Introduction to the Dönmeh
The Dönmeh, also known as “the Believers” (המאמינים, ha-Ma’aminim), are the descendants of followers of Sabbatai Zevi, a false messiah who later converted to Islam. Many or most members of this community have Sephardic ancestry.
The term “Dönmeh” is often considered derogatory, implying ‘turncoats’.
Sabbateanism, the movement initiated by Sabbatai Zevi, had a significant impact on the global Jewish community. Even after Zevi’s conversion to Islam under pressure from the Ottomans, accusations of Sabbateanism persisted within Jewish communities for a generation.
Key Events in Dönmeh history
- 1676: Sabbatai Zevi’s death leaves around 200 Dönmeh families, mainly in Adrianople/Edirne, Smyrna/Izmir, Bursa, and other cities.
- 1683: A mass conversion occurs in Salonika/Thessaloniki, making it the primary Dönmeh center.
- 1912: Salonika is conquered by Greece.
- 1924: The Muslim population, including the Dönmeh, is transferred to Turkey under the Treaty of Lausanne, leading to about 10-15,000 Dönmeh refugees, most resettling in Istanbul and Izmir. This relocation potentially saved them from the fate of Salonika’s Jews during the Holocaust.
Genealogists note that the 1923–1925 population-exchange records (Mübadele files) in the Republic of Turkey State Archives (Ankara) list Dönmeh properties, families, and origins from Salonika and are a key resource for tracing lineages post-1924.
The Mübadele files (Muhtelit Mübadele Komisyonu Tasfiye Talepnameleri) are 1923–1925 records of property and family claims from the Greco-Turkish population exchange under the Treaty of Lausanne. They document many Dönmeh families from Salonika (classified as Muslims), including origins, residences, and assets. These files are held at the Republic of Turkey State Archives in Ankara and are not publicly digitized or name-searchable online. Access is via the archives’ catalog after registration, with full documents typically requiring on-site research due to limited digitization and restrictions.
Dönmeh Subgroups
The community experienced several internal splits, resulting in three main subgroups:
- Yakubis: Followers of Zevi’s brother-in-law, who claimed to be Zevi’s reincarnation. They are now orthodox Sunni Muslims, often forming a lower middle class in Izmir.
- Izmirlis: This subgroup claims descent from the original community and maintains ideological purity. They were culturally and economically dominant in Salonika and somewhat assimilated into the Turkish population.
- Karakashes/Konyoses: Breaking away from the Izmirlis around 1700, this group was led by Barukhiya Russo, who also claimed to be Zevi’s reincarnation. They actively proselytized among Jews in Poland, Austria, and Germany and were largely artisans in Salonika.
Detailed private genealogies maintained within each subgroup document endogamous marriages and descent lines, often tracing back to the original 17th-century converts (noted in scholarly works such as Marc David Baer, The Dönme, 2010).
Dönmeh Cultural and Religious Practices
The Dönmeh lived in a distinct quarter of Salonika, maintaining their own institutions and schools, which operated in Turkish. They initially prayed in Hebrew, later in Ladino, and then in Turkish, adhering to the Eighteen Precepts attributed to Sabbatai Zevi. Two of these precepts include publicly presenting as Muslims and avoiding intermarriage. They circumcise boys at eight days old, similar to Jewish practice, but work on Jewish holidays. Accusations of sexual immorality appear to be unfounded slander.
Modern-Day Dönmeh
Information on the group’s religious practices is limited. They are believed to practice Sufism and may deliberately transgress standard religious norms to draw closer to the Almighty. This includes eating non-kosher food, calling women to the Torah, and celebrating Shabbat on the wrong day.
In Turkey, the Dönmeh face suspicion due to their Jewish ancestry and accusations of being fake Muslims. The unequal capital tax in Turkey from 1942 to 1944 taxed them at a rate between that of Jews and Muslims. Traditionally, Jews and Dönmeh have maintained distance from each other, but the Dönmeh’s Sephardic origin places them within Sephardic genealogy.
Preservation of Heritage
The Great Fire in Salonika in 1917 likely destroyed any existing Dönmeh archives. Given the prejudice they face, it is improbable that they will open their archives soon.
Y-DNA tests suggest common ancestry between individual Dönmeh and Sephardic families. Since the Jewish community of Salonika was decimated during the Holocaust, some Dönmeh members may be the last descendants of certain Iberian Jewish lineages.
Book: The Dönme – Jewish Converts, Muslim Revolutionaries, and Secular Turks by Marc David Baer
Genealogical Research Resources Dönmeh families traditionally maintain detailed private genealogies (soyağacı in Turkish) to enforce endogamy and preserve ancestral memory; these often begin with 17th-century progenitors and include both paternal and maternal lines (Marc David Baer, The Dönme: Jewish Converts, Muslim Revolutionaries, and Secular Turks, Stanford University Press, 2010, pp. 8–13, 85–92; available at https://www.sup.org/books/title/?id=17426).
Tombstones in Istanbul Dönmeh cemeteries (especially Bülbüldere Cemetery in Üsküdar) feature Ottoman Turkish inscriptions, portrait photographs (by artist Osman Hasan), and genealogical data; many individuals were born in Salonika c. 1880 and buried in the 1930s (photographs and transcriptions used by Baer; see also C.M. Kösemen, Osman Hasan and the Tombstone Photographs of the Dönmeh).
Key archives for researchers:
- Republic of Turkey State Archives (Ankara): 1923–1925 Mübadele property and population-exchange files for Salonika Dönmeh families.
- Historical Archive of Macedonia (Thessaloniki): 1906 Salonika property registers and Ottoman kadi records (pre-1912 context for Dönmeh presence).
- Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People (CAHJP, National Library of Israel): Related Salonika communal records and Sabbatean references.
- Greek State General Archives (Thessaloniki branch): Post-1912 Greek administration records of the former Dönmeh quarter and schools.
Scholarship (multilingual):
- Marc David Baer (English/Turkish editions): Primary source on genealogies and cemeteries.
- Rıfat Bali and İlhan Zorlu (Turkish): Community studies and self-identified accounts.
- Greek works on Thessaloniki Dönmeh schools (e.g., Feizie Sibian) and families.
- Hebrew studies on Sabbateanism (e.g., Gershom Scholem classics with later Dönmeh references).
Support and Professional Services
If you found this page on the Dönmeh useful, please consider making a small donation to support this site and my work.
For professional assistance with your Sephardic genealogy, click here.