İZMİR PROVINCIAL DIRECTORATE OF CULTURE AND TOURISM

Talmud Tora Synagogue

The synagogue, located on Havra Street and known to be built in the 17th century, is known with the names Kedose, Bet-illel Hevra and Talmud Tora. This synagogue, together with the tomb of the Palaci and with the Gürçeşme Jewish Cemetery, constitutes the holy triangle which the Jews regard as sacred and visited at various times. The synagogue was restored in 1838 by the Hacez brothers and was restored one more time in 1870 when it was burned in 1841. Part of the roof of this building, which is now largely in ruins, has collapsed. The building is thought to be restored by the Ministry of Culture due to the 500th anniversary celebrations. Since the building is one of the Sephardic synagogues, it was built with a central plan. The main place is accessed through an entrance hall. Mehizah is located on the upper floor of this entrance. The interior of the synagogue has the height of two floors and is a single volume. The plan of the synagogue is structured in the style of the plan of Etz Hayim Synagogue. The main space is accessed through an entrance. In this entrance: there is a small front synagogue with a tevya in the middle, which is arranged for rituals that can be held on regular days when there is few attendance. The ground floor of the Talmud Tora synagogue was built as stone masonry and the upper floor as a wooden carcass. Ceiling slabs are wooden and the roof of the structure is wooden construction.

The floor is made of stone. The tevya, located on a platform which is resembling an ancient galley with its wooden workmanship and raised with eight steps, has been moved to the section where the roof is intact so that it could not be damaged due to the partly collapse of the roof. Due to the collapse of the roof of the hekal wall where the torah cabinet was located, the decorations of the hekal wall and the hora wall were damaged. The middle ceiling, separated by four columns carrying the roof and dividing the ceiling into nine pieces, differs from the others with its red-green geometric ornaments.