500th Anniversary Foundation Turkish Jews Museum
The Quincentennial Foundation Turkish Jews Museum, which is Turkey's first and only museum in this field, was opened on November 25, 2001, in the Zülfaris Synagogue building, which has not been in actual service since 1985. The name of the street is read as Zülfaris on old city maps. This word is a colloquial abbreviation of the Ottoman "Zülf-ü Rus", which means "bride's forelock". The synagogue, whose real name was "Kal Kadosh Galata", was also known by this name among the people. It was built in 1671, probably on the foundations left over from the Genoese. This building, which was rebuilt at the beginning of the 19th century and served as a synagogue until 1985, was restored and turned into a museum by the 500th Anniversary Foundation within the framework of the "500th Anniversary Celebration Events".
The entrance courtyard of the museum, which is built on three floors, is decorated with the work of sculptor Nadia Arditti, "Rising Fire", erected in memory of the Turkish Jewish soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the defense of the homeland during World War I, the Dardanelles Front and the War of Independence. In the main hall on the first floor, which was once reached from the stairs where brides ascended on the arm of their fathers and descended on the arm of their husbands; History of Turkish Jews, interaction in religious objects and social life, participation in different areas of social life, the first printing house in the Ottoman Empire, history of the Turkish Jewish Press, waiver of Article 42 of the Treaty of Lausanne, invitation to our country by the great leader Atatürk in 1933. German and Austrian scientists who escaped from Nazi oppression and continued their academic lives in our universities, "Turkish Schindlers" who saved hundreds of Jews from death in Nazi-occupied cities where they served during World War II, Turkish diplomats' corner of honor and many other information; It is presented with objects, panels, graphs and maps. The history of Zülfaris and some quotes from important events that took place in the synagogue are displayed in the illuminated octagon that coincides with the projection of the main dome. In the upper gallery, which was reserved for women's worship when it functioned as a synagogue, on the right wing there are human scenes (men, women, couples, children, families and picnics) and on the left wing are the 400th and 500th anniversary celebration events, the introduction of the Ashkenazi community, each with a separate story. There are panels displaying the stories of Haydarpaşa Hemdat Israel Synagogue and Manisa Moris Şinasi Children's Hospital, which are exemplary documents.
In the ground floor hall, which is organized as the ethnography section, in addition to postpartum-birth and circumcision, dowry and wedding compositions, photographs of the bride and groom in chronological order between the 1860s and 1960s refresh nostalgic memories in a time tunnel function, different clothes, wedding dresses, amulets, Examples of jewelery and similar subjects are also included in this section...
As you leave the museum, on the panel on the right wall towards the street door; It is possible to read summaries of the statements of Atatürk, İsmet İnönü, Turgut Özal, Süleyman Demirel and Mesut Yılmaz regarding Turkish Jews.
Source Türkiye Culture Portal History of Istanbul