The orientalist Bernard Lewis says in his book “Istanbul and the Civilization of the Islamic Caliphate”: “The number of Jews in Istanbul increased especially since the end of the 15th century, as many of them came from Spain, Portugal and other European countries, seeking a place of refuge from the persecution of Christians against them, under the tolerant rule of the Ottoman sultans.
This happened during the reign of Sultan Bayezid II, who issued orders to the governors of the Ottoman Empire’s provinces not to reject the Jews or put obstacles in their way, so they flocked to the lands of the Ottoman Empire and settled in many major cities such as
Istanbul, Edirne, Izmir, and Thessaloniki
In addition, by virtue of this tolerance, the Jews became involved in Ottoman society in all aspects of life economic, political, cultural and social, and held the
highest positions and ranks, and among them were doctors, merchants and writers.
