I don't know much about that. I understand that Janissaries often consisted of men who had been seized as boys from European families (though some families willingly gave up their male children for such service), and that Jews were officially exempt from such seizures. Just like in the US today, Jews generally held higher positions in society, making them unlikely to want to serve as cannon fodder.
nostr:npub1cd27rxtr945m0x0k6t70vuk29hj48wgj7m46z9gnjpawztfh9mzshka8vl do you know why jews were forbidden from joining the ottoman janissary corps even though apparently they wanted to do so very much?
Discussion
according to wikipedia there were some jews who wanted the job but they were completely forbidden from getting it
so much that if someone found a jew in any regiment the entire regiment was punished
then wikipedia doesn't mention why
Never heard that. I suspect it was some temporary situation, but it sounds like an interesting one, if we could get the whole story.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/archeologyandcivilizations/posts/2168641139896065/
> The recruits were indoctrinated into Islam, forced into circumcision and supervised 24 hours a day by eunuchs. They were subjected to severe discipline, being prohibited from growing a beard, taking up a skill other than soldiering, and marrying.
As a result, the Janissaries were extremely well-disciplined troops, and became members of the askeri class, the first-class citizens or military class.
Most were non-Muslims, because it was not permissible to enslave a Muslim.
Probably it was not permissible to enslave a jew either
