Algazi Synagogue stands in the Kemeraltı synagogue cluster, close to Havra Street. It is also known as Kal de Arriva, the upper synagogue.
- Area: Kemeraltı (First Juderia)
- Also known as: Kal de Arriva, the upper synagogue
- Built: 1724 (entrance inscription); tradition to the 17th century
- Status: Historic synagogue
History
An inscription at the entrance points to 1724 and to Ishak Algazi, from a family associated with important rabbis and cantors. Another view holds that the synagogue existed at least in the seventeenth century and was connected to Sabbatai Zvi in 1666.
The basement served as a Midrash and as a place where the Asara Batlanim, ten elders, prayed through the day for the welfare of the country and its people. Following Jewish custom, worn scriptures and religious objects were also kept there before burial.
The synagogue is linked to Isaac Ben Salomon Algazi, born in 1889, who studied at the Bet Hillel yeshiva and became a cantor here, as his ancestors had. He is remembered as one of the major composers of religious, secular and classical Turkish music of the twentieth century.
What to notice
The synagogue reflects features often associated with Izmir’s historic synagogues: a central Tevah, a triple Ehal arrangement and a relationship between the prayer hall and a lower space once used as a Midrash.
Visiting
Please read Visit before making any plans. Access to historic synagogues may require prior permission.
