Obj. ID: 25339
Jewish Architecture Mekor Haim Synagogue in Çanakkale, Turkey
The following text was provided by Mr. Selim Salomon Varon, the head of the community:
Some Jewish groups moved to this region in the beginning of the 15th century as the result of the conquest of Edirne bay by the Ottomans. By the mid 19th century, there were about 600 Jewish families in Çanakkale. Today (2018), the Jewish population of the city numbers only 8 people.
There were 3 synagogues in Çanakkale. Two of them, the Hadash (New) and the Halio (restored and enlarged by the community notable Eli Halio ) were both damaged and abandoned. The Halio Synagogue was first used as an asylum for the poor and later as a Yeshiva and Midrash. The only synagogue still standing in our days is the Mekor Hayim Synagogue, built in 1890.
This synagogue, which was allocated for military use during World War II, was returned to the community in September 1945, just in time to celebrate Rosh Ha-Shanah.
Inscriptions of the two sides of the Ehal (Torah ark) mention that the synagogue was renovated in 5724 (April 1964). In 1975, the prayers were held here irregularly because of the decline of the Jewish population. The restoration of the synagogue was completed in 2003 and on 29th of October, 2005 the synagogue was re-opened to worship in the presence of Jews of Çanakkale origin, who arrived from Istanbul and from all over the world for the occasion.
The Synagogue is surrounded by three streets and it is courtyard is encircled by high walls. The entrance in the eastern wall opens directly to the Midrash. The Hechal (Torah ark) is placed in the center of the southern wall; the Tevah (Pulpit) is not fixed and can be moved.
The entrance to the main Synagogue is possible through the Midrash. The synagogue has a marble floor, its ceiling is wooden. The wooden Tevah (Pulpit) is placed in the middle. The Torah ark is adorned with the Tablets of the Law and a menorah.
The Azara (women's gallery) is supported by metal consoles and sustained by brackets that hang from the ceiling.
sub-set tree:
Güleryüz , Naim A. and Izzet Keribar. The Synagogues of Thrace and Anatolia (Istanbul: Gözlem Gazetecilik Basin ve Yayin Aş, 2008)
Zack, Joel A., The Historic Synagogues of Turkey / Türkie'nin tarihi sinagoglari, Photographs by Devon Jarvis (American Sephardi Federation, 2008)