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Do you know these facts about the
Jewish people in Turkey?
- Mount Ararat, where Noah ran aground after the
deluge, is located in Eastern Turkey, near Dogu
Beyazid.
- Noah's descendants covered most of
Anatolia, and one of them, Canaan's son Heth, is thought to be the progenitor of the
Hittites.
- Abraham, one of the first Jewish
Patriarchs, is believed by the Muslims to be born in a cave near Urfa and almost certainly
lived in Harran in the 18th century b. c.
- It is known that Jews migrated to
Anatolia during the collapse of the Second Temple (70 a. d.) and settled in the larger
cities of the Roman Empire. It is believed that by the 2nd century
a. d. there
were over a million Jews in Asia Minor. The Synagogue of Sardis was once one the largest
in the world.
In Bursa,
Orhan, second Sultan of
the Ottoman Empire, gave the Jews permission to build the Etz-ha Hayyim Synagogue, which
was in use until recent times.
In the early 15th
century, Rabbi Yitzhak Sarfati of Edirne, sent a letter to the Jewish communities in
Europe, entreating them to leave behind the torments they were enduring under Christianity
and "seek safety and prosperity in Turkey"
- In the summer of 1492, under the
reign of Sultan Beyazid II, 150.000 Sephardim Jews fled from Spain, in order to avoid
death or conversion to Christianity under the Edict of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand.
They were officially invited in the Ottoman Empire and they settled in
Istanbul, Edirne,
Bursa etc. where they received land, tax exemptions, and assistance from the government.
- At the beginning of the 16th
century, the Jewish community in Istanbul numbered 30.000 people, making it the most
important community in Europe. For many years there were more Jewish doctors in
Istanbul
than Muslim ones.
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- In the late 19th
century,
Dr. Isik Pasa Molha, an Admiral in the Ottoman army, and Dr. Raphael
Dalmediko, a Colonel, founded the Or-Ahayim Hospital, which is still in use today.
- One of the most important areas of
Jewish settlements during Byzantine and Ottoman times was Balat, situated on the Golden
Horn. Many of the Jews living here came from Macedonia. There were six Synagogues in this
area, the oldest one is the Ahrida, still in use today, which predated the Ottoman
conquest of Istanbul.
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- In 1900 the Jewish community in
Istanbul amounted to 300.000 people. In the 1930's. Ataturk invited many eminent Jewish
professors persecuted in Germany by the Nazis, to settle in Turkey and teach in our
Universities.
- Today the Jewish community is
considerably smaller. Over 100.000 Turkish Jews now live in Israel, and the Turkish
community amounts to about 27.000 most of which live in Istanbul.
Nonetheless,
it boasts a large modern high school in Ulus, 16 functioning
Synagogues, and the Quincentennial Museum dedicated to 500 years of
peace and tolerance. In this museum are also remembered prominent
members of the community who have contributed to the rich tapestry of the Turkish culture.
The daily paper "
Shalom " printed both in Turkish and Ladino has about 4000
subscribers. They also have an excellent bookshop with Jewish guide
books and history books about Turkey and the Ottomans. Jewish
travelers will also enjoy a stroll around the ancient district of
Galata, home to the Neve Shalom Synagogue, where most of the weddings
and Bar Mitzvah take place today.
In Istanbul there were
over 40 different Jewish congregations the most important being:
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a)
Romaniots:
Jews that migrated from
Palestine to Anatolia and Byzantium prior to the Turkish conquest of
Constantinople.
b) Italian: Jews that came from Genoa, Venice and other Italian cities during. Byzantine times and after
the Spanish Inquisition. Jews that fled to Italy from Spain
later settled in Istanbul.
c) Ashkenazim: Jews of European origin first settled
here before the Ottoman conquest and later during the Ottomans, they
fled the pogroms in Germany, Poland, Romania, Hungary, Russia, and
Austria.
d) Sephardim: Sephardic Jews came to
Turkey from Spain in the 15th century upon
the invitation of Sultan Beyazid Ilnd.
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JEWISH
HERITAGE TOUR
9 days
Day 1: Arrival in Istanbul:
Assistance at the airport and transfer
to the hotel.
Day 2 : Sightseeing of Istanbul,
to include the Topkapi Palace, the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia.
Day 3 : Fly to Izmir. Visit the
Jewish quarter, the Dario Moreno street and the Bet Israel Synagogue.
Lunch in Izmir. After lunch drive to Sardis, the ancient Lydian capital,
visit the remnants of a Synagogue dating around the 3rd century b. c. and repaired about 400
a. d. Drive to Kusadasi for dinner and overnight.
Day 4 : Visit Ephesus, once the
capital of the Asian Province of the Roman Empire and one of the largest
archaeological sites in the world.
Day 5 :
Morning at leisure in Kusadasi. After lunch take a flight back to Istanbul.
Day 6 :
Morning visit of the
Jewish quarter of Balat. Visit the Ahrida Synagogue, a 15th century
building named after the city of Ohrid in Macedonia. Continue to the
nearby Yanbol Synagogue, which only opens for the Succoth festivities.
Both synagogues were built before the Ottoman conquest of the city.
Lunch will be at the Jewish Hospital of Or-Ahayim built in 1899. After lunch visit the
Neve Shalom, the largest Synagogue in Istanbul, built in 1952 to replace
the 15th century building. After
the visit walk around the Jewish quarter and the building of the chief
Rabbinate. Dinner in a private home for a kosher meal.
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Day
7 : Morning departure for Bursa, the first capital of
the Ottomans and today a highly industrialized city. Bursa
is known for its hot springs and towels. During the
Ottoman period it was famous for its silk brocades and
velvet weaving. There was an important Jewish community
here established in the 9th century. During the First
World War there were about 3500 Jews living in Bursa.
Today most Jews have moved to Istanbul or to other parts
of the world. Here you will visit the Gerush Synagogue and
the Jewish quarter as well as. The 15th-century Green
Mosque and the tomb of Sultan Mehmet 1st. Return to
Istanbul.
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Day 8 :
Take a
private boat for a cruise on the Bosphorus, disembark at Kuzguncuk, a
pretty location on the Asian side and visit the 19th century Beth
Ya'akov Synagogue. For centuries the Jews were the main inhabitants of
this district. Lunch at a fish restaurant. After lunch visit the
private museum of Sadberk Hanim and return to your hotel.
Day 9: Return back home, or extension to Cappadocia, or
to Edirne.
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CAPPADOCIA
EXTENSION
Day 1: Morning
flight to Kayseri and drive to Cappadocia to see the rock-cut churches
and monasteries. Drive also to Pasabag and Zelve where you will enjoy
the most unusual types of "Fairy Chimneys'' and rock formations.
After lunch visit the spectacular Cappadocian valleys and villages such
as Uchisar, Goreme and Ortahisar. Overnight in Nevsehir.
Day 2:
Drive to the underground city of Kaymakli. Visit this amazing complex
with its fascinating tunnels, dwellings and storage rooms.
After Kaymakli, drive to old Sinassos (Mustafapasa) which is famous for
its unrivaled houses with painted facades. After lunch at Sinassos,
drive to Avanos to see the pottery makers.
Day 3 :
Fly back to Istanbul.
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EDIRNE
EXTENSION
Early morning departure
for Edirne, the second capital of the Ottoman Empire. Visit Jewish and
Ottoman monuments, such as the Mosque of Selimiye, the masterpiece of
Sinan, the greatest of the Ottoman architects, and the Eski Camii,
the oldest mosque in Edirne.Lunch in a local restaurant. In the
afternoon visit the remnants of the Edirne Synagogue, considered
to be one of the most important one in the Balkans. Drive back to
Istanbul.
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