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Büyükada Island, Turkey

Description

The Island

Büyükada Island, the largest in the Prince Islands archipelago, is only an hour and a half ferry’s ride from Istanbul, but it seems an entire world away. Here, twentieth-century wooden homes line the roads in various degree of repair -- some seem to have been abandoned decades ago, while other are still the beloved summer homes of Turkish families [8]. Built in the traditional Turkish style [9], their upper floors extend over the streets and detailed woodwork is carved along and below the eaves [8]. Many of the abandoned houses seem to be unpainted, or with white paint peeling off the walls, while the summer homes are carefully maintained, their shutters and trim painted in bright blues and greens [8]. The repaired and updated houses often have gardens alongside them, with fig trees, bright flowers in pinks, oranges, and whites, and lush greenery [8]. During the summer, the streets are filled with tourists on bikes, pedestrians, and horses [8].
For much of the island’s history, it was a used as a place of exile for deposed emperors and empresses, and at one point, was the location of multiple monasteries [10]. However, at the turn of the 20th century, it became a popular summer destination for Turkey’s minority populations, including Jews, Greeks, and Armenians [1]. It was during this time that the beautiful Ottoman-style homes were built across the island, as well as the churches and synagogues that led to Büyükada Island being the only place in Turkey where mosques are outnumbered by other houses of worship [6].

Jewish Summer Community

Since the early 1900s, Büyükada saw a large influx of Jewish tourists during the summer months [1]. Much of the Istanbul Jewish community would move their entire family to the island once schools were out of session, and remain there until the fall [1]. Even people with jobs on the mainland would live in Istanbul during the week, and join their families on the weekends [3].
Today, with Turkey’s Jewish population dwindling, Büyükada serves as a kind of oasis for people, far from the worries of anti-semitism and terrorist attacks that are a constant threat on the mainland. According to some counts, around 4,000 Jewish people come to the island every summer [3], which is roughly a quarter of Jews living in Istanbul [11]. On the island, there are multiple kosher butcher shops [1], as well as a synagogue, Hessed L’Avraham [1].
Every week, many of the Jewish families on the island meet at the synagogue for Shabbat services, and often share meals together at congregants’ homes across Büyükada [3]. The synagogue itself is beautiful, with large stained glass windows and a rounded dome that sets it apart from the surrounding buildings. Inside, rows of seats face the bimah at the front, with a women’s balcony overlooking the whole room [3]. During the summer months [2], Hessed L’Avraham Synagogue is the joyful center of the Jewish community, with congregants of all ages gathering together for prayer.
Recently, leaders in the community have helped to create a beach club, called Yildirim Spor [5], in an attempt to encourage more young people to come out to the island. Set on the shore, with courts for playing various sports, and lots of open greens for picnicking and gathering, Yildrim Spor has become a popular spot with the younger generation [5]. Many young adults can be found here, reconnecting with friends from the previous summer and making plans to see each other in the winter, back in Istanbul [5].
For a shrinking community who has faced increased violence against them in recent years, Büyükada is a safe haven, where the way of life is little changed since they first began vacationing here in the 1910s [1]. However, in recent years, there have been more and more reminders of the fragility of Jewish life in Turkey. Today, the Hessed L’Avraham Synagogue is hidden away behind a tall fence, with soldiers and guards searching all unfamiliar faces to ensure the safety of the congregants [3], and all Hebrew-language signs pointing the way to places of interest for Jewish tourists have been taken down, to make it more difficult for anyone with bad intentions to find the centers of Jewish island life [3].
Despite this, the community still gathers here every summer, living in the same houses that their parents, grandparents, and even great-grandparents vacationed in [3]. Ladino can still be heard spoken in the streets among the elderly, and every Friday, families and friends gather to light the Shabbat candles and share a meal. As one long-time summer resident said, as long as there are Jews in Istanbul, they will return to Büyükada.

Büyükada, Turkey

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