Mr. President. for centuries. the Ottoman Empire and its modern descendant. Turkey. has provided a haven for Jewish refugees fleeing persecution. In 1492. for example. when the Jewish population of Spain was expelled during the Spanish Inquisition. the Ottoman Turkish sultan offered refuge and security In the Empire. We are approaching the 500th anniversary of the acceptance of these Jewsan event that will be celebrated in Turkey. In more recent times. we remember with gratitude that Turkey received tens of thousands of Jews escaping Nazi tyranny. The World Sephardi Federationmade up primarily of the descendants of Jews expelled from Spain--recently met in Jerusalem and took note of the Turkish contribution in accepting persecuted Jews.
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refugees