With its 8,500 years of history, Izmir has plenty to offer as a place of interfaith tolerance and intercultural exchange. The Jewish culture is one of the pillars that have supported this multicultural structure of Izmir for centuries. So much so that the Juderia (Jewish Quarter) in Kemeraltı, the heart of the historic city centre, is home to nine surviving synagogues, a rabbinate and five cortejos (a cortejo is a group of houses facing the same courtyard where Jewish families live).
“This is a very rarely seen place in the world in terms of the number of synagogues and their proximity to each other. Unfortunately, many of the buildings were damaged by earthquakes, fires and rains” says Ceki Hazan, a member of the Izmir Jewish community.
The European Union (EU) funded Izmir Jewish Cultural Heritage Project aims to contribute to the preservation of this cultural heritage. Sedef Özer, Secretary General of the project partner, Our City Izmir Association, emphasises the importance of protecting cultural heritage in a city like Izmir, which dates back to ancient times, and says: “Our cultural heritage is our values that we try to carry from the past to the future.”
Pointing out that the synagogues in the Jewish Quarter constitute a natural cultural heritage site, Project Coordinator Nesim Bencoya says, “We are working to bring back the atmosphere and life experiences of the old times to this place.”
Signora Synagogue
Within the scope of the project, simple repair works are carried out in the Signora Synagogue. Restoration projects are prepared for the Hevra and Foresteros synagogues both founded in the 1600s. These two synagogues are unique in the world as they are part of a complex of four buildings facing the same courtyard. Izmir Historic City Centre, including the Jewish Quarter, is on the UNESCO World Heritage Temporary List.
The project carried out by the Izmir Jewish Community Foundation in cooperation with the Our City İzmir Association focuses not only on tangible cultural heritage but also on intangible cultural heritage, which is of great importance for the Jewish community. Within the scope of the project, books on Sephardic cuisine, culture and music, Jewish journalism in Izmir and traditional synagogue textiles are prepared.
Head of the EU Delegation to Türkiye, Ambassador Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut, expresses his satisfaction with the project: “Izmir has the largest Jewish community in Türkiye after Istanbul. While the Jewish community has taken its place within the multicultural structure of Izmir, it has also influenced Izmir’s culture and become an indispensable part of that culture, adding to its richness and diversity. This project again demonstrates the importance of multiculturalism and cultural preservation in constructing unique identities.”
The awakening of the Jewish community in Izmir
In Izmir, where the Jewish community is getting older and the Jewish population is decreasing, “Despertar Izmir” was another European Union-funded project carried out by the Izmir Jewish Community in partnership with Our City Izmir Association. “Despertar” means “awakening” in Ladino.
The project aimed to make Izmir’s Jewish culture more visible locally, nationally, and internationally, also increasing the influence of young people and women. Ceki Hazan, the project coordinator, says, “Traditionally, women are one step behind in such societies. Why should women come to the fore? Because women are the ones who carry this heritage and tradition. There is a Jewish population of around 1,200 in Izmir. Within this population, we were aiming for women and young people to participate more actively in management, and we have achieved this. Looking at the current activities, we observe that decision-makers are mostly women.”
Belin Benezra Yensarfati
Belin Benezra Yensarfati, the women’s studies coordinator, states that they reached a wider group of people with the project. She reflects: “I wish that society is a little more open to women. It is women’s right to be in the management. I wish for Izmir to have women who take decisions in management, head up, keep accounts and take the stage and receive appreciation when necessary, and not only in the management of social activities and food organisations.”
With the Despertar Izmir project, which also supported youth, the Jewish community in Izmir opened up to the digital world. The Despertar Izmir website addressed the need for a communication platform both within the community and with other communities. According to Ceki Hazan, “the most tangible output of the project is this website.” It offers users a wide range of content and has two language options: Turkish and English.
The multicultural structure of Izmir
Barış Özcan, the coordinator of the project, points out to the intercultural aspect as well: “On the one hand, we tried to ensure democratisation within our community and to bring women and young people to the forefront; on the other hand, we tried to address the multicultural structure of Izmir.” Reminding that Sephardic cuisine is one of the deep-rooted cuisines of Izmir, and that Sephardic music is one of the essential representatives of Izmir’s cultural and artistic life, he adds, “We organised an intercultural festival focusing on food and music with the cultural associations of Greeks, Afro-Turks, Syrians and Levantines in Izmir. It was delightful and productive.”
Within the scope of the project, in addition to the tour and events organised to highlight cultural heritage, the documentary “Izmir Sephardic Women Hand in Hand” was filmed under the direction of Sarit Bonfil to highlight intangible cultural heritage. Using the oral history method, the documentary tells about the voluntary work of Izmir Jewish women in the community.
The Jewish presence in Izmir dates back to Hellenistic and Roman times. The traces of Jewish culture in Izmir’s culture grew stronger after the Sephardic Jews came from Spain and Portugal to Ottoman lands about 550 years ago and settled in Istanbul, Edirne, Thessaloniki and Izmir.
Initiatives like these will certainly carry this presence to the future.
