Turkish Jews seek flats in Israel 'just in case'

Flotilla crisis leads to surge in number of Turkish Jews looking for real estate in Jewish state

Ofer Petersburg|Published: 07.30.10 , 12:06

The crisis between Israel and Turkey has led dozens of wealthy Jewish families in Istanbul to consider purchasing luxury apartments in the Tel Aviv area, the Yedioth Ahronoth daily reported Wednesday.

According to the report, the Turkish families are looking to purchase real estate in Israel in case anti-Semitism in the Muslim country escalates to such a level that they will be forced to flee.

"Since the Gaza flotilla affair, Turkish business people began looking for high-end apartments in Tel Aviv," said Roni Cohen, the CEO of Eldar, a company that markets exclusive housing projects. "The number of requests for apartments has grown as the diplomatic crisis escalated."

Cohen said the Turkish Jew who approached him said they felt persecuted, and fear Turkey will strengthen its ties to Iran and drift further from the West.

Sources within Istanbul's Jewish community confirmed the report. "Some of the rich Jews are looking for real estate in Israel so they'll have the option of leaving in case something bad happens in Turkey," one source said.