A prayer service was held April 2 to mark the return to the Jewish community of the Abudaram (or Abudara or Parmakkapi) synagogue on Haskoy Mahluk st. in Istanbul, after it had been used since the 1960s as a workshop. The Jewish news site Şalom reports:
Abudaram (Parmakkapi) Synagogue in Hasköy, Istanbul was rented in 1960s to be used as a workshop as a result of the diminished number of inhabitants in the neighborhood. The historic synagogue reopened its doors on Sunday morning with prayers and songs, surviving decades of negligence. Community members attended the prayer service in the dilapidated building with joy, ahead of planned restoration efforts to restore to its former glory.[…] Haskoy Community Leader Moiz Behar speaking after the morning prayer, explained how only five of the 11 synagogues were restored after the huge fire in 1804. He added that those five synagogues had to shut down their doors since the Jewish population rapidly decreased at Haskoy. Today, only Maalem Synagogue is open on Saturday mornings for Shabbat prayer.
The Jewish community plans to restore the synagogue. Some of the interior decoration and features still exist.
Graduate students at the Istanbul Technical University produced a report on the synagogue (with pictures) several years ago, which includes restoration recommendations.
Abudara Synagogue is a masonry building, built of limestone and bricks. It is rectangular in plan, measuring 14,7 x 10,7 m. On the east wall of main space, above the “Heikhal” (a cabinet in which Torah scrolls are kept), there are two inscription plates which tell about the repair of the synagogue in 1836. In order to develop a sound project for the rehabilitation and restoration of the synagogue, old photographs of the building and the area were investigated. Unfortunately, not many photos were available; however most of the extant details, such as tiles, wall decorations and windows provided evidence about the original design. For the missing parts; currently active synagogues of the area were visited and studied. The functional scheme of synagogues was analyzed and positions of “Heikhal” and “Tebah” (a table from which the Torah is read, and a desk for the prayer leader) could be indicated on the plan.
Read report of the prayer cemetery in the Şalom Jewish newspaper
2 comments on “Turkey: Synagogue returned to Jewish community”
It is not Abudara. It should be Abudaram…
Such a particular happy event fits perfectly these Pesach days!
Appreciate the photo gallery .
Ever remarkable JHE photo galleries,really a “brand” to salute.