The Bet Israel Synagogue is the largest synagogue in the city of İzmir, Turkey. It was built in 1907 and is in the Karataş quarter of the city.[1] It's one of the two major synagogues in İzmir, the other being the recently built Shaar Hashamaym synagogue.[2]
İzmir's Jewish community was granted state permission to build the synagogue in 1905; it opened two years later.[3]
After 1908, Rabbi Abraham Palacci served as the synagogue's hazzan.[4]
On April 4, 2019, an attacker threw a Molotov cocktail at the synagogue. Falling on the sidewalk, the bomb did not destroy the synagogue. The attacker claimed that they were trying to protest the state of Israel. A prominent member of the ruling Justice and Development Party immediately condemned the attack. The official said, "There is no difference between attacks targeting synagogues, churches and mosques; they all target social peace with their hate." İzmir's Jewish community praised local law enforcement for their quick action.[5]
See also
References
- ↑ Leslie Abuaf "Bet Israel Synagogue, Karataş, Izmir". Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World. Executive Editor Norman A. Stillman. Brill Online, 2013. Accessed May 2013. (subscription required)
- ↑ Haim F. Ghiuzeli. "The Jewish Community of Izmir". Museum of the Jewish People - Beit Hatfutsot.
- ↑ Dina Danon (March 24, 2020). The Jews of Ottoman Izmir: A Modern History. Stanford University Press. p. 94. ISBN 9781503610927.
- ↑ Stanford J. Shaw (1991). "The Jews of the Turkish Republic, since 1923". The Jews of the Ottoman Empire and the Turkish Republic. MacMillan. p. 249. ISBN 978-1-349-12237-0.
- ↑ Oster, Marcy (April 4, 2019). "Synagogue firebombed in Turkey". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
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