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The major sites of Jewish
interest in Turkey are in Istanbul, Bursa, Izmir and Sardis,
but other sites of minor interest
are found in many other Turkish towns.
On
the outskirts of Manisa, near Izmir,
is the Moris Sinasi Çocuk
Hastahanesi, or Moris Sinasi Children's
Hospital. The hospital's founder,
Moris Sinasi, was born in Manisa
in 1855, and left for Alexandria,
Egypt in 1870 to seek his fortune.
Taking a job with a tobacco exporting
firm, he prospered, and went on to
the United States in 1890, where
his prosperity increased. He returned
to the Ottoman
Empire in 1903 to marry a lady
from Salonica. Moris Sinasi died
in 1929. Three years later, his wife
traveled to Manisa to establish the
hospital which bears his name, and
which was his gift to his native
city.
To
find the hospital, take the Izmir-Manisa
road and look for signs
on the right as you approach the
outskirts of Manisa.
Several
other Turkish cities and towns have
historic synagogues which are open
for worship. In Ankara,
the Samanpazari district has a historic
synagogue which is due for restoration.
In Çanakkale,
there was a small Jewish community
until quite recently, and one may
still see some building inscriptions
and other signs of Jewish life.
Edirne once
had a very large and prosperous Jewish
community; now dwindled to only a
few families. The Great Synagogue is
in ruins, but slated for restoration.
Bergama had
a Jewish community of longstanding
and great importance, but today almost
nothing remains of their buildings.
Jewish
Interest Sites in:
Istanbul
Bursa
Izmir
Sardis
Jewish
Sites in Turkey Homepage
Turkey
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