3. 1900 BCE – 323 BCE
The Hitites (ancestors
of the Israelites)
dominated Anatolia
from the Middle
Bronze Age. Then the
Persians invaded
followed by…
Alexander the Great.
4. 133 BCE – 395 CE
The Romans brought peace, prosperity, and
Christianity during a rule lasting nearly five
centuries. Emperor Constantine built a new
capital – Constantinople.
5. 399- 678 CE
This eastern
Roman or
Byzantine
empire thrived
under Justinian
(527-566 CE)
until Muslem
armies invaded
from Arabia.
6. 1071-1243 CE
The first Turkic people arrived from the
steppes of Central Asia.
These Seljuks fought off the Crusaders
and the Mongols and gave rise to the
Ottomans.
7. 1299 – 1914 CE
By 1820 the Ottoman Empire stretched from the Gulf to Vienna, all along the
north coast of Africa, around the Red Sea and to the shores of the Caspian.
8. 1914 -1918
The British supported an Arab revolt against
the Ottomans, who sided with Germany
during the First World War. After the war,
the League of Nations took over the Empire.
Lawrence of Arabia
9. 1920 -1922 CE
The Ottoman Empire fell as its subjects
revolted. The Greeks invaded western
Turkey.
General
Mustafa
Kemal
organized
Turkish
forces to
defend the
Turkish
heartland.
10. 1923
The Turks reversed the
Greek advance and
retained Turkey.
Mustafa (known as
Attatürk, “Father Turk”)
changed Turkey into a
secular democracy.
11. 1939 -1945 CE
Turkey entered the Second World War on the side of
the Allies shortly before its end and consequently
benefited from US aid.
1960 Military Coup.
The army staged its
almost bloodless
coup against the DP
(Democractic Peak)
government. Civilian
rule was established
in 1961.
12. 1971 “Coup by memorandum.”
After three years of political violence and economic problems,
the army took over after signaling their intentions in a series
of memos.
1974 Turkey
invaded northern
Cyprus claiming it
was to protect
Turkish Cypriots
from a Greek
Cypriot military
takeover in the
south of the island.
13. 1980 More economic problems; another coup.
Civilian power restored in 1983.
Fighting between Turkish
forces and Kurdistan
Workers’ Party erupts.
By 1999 30,000 were dead.
14. 2005
Talks on membership to the European Union begin in
October 2005 contingent on Turkish recognition of Cyprus.
15. Our trip began on a Thursday afternoon in January as four JTS
students, Rabbi Hillel and Debby Millgram, Professor Edwin
and Cantor Marlena boarded the El Al flight to Istanbul.
16.
17. Istanbul has a unique
position in the World by
being the only city settled
on two different continents
and thereby offering a
chance to make an
intercontinental trip by bus
or ferry like some of the
Istanbullers do everyday
18. After the flight,
there’s a 45 min bus ride into the city.
From the bus the views are
breathtaking…
Matt
Yakov
The Boss
The Rav
19. Arriving in the evening the magic
that has captured imaginations for
centuries took hold of our group
of pilgrims.
20.
21. We hurriedly checked into our hotel and rushed out into the
unseasonably warm winter evening. Streets were teeming with
activity. The energy was contagious.
23. Friday
Museums, a church that
became a mosque, that became
a museum, ancient cisterns
& Shabbat
24. Jon
Friday morning Taksim Square was
just as lively. We choose this area
as it is walking distances from the
two B’tei Knesset which were on our
agenda for Shabbat.
25. At the center of Taksim Square
is the Monument to the Republic
26. Finding it was a little tricky but
luckily we brought our Israeli
logistics officer & as you can see
he has every under control?!
¿Dónde
están
Our first stop was the yo?
Archeological Museum
which houses treasures from
Biblical times forward.
31. Hittite Copy
of the treaty
between
Eqypt
(Ramses II)
and the
Hittite Empire
after
the Battle of
Kadesh
32.
33. Ishtar Gate
After the destruction of the first temple in 586 BCE, the
Hebrew Exiles were taken as prisoners to Babylonia. The
entrance to the city, The Ishtar Gate, built by Nebuchadnezar
II, opened to the great processional way in which the walls
were covered with giant, fierce animals made of tiles. A
number of these wall hangings were brought to the
Archaeological Museum in Istanbul.
35. By the waters of Babylon,
there we sat down, yea,
we wept, when we
remembered Zion.
(Ps.137)
36.
37. Nevel Kinor,
Biblical harps
ַ ל לווהו ּונב ל וכונו ר
ֹוה כְ ּ ּ בלֶבֵ לֶ כְ ונִ ר
ְכ
Praise Him with harp and
lyre.
Praise Him with timbrel and
45. We
survived! Hadrian,
Roman
Emperor
whose
persecu-
tion of
Jews led
to Bar
Kochba
revolt in
135 CE.
46.
47. Ayasofya (Hagia Sophia) Museum
Hagia Sophia church was built over the remains of the
previous basilica by order of Justinian, the Byzantine
Emperor. The construction was started in 532 and
completed in five years. In Hagia Sophia, Justinian had
attempted
for the first
time in the
history of
architecture
to build a
gigantic
central
dome over a
rectangular
plan.
50. Hagia Sophia, which was converted to a mosque in Ottoman period, was turned into
a museum on Atatürk's orders after the foundation of Turkish Republic.
51.
52.
53.
54. Yerebatan (Basilica)
Cistern
The largest of covered
cisterns in the city was
built during the reign of
Justinian I, the Byzantine
Emperor. 336 columns
arranged in 12 rows
support brick cross-vaults
covering an area of 9800
sq.m. Lots of fish swim
very happily in the cistern.
55.
56. I’m head Yicks!
over
heels for
you
Hazzanijanim
57. The Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Sultanahmet Camii, aka Blue Mosque)
is known for its six minarets and its visual effect of perfect harmony.
58.
59.
60.
61.
62. Because Shabbat comes early in January, we rushed
back to the hotel midafternoon to prepare for Erev
Shabbat services at Beth Israel and the main focus of
our trip – the Jewish musical traditions of Turkey.
63. Early Jews to
Istanbul
Jews have lived in Turkey more than 500 years. Most of them were exiled from Spain
and came to Turkey to start a new life. During the 16th century the Sultan accepted the
Jews into the Ottoman Empire and they were allowed to work, rent houses, marry, have
their own business and also pray. These Jews spoke Judeo-Spanish and until today you
can find Jewish families who speak this dialect at home. The music in this presentation is
from the Turkish-Sephardic Tradition.
64. Following the
collapse of the
Ottoman
empire, many
minorities left
the country.
Today
statistics show
that there are
about 20
thousand Jews
in Turkey and a
number of
synagogues.
While for the
most part they
live in peace
with Christians
and Muslims,
the community
was shattered
when ...
65. In 1986 Palestinian gunmen rushed into Neve Shalom synagogue
during Shabbat morning services and opened fire on the clergy and
congregation killing 22 worshippers and wounding six.
And…
The Iranian-backed Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah carried out a
bomb attack against the synagogue in 1992. No one was injured.
And...
On November 15, 2003, two truck bombs simultaniously slammed
into the Neve Shalom and Beth Israel synagogues and exploded
during Shabbat morning Bar Mitzvah celebration. The explosions
devastated the synagogues and killed twenty-seven people, most of
them Turkish Muslims, also injuring more than 300 others. Six Jews
were among the dead.
72. Due to the terrorist attacks all visitors are required to
register with the office of the Chief Rabbi before visiting
the Istanbul synagogues.
Our plan was to daven Erev Shabbat at Beth Israel and
Shabbat morning at Neve Shalom and return for
Shabbat Mincha/Maariv to Beth Israel.
Hazzan David Zvi of Beit Knesset Beth Israel invited
our group to tour the shul Friday afternoon before
Shabbat.
73. As our cabs approached the area of the Beth Israel, all roads were
blocked. The drivers left us near a subway station and still having a
little time before Shabbat, we took the train to a station a few blocks
from the shul. When we came out of the train station we learned that
the Armenian outspoken yet moderate editor/reporter Hrank Dink had
been assasinated only two blocks from Beth Israel in the Shishli
district…
…our destination.
The city was in uproar.
74. With this lastest addition to crimes against ethnic and religious groups a pall
descended on the Erev Shabbat services. None the less we were warmly
welcomed Friday evening at Beth Israel and Shabbat morning at Neve Shalom.
At Neve Shalom the students were given special honors in the service and we
were invited to Kiddush after which the president acted as our personal tour guide
to the synagogue.
The Turkish Tradition is very formal with the Chief Rabbi appearing in purple
vestments and the under rabbis in red. Mourners are greeted during the service
and worshipers have a set of gestures not seen in Ashkenaz synagogues and
which were quite a delight to our American students.
75. Neve Shalom
Synagogue
(1949) is the
most beautiful
and important
synagogue in
Istanbul,
where most of
the religious
ceremonies
like bar
mitzahs,
weddings and
funerals are
held.
76. Shabbat afternoon we walked back to Beth Israel to join Hazzan David Zvi
and about 30 men in the resurrected tradition of singing Maftirim*. Even the
director of the program (poor, lowly woman that she is) was given a song booklet
and allowed to join in. Following this lively jam session mincha and maariv
services were attended by more than 100 Turkish Jews: men, women and children.
77. *Maftirim is a musical form
of para-liturgical poetry
which originated from the
interaction of Jewish and
Muslim Sufis** in 16th
century.
**Sufism is a mystic tradition within
Islam that encompasses a diverse range
of beliefs and practices dedicated to
Divine love and the cultivation of the
elements of the Divine within the
individual human being. Practitioners of
this tradition are known as Sufis
generally, though some senior
members of the tradition reserve this
term for those who have attained the
goals of the tradition.
78.
79.
80. Fish is the specialty of the chic restaurant district on Istiklal Caddesi.
92. Süleymaniye (Suleiman) Mosque
This 16th century masterpiece was
constructed by Architect Sinan, the
most famous of Ottoman architects,
by order of Süleyman the
Magnificient. Its construction was
began in 1550 and was finished in
1557. The 53 m. high central dome of
the mosque rests on four pillars,
called elephant-feet, and has a
diameter of 26.5 m.
