Bikur Cholim Synagogue
The Jewish community in Izmir goes back to the C4th BC. The city’s oldest district, Kemeralti, was home to the densest concentration of Jewish landmarks in Roman Turkey. After the conquest of Jerusalem, Alexander the Great brought some Jews to Izmir. But during the Byzantine Empire, the data were unclear.
There were some strictures placed on synagogues planners in the Kemeralti district. They could not build structures that were higher than the mosques. So the synagogues were relatively small and intimate, but they were always special.
There was no record of the Jewish community there when the Ottomans conquered the city in 1424, although the expulsion of Jews from Spain and Portugal in the late 1490s was a pivotal juncture in Jewish presence in Turkey. The most detailed information about Jewish communities in the Ottoman rule came when the Sephardic Jews settled in Izmir, as it became an important trade centre in C17th. Jews did have to pay the Ottomans a poll tax, but they were free to practise their religion unhindered, to run their own rabbinical courts and to impose penalties on sinners.
In the C19th, the Jewish population in Izmir was c20,000. Turkish Jews had a lot more freedom than European Jews and fewer riots. They did not experience the Inquisition, they did not go through WW2 nor the Holocaust. And Turkish Jews had much better relations with the state authorities than European Jews. Nonetheless post WW2, the local Jews started to immigrate to the newly founded Israel. Today only 2000 Jews are living in Izmir.
Algaze synagogue
Shalom Synagogue is one of the oldest synagogues in Izmir, built in the C16th, opposite Algaze Synagogue. The building survived the great fire, but needed two restorations in 1800 and 1841 anyway. The elevated bimah is surrounded by 4 columns and its ceiling has amazing geometrical shapes. The arched recesses running along the southern wall stands out, as does the unusual seating arrangements with cushioned benches set against the perimeter wall. This synagogue, like the vast majority of others in the now largely neglected market quarter, became a Sephardic community.
Signora Giveret Synagogue, built by Donna Garcia Mendes in the C16th, is also in the Karatas district. Originally built in Sephardic-style, 1841’s great fire damaged the synagogue, so the Yerushalmi family rebuilt the building entirely in a basilica design.. Seats of the synagogues are linear, and like the other synagogues in Izmir, the bimah is close to the ark. The hall is decorated by landscape art.
The Bikur Holim synagogue, founded in 1724 by Dutchman Shalom de Chaves, incorporated a vibrant mix of yellows and greens. The sumptuous interior design, with fine wood and marble structures and fittings, and delightful frescoes above the bima pillars, has frieze-like ceiling partitions. The building was devastated by fire twice and was beautifully restored both times.
In a 1904 order, Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid wanted Beth Israel Synagogue in the Karatas district for the Jews living locally. This synagogue was built in the church form, a result of the Italian effect in the C20th, and has two bimahs that were elevated by 4 steps. It remains very active.
Shaar Hashamayim Synagogue is the second most active site in Izmir. Its original look was lost because of restorations, and because this synagogue is now all concrete. It was built as 3 floors and the bimah is elevated by two steps.
Marble ark and chandeliers
Signora Giveret Synagogue
Izmir was divided into five separate districts: Muslim Turk, Armenian, The First Juderia-Jewish, Greek and Levantine districts. At that time Izmir hosted 34 synagogues that served, in the great 18th & C19th, a local Jewish population of c50,000. Today only 13 synagogues remain, and some of them are back-to-back. The proliferation of prayer houses and the ability of Jews to maintain their their heritage in Izmir was largely due to the local authorities’ benevolence.
Mordechai Kiriaty Foundation sponsored Izmir Project will restore and conserve 9 synagogues. The Foundation’s goal is to create a Jewish cultural centre and Museum under one expansive roof, incorporating the 9 buildings. The First Juderia is a unique quarter of Spanish-Judeo synagogue architecture that fed off the Golden Age of Spanish art and culture, and some Italian.
The Kiriaty Foundation is supported by prestigious international organisations eg the European Council and World Monument Fund. Local sponsors include the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism. And note iconic architect Daniel Libeskind is designing the Izmir Jewish Heritage Visitors’ Centre.
Izmir on west coast
12 comments:
Boa tarde minha querida amiga Hels, obrigado pela história de Ismirna, fiquei tocado.
Great photos in Eskinazi. Some interiors have rigid, dark seating, all facing the front. Other interiors have long cushioned benches facing each other across the centre, with no darkness to be seen.
Luiz
Every country has its cultural and historical institutions that have fallen apart over the centuries. I am so proud of Turkey for putting the expertise and resources into their old synagogues, hospital, Rabbinical House, museum and archives etc
Train Man
Both Ashkenazi and Sephardi communities have the reading table in the centre of their synagogues. Ashkenazi synagogue architecture has rows of chairs facing the Ark at the front. Sephardim prefer their benches arranged so that everyone faces toward the Torah reading table in the centre.
It is far easier to socialise with other people in synagogue when you are not sitting bolt upright and facing the front.
The Algaze synagogue is such a beauty! Calm, soothing, beautiful colours - and as I am interested in architecture I am happy that I discovered your marvellous blog, thank you!
Hello Hels, It is good to know that the synagogues in Turkey have had such an active history, and that now the historic buildings are receiving the support of the government. I was especially interested in the excavation of the Sardis synagogue. There is a short Wikipedia article, and many beautiful photos if you do an internet search.
--Jim
p.s. Coincidentally, I was just thinking of the word bimah because I needed to look up the Chinese name of the castor-bean plant, and it turned out to be 'bi-ma'.
Britta
I have been lecturing and writing on history and art history for decades, but spouse and I have only spent one fortnight in the western half of Turkey. It was both a surprise and a delight, but it meant there was a great deal of reading awaiting our return home :)
Thank goodness for sources like Artnews Today.
Parnassus
A bimah is the platform in the synagogue on which the reader stands at the desk, in order to read the Torah. Or a raised theatre stage. So although some words travel from one language to another language, "Chinese castor beans" is probably not be one of them :)
The ancient city of Sardis and its old synagogue ruins were only added at the end of my post because Izmir Jewish Heritage Tours included the area. But I know that some of our group were more fascinated by the ancient synagogues than they were by the early modern buildings.
Hi Hels - I know so little about Jewish history ... it's always interesting adding that extra snippet of knowledge into the brain bank ... and even worse I hadn't realised that part of the geography of the region ... still each tiny part adds a little. So much to learn ... stay safe - Hilary
Hilary
Turkish culture, history and architecture were always fascinating, but until the first time spouse and I ended up in Izmer, I don't think we would have discovered the history of these extraordinary synagogues in person. When Covid has ended across the world and travel is possible again, we must go back to see the completed renovations.
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Turkey hosts the jewish population since 15th century B.C. During the reign of Bayezid II. Jewish people migrated from Spain, Portugal and Italy, settled down in Istanbul. Following 1490’s 150.000 Sephardic Jews even moved too. Ashkenaz population had started to rise by the migration from Roman Empire states following the war Roman Empire with Jewish people who got exciled to Constantinopolis. Later, German and Austrian settled in Istanbul but nowadays, only consist %4 of Jewish Committee.
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Neve Shalom Synagogue; Belongs to Turkish jews, turned from school to Synagogue, converted in 1951. Bar Mitzvah, Brit Milah and Shabbat held in.
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