syn/europe/turkey

The Synagogues of Europe
PAST AND PRESENT
Turkey

Below you will find a series of postcards that depict various synagogues that currently or once stood in Europe. Most of these photographs have been purchased, taken, or otherwise obtained by those visiting these towns and cities, and they have been subsequently submitted to the Museum to be placed online. Some of these synagogues might still be extant, i.e. still being used as synagogues, but others lay abandoned and perhaps in a state of disrepair, or are currently being used for other purposes. Some have been restored.

Current town names are used to indicate the location of each synagogue.

The Museum welcomes further submissions, as this exhibition is forever ongoing and evolving. Please include the name of the country, town/city, synagogue (if known), and the month and year the photo was taken.

Please click on the thumbnail photos to see the enlarged versions.

AUSTRIA	BELARUS	BELGIUM	BOSNIA- HERZEGOVINA	BULGARIA
CROATIA	CZECH REPUBLIC	DENMARK	ESTONIA	FINLAND
FRANCE	GERMANY	GREAT BRITAIN	GREECE	HUNGARY
ITALY	LATVIA	LITHUANIA	MOLDOVA	NETHERLANDS
NORWAY	POLAND	PORTUGAL	ROMANIA	RUSSIA
SERBIA	SLOVAKIA	SLOVENIA	SPAIN	SWEDEN
SWITZERLAND	TURKEY	UKRAINE

TURKEY
	ISTANBUL, TURKEY (2008) Ahrida (Ohrid) Synagogue According to Wikipedia, is one of the oldest synagogues in Istanbul. Located in Balat, the Jewish quarter, it was built by Jews from the city of Ohrid in what was then the Ottoman Empire and is now the Republic of Macedonia, who immigrated to Turkey more than 550 years ago. Ahrida Synagogue is also the only synagogue in Istanbul at which Sabbatai Zevi, founder of the Jewish Sabbatean movement, prayed.

	ISTANBUL, TURKEY Ortaköy Synagogue Located on the coastal road on the European side of the Bosporus Strait, it is in the shadow of the first of the bridges that connect the European side of Istanbul to its Asian side .
	ISTANBUL, TURKEY (2008) Neve Shalom Synagogue Neve Shalom is a synagogue located in the Galata district of Istanbul.
	ISTANBUL, TURKEY Zülfaris Synagogue Converted to the Jewish Museum of Turkey.
	IZMIR, TURKEY Bet Israel Synagogue Bet Israel Synagogue is located in Karataş, Izmir. The Bet Israel Synagogue was built in 1907. The synagogue is known for its beautiful wooden decorations. The two pieces of Bimah and the Torah Ark are made of mahogany by master craftsmen. Upper gallery of the synagouge serves as a museum. Courtesy of Yabancı and Wikipedia.

See the synagogues located within Turkey on the Asian side of Istanbul by clicking here.