Memories and Stories of Bodrum’s Jewish Community

by C.M. Kosemen

Some may know Bodrum as a pleasant vacation spot in Southwestern Turkey. Few, however, would know this town as the home of a small but influential Jewish community that thrived until the mid-20th century. In this book, artist and researcher C. M. Kösemen uses historic sources and interviews to flesh out the first comprehensive overview of this little-known Sephardic community.

Here you will find compelling stories and poignant memories; of ancient Jewish settlements in the remote corners of the Bodrum peninsula; of pleasant family relations between Turks and Jews; of wartime hardships and near-escapes; of people like Janet Akyüz Mattei, who went on to become one of the world’s greatest astrophysicists; of Abraham Galante the historian; and more…

Illustrated with detailed black-and-white photographs and annotated with footnotes that explain local nuances, this book also contains a touristic itinerary of Judaic sites in the vicinity of Bodrum.

195 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2019

About the author

C. M. Kosemen also writes as Nemo Ramjet.


C.M. Kosemen is an artist and independent researcher born in Ankara, Turkey. He studied at Cornell University, Istanbul’s Sabancı University and holds a Masters’ degree from London’s Goldsmiths College in Documentary Film and Media Studies.

Kosemen’s areas of interest include surreal art, Mediterranean history, palaeontology, evolution, zoology and visual culture.

As an artist, Kosemen is affiliated with the Empire Project Gallery of Istanbul. His art has been displayed in exhibits in Catania, Vienna, Ulcinj, Istanbul, Ankara, London and Tel Aviv.

As a researcher, Kosemen’s book credits include Osman Hasan and the Tombstone Photographs of the Dönmes, from Libra Books of Istanbul. Copies of this book have been purchased by leading universities and research institutes of the world. It has won the 2016 Eduard-Duckesz History Prize.

Kosemen’s other book credits include All Yesterdays: Unique and Speculative Views of Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals, and the Cryptozoologion, the Biology, Evolution and Mythology of Hidden Animals from Irregular Books of London.

Kosemen was also an editor for Benetton’s Colors magazine and worked in various advertising agencies.