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During the holocaust in Europe I did not notice any increase in antisemitism in Turkey. What I remember about the war is the experiences of my aunt, Rita Schilton. They used to live in France with their children. They ran away from France at the time of Hitler. They sought refuge in Italy because they were of Italian citizenship. They lived in Milan for two years. They returned to Paris after the war. The fact that they had Italian citizenship saved them.
We heard about what happened to the Jews in Europe at first in very very light dozes. There were rumors at first, so there wasn’t too much of a reaction in Turkey. We did not understand what was happening. It was later that we slowly got to know what really happened and we were of course devastated. We couldn’t believe that something like that could have happened. It wasn’t only me, everyone thought the same. There were some refugees who were able to escape Europe but I did not get to know any of them.
We heard about what happened to the Jews in Europe at first in very very light dozes. There were rumors at first, so there wasn’t too much of a reaction in Turkey. We did not understand what was happening. It was later that we slowly got to know what really happened and we were of course devastated. We couldn’t believe that something like that could have happened. It wasn’t only me, everyone thought the same. There were some refugees who were able to escape Europe but I did not get to know any of them.
Period
Location
Beyoğlu/İstanbul
Türkiye
Interview
Sami Schilton
Tag(s)