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Gerush Synagogue, Bursa, Turkey
On Sakarya Boulevard small cafes, a tattoo parlor, and apartments line the cobblestone road. Wires suspended above cross the walkway overhead, and a security camera can be seen near the corner of the entrance to the synagogue. The lean-to-roof is fashioned with tiles, a common style in Bursa. The long flowing branches of a willow tree spill over the plaster wall which separates the synagogue from the road. Wooden doors offer the only access, and as in an enclosed sanctuary, crossing the threshold brings one to the entrance of the synagogue.
Description
History of the Gerush Synagogue
The synagogue was built in the early 16th century and restored by French architect Parville who was commissioned to restore all the mosques in Bursa following the devastating earthquake in 1855 [9]. The Gerush Synagogue is the only operating house of worship, while the nearby Mayor Synagogue has only been used for washing and preparing the dead since 2003 [10]. The Etz Ahayim Synagogue was the first synagogue built in the Ottoman era, though the building’s remnants were destroyed in a fire in 1940 [11].
Description
The Gerush (“cast out, exiled”) Synagogue displays a remarkable simplicity. Tall, white walls and columns encircle the ehal (an ark holding the Torah scrolls), itself surrounded by wooden banisters and red upholstered benches. The scrolls are believed to have been brought by the Jewish exiles from Spain. [1] Gazing upward from the central tevah (pulpit) focuses a view of the beautiful moorish-style cascading adornments painted within the dome.
The Gerush Synagogue is unlike most others in that it utilizes two tevahs. The upper tevah, accessed by two flights of stairs built into the walls, rests within the gallery and seating arrangement intended for use by female congregants. The only others incorporating this unique dual arrangement may be encountered in the Carpentras Synagogue, built in 1367, the original Cavallion Synagogue, built in 1494, and in Koshin, India, the Paradesi ("foreigners") Synagogue, built in 1568, the oldest active synagogue in the Commonthwealth of Nations. [3] [4] [5] This style is unique to Sephardic synagogues, and observants note the use of the elevated tevah for holidays and special occasions, which indicates the closeness of women to the service for such significant ceremonies.
History of the Jews of Bursa
Bursa maintains a significant history of the migrations of Jews in the Ottoman Empire. Ancient Hebrew documents note Jewish inhabitants in the Byzantine city of Bursa around 820, though they later fled in 1326 when the city was conquered by Ohran Bey. However, they were later called upon to return by Bey and his brother Alaettin [6]. Requests by the Jews who returned to be allowed to live in a separate district were granted by Bey, and it became known as “Yahudilik” (Jewry) [7] [8]. Exiled from Spain in the 15th century, Jews were granted asylum by Sultan Bayezid II to develop the economy of Bursa where their religious ancestry lived centuries ago.
Bursa, Turkey
© Mapbox, © OpenStreetMap
Sources
Notes
[1] Aksel Erbahar, “Gerush Synagogue, Bursa”, in: Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World, Executive Editor Norman A. Stillman, (2010). Accessed July 28, 2018.
[2] Naim A. Güleryüz, The Synagogues of Turkey: Thrace and Anatolia, Gözlem Gazetecilik Basin Ve Yayin Aş (Observation Journalism Press and Publish), (2008).
[3] World Monuments Fund, “Carpentras Synagogue.”
[4] Jewish Virtual Library, “Cavaillon, France,” (1998-2008).
[5] The Museum of the Jewish People at Biet Hatfutsot, “The Paradesi Synagogue in Kochin, India,” (1996).
[6] Güleryüz, The Synagogues of Turkey: Thrace and Anatolia.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Emili Mitrani, Ersin Alok, Anatolian Synagogues, Mitrani-Alok Productions, (1992).
[9] Güleryüz, The Synagogues of Turkey: Thrace and Anatolia.
[10] Erbahar, “Gerush Synagogue, Bursa”.
[11] Güleryüz, The Synagogues of Turkey: Thrace and Anatolia.
Bibliography
Erbahar, Aksel, “Gerush Synagogue, Bursa”, in: Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World, Executive Editor Norman A. Stillman, (2010). Accessed July 28, 2018.
Güleryüz, Naim A., The Synagogues of Turkey: Thrace and Anatolia, Gözlem Gazetecilik Basin Ve Yayin Aş (Observation Journalism Press and Publish), (2008). Accessed July 30th, 2018.
Jewish Virtual Library, “Cavaillon, France,” (1998-2008). Accessed July 30th, 2018.
Mitrani, Emil, and Ersin Alok, Anatolian Synagogues, Mitrani-Alok Productions, (1992). Accessed July 30th, 2018.
World Monuments Fund, “Carpentras Synagogue.” Accessed July 30th, 2018.
Coordinates from winter 2016-17 trip.
Write up by Michelle Abraamian, 2018.