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World Jewish News
Synagogues of Turkey Photo Exhibition in the Museum of Diaspora
23.12.2008
A new exhibition, Synagogues of Turkey: Temples of Religious Tolerance, has opened in the Museum of Diaspora (Beth Hatefutzot). The exhibition under the aegis of the Embassy of Turkey in Israel is dedicated to the 85th anniversary of the Republic of Turkey. Over 70 photographs are exhibited in the museum.
For centuries the Ottoman Empire served a melting pot for various cultures and religions within its borders. Modern Turkey is proud of its tolerance, in particular towards the Jews who found refuge on the territory of the Ottoman Empire more than 500 years ago, after the Spanish Expulsion in 1492.
The arrival of Spanish Jews in Turkey was not the first time the Ottoman Empire granted refuge to Jews. As early as the beginning of the 14th century, the Ashkenazim who escaped from the pogroms in Europe settled in the Empire, and in the early 15th century there were more refugees, from Sicily and Salonika. The open door policy and religious tolerance brought Jews from Germany, France, Italy, Hungary and Russia to the Ottoman Empire.
The construction of synagogues in Turkey began back in the third century and continued up to the 20th century. The architecture was influenced by local styles. The synagogue in Sardis is considered one of the most beautiful and ancient. Its ruins were discovered during excavations in the 1960s.
In 2005 the Head of the Turkish Jewish community Sylvio Ovadia asked the world-known and international prize-winning photographer Izet Krieber to make photos of all of the Turkish synagogues to preserve memories of them for descendants. In the course of his work, Izet Krieber contacted the leaders of Jewish communities in Istanbul, Ankara, Bursa and other cities. Krieber established that there are over 60 synagogues in Turkey. Most of them are in desolate condition, some of them are neglected, and the rest are used for other purposes or completely destroyed.
Krieber took much effort to find and photograph the synagogues. In his work he scrupulously reflected the details of "mini-temples" which used to be the pride of the Jewish community of Turkey, until time and nature destroyed their décor and gorgeousness. He successfully accomplished the task.
The results of this work are presented in the current exhibition and in the book published in Turkey.
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