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Samanpazari Synagogue, Ankara, Turkey

Description

The Samanpazari Synagogue

The structure of cut stones is located on Birlik Street in the Sakalar district, or more locally and formally known as the Jewish Quarter, of the Samanpazari neighborhood. [3] Over time, its perimeter gradually strengthened from stones and rods with even space between them, to a higher stone wall enclosing the synagogue unto itself. The synagogue was repaired by an Italian architect in 1907, and again in 1997, though the architect is unnamed here. [4]

The Ehal (a cabinet containing the Torah scrolls) is stylistically defined in contrast to the rest of the synagogue. Six columns adorned with spiraling floral patterns mark the spatial shift from the material world to the sacred for those who cross the marble threshold. The Ehal doors are engraved with the Berikh Shemei prayer, which is recited when the scrolls are retrieved for reading. Symmetrical floral and cyclical patterns cover the Ehal which stretches to the ceiling of the synagogue. Leveled with the Ehal, the Tevah (pulpit) is central in the space, and faces the Ehal from its elevated platform in the shape of an octagon. Decorated in a similar pattern of flora, the pulpit resembles a ship’s prow, further amplifying the speech of the Rabbi.

As of 2017, the synagogue is opened a handful of times throughout the year or for special occasions. The leader of the Jewish community, Can Ozgun, says he struggles to complete a minyan, or the minimum of 10 male Jews to begin the prayers for Yom Kippur. [14] He recalls a very active community from his youth, which would swell the synagogue’s seats. Economic opportunities in Istanbul, longing for Israel, and a severe drought in the nineteenth century all factored into the emigration of Jews out of Ankara.

History of the Jewish Community of Ankara

Verification of an ancient Jewish community here was made evident by the discovery of a decree inscribed on a bronze column in the Augustus Temple in Ankara, founded by Roman Emperor Augustus (63 BC-14 AD). [5] It states the rights granted to Jews of the Empire, permitting their sending of donations to the Great Temple in Jerusalem, and prevention of calling Jews to the courts on Shabat days [6]. Under the Byzantine Empire, the community endured enforced linguistic regulations, where prayer was to be conducted in Greek. [7]

The town was a consistent space for trading and Jewish merchants, who exchanged cereals, spices, and primarily sheep and goat wool. [8] [9] The merchants enjoyed close relationships with wholesale merchants in Istanbul, Izmir, Alexandria, and some European trade centers such as Venice and Amsterdam. [10]

Assimilation of Sephardic exiles from Spain and Portugal proved more difficult in Ankara than elsewhere. The immigrants consciously grouped themselves into two distinct communities, fueling a disagreement which led to the involvement of Elia Mizrahi, the Chief Rabbi of Istanbul, who ordered the separation of the two communities, a decree which led to the eventual absorption of the Portuguese Jewish population by the Spanish majority. [11] Jews in Ankara operated on many cultural and linguistic levels, where Turkish was engaged in routine, and religious services conducted according to Byzantine rites. [12]

In the nineteenth and twentith centuries, the Jewish population in Ankara never surpassed more than two thousand residents. In 1883, 415 made up the total community, and in 1908 the number increased to 1,265. In 1945, 1,565 Jews lived in Ankara but by 1955 the population had dropped to 578. [13]

Ankara, Turkey

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