Full Day Jewish Heritage and Synagogue Tour Istanbul

Description

Full Day Jewish Heritage and Synagogue Tour Istanbul

Duration: 7 Hours Private Tour.
Location: Pickup Service from Hotel.
Language: Available in English.

Overview
Discover the rich history of Jewish culture in our this private guided tour in Istanbul. Explore old Jewish synagogues and learn about Istanbul’s historical Jewish heritage. Enjoy visits to famous sites like Fener – Balat Area  – Galata and the Jewish Museum of Turkey to grasp the depth of Jewish people’s history from ancient times through Roman, zantine,  Ottoman empires to Turkish republic.

Programme ;
ISTANBUL SYNAGOGUE VISITS & JEWISH HERITAGE TOUR SCHEDULE ;

Full Day Tour Programme

Pickup from The Hotel or Cruise Port
Ashkenazi Synagogue visit
Galata Quarter Visit
Walking in Fener – Balat jewish Quarter
Ahrida Synagogue Visit
Yanbol Synagogue ( Optional )
Tea / Coffe Break in a local Patisserie
Ortakoy Etz Ahayim Synagogue
Ortakoy Area – Bosphorus Bridge
Neve Shalom Synagogue
Jewish museum
Schneider Tempel – Tofre Begadim synagogue
Rustempasa Mosque Visit ( Optional )
Local Markets or Spice Bazaar Visit ( Optional )
End of the Tour and Return Back to hotel

Important Information ;
Due to security reasons; we need to inform the visitors arrival to the Synagogues and get a special permission from the rabbinate. In order to do this we need the passport copies of each guests, hotel adresses & get permission to enter the synagogues.

What is Included ;
Transportation by private deluxe air-conditioned Mercedes Minivan
Driver and professional licensed tour guide ( Mr. Alp )
Entrance fees
Lunch ( Kosher Food upon request )
Gas and parking fees
Services charges and local taxes

What to bring
Passport or ID card

Cancellation
Receive a full refund for cancellations done 7 days before the experience date.
Your experience can be canceled and fully refunded within 24 hours of purchase.

Guest Photos 

Jewish History in istanbul
The Jewish community in Istanbul, also known as Sephardim, has a rich and long history in the city dating back to the Ottoman Empire. Many Jews fled to Ottoman lands, including Istanbul, after the Spanish Inquisition in 1492. Over time, they established a thriving community and made significant contributions to the city’s cultural, economic, and intellectual life. During World War II and the Holocaust, Turkey maintained its neutrality and protected its Jewish citizens, including those who had fled from Europe. Today, the Jewish community in Istanbul is relatively small but continues to maintain its cultural and religious traditions.

Jewish community have lived in the geographic area of Asia Minor for more than 2,400 years. In the later Middle Ages, Ashkenazi Jews migrating to the zantine Empire and Ottoman Empire supplemented the original Jewish population of Asia Minor. At the end of the 15th century, a large number of Sephardic Jews fleeing persecution in Spain and Portugal settled in Asia Minor on the invitation of the Ottoman Empire. Despite emigration during the 20th century, modern day Turkey continues a Jewish population.

The present size of the Jewish Community is estimated at around 26,000 according to the Jewish Virtual Library. The vast majority live in Istanbul, with a community of about 2,500 in İzmir and other smaller groups located in the rest of Turkey. Sephardic Jews make up approximately 96% of Turkey’s Jewish population, while the rest are primarily Ashkenazic.

Turkish Jews are still legally represented by the Hahambasi, the Chief Rabbi. Rav Izak Haleva, is assisted by a religious Council made up of a Rosh Bet Din and three Hahamim. Thirty-five Lay Counselors look after the secular affairs of the Community and an Executive Committee of fourteen, the president of which must be elected from among the Lay Counselors, runs the daily affairs.

Ashkenazi Synagogue
Ashkenazi synagogue is the only remaining synagogue that performs the services in Ashkenazi style from 1900. The synagogue is in one of the oldest Jewish neighborhoods of the city, called Galata.

At the site of the present Ashkenazi, there was another synagogue reflecting the Austrian architecture of Austrian origin “Österreichischer Temple,” which was the original building since 1831 before a fire in 1866 destroyed it.

The lovely ebony bimah and Aron Kodesh was a family donation of the Carlman family in 1904. With its four hundred people capacity, the synagogue has the Azara as two balconies. It is still an active synagogue and opens for visits and prayers. The hallway and stairs of the building have carpets of eastern origin. The ebony Aron Kodesh and Bimah are donations of Carl Carlmann in 1904 to the memory of his wife, Rachel. The Ashkenazi Synagogue is adequate to accommodate four hundred people. The Azara (reserved area for the women) has two balconies.

According to the documents, 10,000 Ashkenazi Jews lived in 1925 in Istanbul. Nowadays, this number is around five hundred people.

Ahrida Synagogue
The Ahrida Synagogue was built in the 1400s by the Jews from Macedonia, who immigrated to Istanbul. Its name Ohrida (Ahrida), comes from the Macedonian city of Ohrid. We know that the building had taken its present state 600 years ago.

Despite having two entrances, the south gate is usually not open, and the north gate is mostly active. In the north gate, there is an arched door and decorated with plant motifs. The building consists of bricks and stones used, and the floor has beautiful marble. The Tevah is a design of a ship’s trench. It is on a platform with two steps. This design may symbolize the Ark of Noah or the Ottoman ships that brought Sephardic Jewish from Spain to Ottoman soil. The Ehal’s doors, has three marble steps, are decorated with mother of pearl, and the interior walls have colorful reliefs.
The gallery for women (Azara, Mehizah) is on the western side of the main hall, and there is also a Midrash.

Shabtai Tzvi, the false claimed Messiah in the 17th century, was one of the most important historical figures of Jewish history. Shabtai Tzvi preached at the Ahrida Synagogue.

Neve Shalom Synagogue
Starting from the early 20th century, Galata became the most populated Jewish neighborhood in Istanbul. Therefore, the Jewish community decided to build a new, larger synagogue. They finished and inaugurated the construction of Neve Shalom Synagogue in 1951.

Neve Shalom (Valley of Peace) became the center of Jewish life in Istanbul. It is now the leading and largest synagogue in the city. Besides the Shabbat prayers, Neve Shalom Synagogue hosts Bar Mitzvah, Brit Milah, weddings, funerals, etc. It also has a Mikveh for the purifying rituals.

Etz Ahayim Synagogue
Etz Ahayim (tree of life) is a common name that many zantine and Ottoman synagogues used. It is in the Ortakoy district, which is the most crowded neighborhood on the Bosphorus shores.

According to an edict, the history of the synagogue goes back to the early 1700. This Ottoman edict mentions a fire that heavily damaged the Etz Ahayim. During Yom Kippur services in 1941, a fire caused by an oil lamp destroyed the building. However, the local community in Ortakoy helped to save the Ehal, valuable Torah scrolls donated by Kamondo family, rugs, etc.

The Etz Ahayim Synagogue has 3 Midrash in its courtyard for daily prayers. Two of the Midrash are in Sephardic style, and the other one is in the Ashkenazi form. The one with Ashkenazi style has a marble plate honoring Ribi Naftali be Isaac ha-Kohen Katz, who was a very well-known Rabbi and Kabbalist in the 17th century.

Because of its location, Etz Ahayim is one of the most active synagogues in Istanbul. As there is more Jewish population in this area, people attend prayers more often than other synagogues in the city.

 Museum of Turkish Jews
There have been Jewish communities of varying sizes in Turkey since at least the 5th century BC. However, the numbers significantly increased following the expulsion of over 100,000 Sephardic Jews from Spain, Portugal, South Italy, and Sicily in 1492 (as part of the Spanish Inquisition). The reigning Ottoman Sultan, Beyazit II, extended an open invitation to all those expelled, and many took up home in Istanbul.

Jewish Communities in Istanbul
Jews played an important part in the development of the city and the Jewish communities in Istanbul were mostly based in the neighborhoods of Karaköy, Balat, Kuzguncuk, and Yeniköy (among others). During the Ottoman Empire, Turkey was once home to as many 500,000 Jews,.

The Quincentennial Foundation was formed in 1992 to commemorate 500 years of Sephardic Jewish-Turkish relations. They opened the Quincentennial Foundation Museum of Turkish Jews in 2001, in the former Zulfaris Synagogue in the Karaköy/Galata district of Istanbul. It contains artifacts, clothing, photographs, and documents chronically a history that lasts half a millennium. Jerusalem, Istanbul, Israel, Turkey – this museum celebrates a history of tolerance and acceptance.