| The Izmir Jewish Synagogue |
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| Turkey |
| Izmir is Turkey's third largest city. We visited its active synagogue. The Jewish community in Turkey is estimated at about 25,000 people, most of whom live in Istanbul. The Ottoman Empire was a major refuge for Jews expelled from Spain in 1492. Turkey, neutral in World War II, was one country where Jews were safe from the Nazis. Many still immigrated to Israel, while others chose to stay. |
| The Rabbi is helping preserve a 300 year old Torah, the Five Books of Moses from the Old Testament. I filmed him carefully darkening the Hebrew letters. |
| This is the Ark at the front of the synagogue, where the Torahs are kept. We were told that Jews here can speak Hebrew and Ladino (the ancient Spanish/Hebrew language), plus Turkish. |
| Dangling from one of the light fixtures was the classic, ever-present, Turkish charm to combat the "evil eye". The synagogue took this interesting sign of assimilation with the rest of Turkey. (I doubt whether mosques would allow the charm, but don't know.) |
| If you have a high speed internet connection, watch the Intrepid Berkeley Explorer's free streaming video of this trip, "What the Sultan Saw", by clicking on AdventurePics.com . |
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