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La Judiera (Old Jewish Quarter), Izmir, Turkey

The historical heart of Izmir's Jewish life was in the synagogues of “La Judiera,” the area of the bazaar where the synagogues are located and where some Jewish merchants still work. La Judiera is near the intersection of Gazi Osman Pasa Bulvari and Anafartalar Caddesi, a short walk from the intersection of Fevzipasa Bulvari and Gaziosmanpasa Bulvari, known as Çankaya.1 There were once nine synagogues in use along Havra Sokak (Synagogue Street) in Izmir’s bazaar; three are still in service.2 The best time to visit the synagogues here is on Saturday morning, when all are open for worship (two of the three are closed during the week).3

Description

Getting there: From Çankaya, walk south on Gaziosmanpasa Bulvari/Esrefpasa Caddesi to Anafartalar Caddesi and turn right (west; the turn is just past the Kiraz Is Hani at no. 88). Follow Anafartalar Caddesi 50 meters into the bazaar, bearing left at the first “Y”, then turning left on the second little street on the left, which is 927 Sokak.4

What to see: Though officially named 927 Sokak, this used to be known as Havra Sokak, the “Street of Synagogues,” because of its nine small, active synagogues which served the Jewish merchants and artisans who worked close by.5 First along Havra Sokak is the Seniyora Synagogue, at 927 Sokak no. 77.6 It may take its name from Doña Gracia Nasi, Duke Joseph Nasi’s mother-in-law and aunt, who was known as La Señora, and who endowed many synagogues in the Ottoman lands.7 The Señora is the most active of the remaining synagogues on Havra Sokak, open every morning. It’s a simple but pleasant and interesting building, almost two centuries old, with obvious historic value.8 The building to the left of the Señora’s doorway (as you face it) was once a synagogue, but the space is now occupied by a business.9 Next along Havra Sokak is the Kadosh Mizrahi Synagogue, 927 Sokak no. 73, open only on Saturday morning.10 A short distance farther along is the Shalom (Aydin) Synagogue, 927 Sokak no. 38-C, reached through a short passageway used as storage for a shoe shop.11 Because of this use, the synagogue’s steel outer door is often open during shopping hours, allowing visitors at least to take a look through the synagogue’s glass doors, even if the synagogue is locked.12 The Shalom, like the Kadosh Mizrahi, is normally open only on Saturday morning.13

Synagogues in Izmir: Synagogues and prayer-houses in Izmir began to appear as early as the second half of the 16th century, the majority of which were located on or around around Havra Street near the market in Kemeralti.14 The number of synagogues in the city changed frequently over time due to natural disasters and the ever-changing communal structure. There were three synagogues and congregations by the early seventeenth century, six by the mid-seventeenth century, ten by the eighteenth century, and seventeen by the end of the nineteenth century.15 According to various sources, the major seventeenth-century congregations were: ʿEṣ Ḥayyim, Bakish/Sason (ca. 16th century), Ḥevra, Portuguese/Neve Shalom (1630s), Pinto (1640s), Giveret/Senyora (1660s), Algazi (1660s), and Oraḥim/Los Forasteros.16 Important eighteenth- and nineteenth-century congregations were Biqqur Ḥolim, Ḥevra, Senyora, Portuguese, and Algazi, also known as Kahal de Ariva, in 1728; Shalom, also known as Kahal de Abacho, ʿEṣ Ḥayyim, Maḥaziqe Torah (1722), also known as the Sonsino, Bet Hillel, Bet Levi (1898), Bet Esther (1898), Mezaket Aravim, and Beth Israel (1907). The Aydın State Yearbook (Salname) mentions the existence of seventeen synagogues in the city in 1908.17 Two other synagogues, Rosh ha-Har and Shaʿar ha-Shamayim (1960s), were added to the list in the twentieth century.18 Izmir’s synagogues are distinguished by their unique architectural styles. For example, while the seventeenth-century synagogues have the bima (reader’s platform) at the back end or in the center of the synagogue, reflecting Romaniot and Sephardi influence, the nineteenth-century synagogues have the bima by the western wall, reflecting Italian influence.19 Beth El–Israel, an example of an Italianate synagogue, is in basilica form, with the ark by the south wall.20 The Shaʿar Ha-Shamayyim Synagogue also has an interesting layout, and although it belongs to an Orthodox congregation, there is no meḥiṣṣa separating women from men.21 Currently, religious life is concentrated mainly around the Beth Israel and Ha-Shamayim synagogues, which house the offices of the local rabbinate and community.22 A few other synagogues, such as Biqqur Ḥolim, Shalom, Senyora, and Algazi, located in old and deserted Jewish neighborhoods, have been restored for use on Sabbaths and holidays.23 The rest are in ruins, including the Ḥevra synagogue, which is to be converted into a Jewish museum in the near future.24

Izmir, Turkey

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