Istanbuli Synagogue
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The Istanbuli Synagogue was constructed in Jerusalem in 1764 by immigrants from Istanbul, Turkey. Over time it attracted worshipers from the Eastern communities, including Kurdistan and from North and West Africa. The synagogue was renovated in 1836.
The Aron Kodesh dates from the seventeenth century and was imported from a synagogue which had been destroyed in Ancona, Italy. The bimah, constructed in the eighteenth century, came from a synagogue in Pesaro, Italy.
During the Israel War of Independence the synagogue was occupied the Arabs and after Israel gained control of the Old City during the Six Day War it was renovated.
It forms part of a complex of four synagogues, each accommodating a congregation with a different rite: the Istambuli synagogue is used by a Spanish and Portuguese congregation following the London rite. As the Istanbuli synagogue is the largest of the four, it is used for the inauguration of the Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel.
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