Chief Rabbinate in Istanbul, Turkey

The official headquarters of Turkey's Chief Rabbi (Hahambasi, hah-HAHM-bah-shuh) are at Yemenici Abdullatif Sokak No. 23 (tel +90 212 243 5166, fax +90 212 244 1980; info@musevicemaati.com), not far from Tünel Square in Beyoglu, Istanbul.

If you wish to do a Walking Tour of Jewish Heritage Sites in Turkey, you should contact the Chief Rabbinate to secure permission to enter the sites. Security is tight, and permission is required.

Actually, I don't think anybody really works there. With all the security risks in the world these days, I assume that the work of the rabbinate is actually carried out elsewhere, mostly by electronic means.

Each of the Ottoman Empire's ethno-religious communities (millets) had its own supreme leader (Chief Rabbi, Sheik-ul-Islam, Greek Orthodox Patriarch, Bulgarian Exarch, etc.) who was responsible to the sultan for the good behavior of the community. Disputes between members of the same community were decided by religious community courts, not by the imperial government.

The Ottoman millet system provided freedom of religion for all the empire's peoples and creeds.

Other Jewish Sites in Istanbul

Other Istanbul Sights

Walking Tour of Jewish Heritage Sites

Istanbul Hotels

Istanbul Restaurants

Jewish Interest Sites in:

Bursa

Izmir

Sardis

Other Sites in Turkey

Jewish Interest Sites Homepage

Special Interest Trips

Turkey Travel Planner Homepage

Above, rabbi and widow in Ottoman times (from a contemporary engraving).

Below, stained glass window in the Ashkenazi Synagogue near the Galata Tower in Beyoglu, Istanbul.