Netflix series awakens ghosts of past for Turkey's Jews
"The Club" explores the old wounds of Turkey’s minuscule Jewish community, from lost Ladino songs to the wealth stolen by a draconian 1942 tax.
IZMIR, Turkey — In Izmir’s minuscule Jewish community, Turkey's second largest after the 10,000-strong population in Istanbul, a Netflix series is a hot topic.
“I was deeply moved by it,” said Tilda Koenka, project assistant for Izmir Jewish Heritage Project. “It is a cinematic feast with its balanced story of our plight, the old, half-forgotten Ladino songs and our culture and traditions that are represented both accurately and with sensitivity. Through its multilayered storyline, it has shed light on a history that we have not dared speak about, even among family.”
