In aftermath of the First World War, the once mighty Ottoman Empire was no more. In its place a Turkish state arose centered around what was once referred to as Asia Minor and a small sliver of the European coast which included the city of Istanbul. Turkey was home to thousands of Jews descended from the original exiles from Spain and Portugal or from the Conversos who escaped the Iberian Peninsula and journeyed eastward.
Grand Synagogue Edirne By CeeGee Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International
In the post-war period, the newly created state was markedly secular and once enjoyed strong ties to the State of Israel. The situation of course is vastly different today under the leadership of President Erdogan. The country has moved towards a much more Islamic expression in the public sphere and its relationship with Israel has been rocky to say the least.
The following article from the Jerusalem Post highlights a positive but seemingly rarer occurrence of interaction between Jews and Muslims which recalls past days where social interaction was more frequent and customary.