah. ...

External links

• Donmeh - Frequently Asked Questions

Web Pages in Turkish:

• [1]
• - An article by Emin Colasan
• [2]
• - Sabbatean controversy between Ahmet Hakan and M. Sevket Eygi
• - An article by Ilgaz Zorlu
• [3]
• Satanic Voices, Ancient and Modern A book by a British convert to Islam, David Musa Pidcock on the Sabbateans.