(JHE) — The endangered state of a centuries-old synagogue in Diyarbakır province in southeastern Turkey has been raised in the Turkish Parliament.
Semra Güzel, an MP of the People’s Democratic Party (HDP) from Diyarbakır, raised the issue last month, calling for urgent measures to be taken to preserve the long-neglected synagogue in the town of Çermik, about 75 km from the ancient fortified city of Diyarbakir.
Güzel on January 15 submitted a parliamentary question to Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy regarding the threats and current condition of the Çermik synagogue, which is believed to date from the early 15th century, and demanding clarification of the Ministry’s plans for the building.
News stories in recent months had reported that the synagogue, used as a warehouse, was in very neglected condition and in danger of collapse despite the fact that it was listed as a “cultural property” by the Diyarbakır Directorate of Protection of Cultural and Natural Heritage.
Back in October, the local news site Çermik Gündemi tweeted about the threats to the Çermik synagogue, saying that it dated from 1416. It still conserves the niche of the Ark.
Çermik Gündemi posted pictures of the building’s state, including in one of the tweets the image of a Hebrew inscription.
Güzel posted her questions to Nuri Ersoy on Twitter:
* Is the status of the historical Synagogue in Çermik district of Diyarbakır within the knowledge of your Ministry?
* Why are no preventive measures taken for the Synagogue, which is faced with the danger of collapse?
* Will steps be taken to take preventive measures and maintain the synagogue registered as a “cultural property”? “
In her tweet, Güzel noted that the Çermik synagogue was one of two synagogues that once stood in Diyarbakır province.
The remnants of the other one, in the Sur district of Diyarbakır, the ancient heart of the city, were among the many historic and other buildings destroyed during heavy street fighting between Kurdish insurgents and government forces in 2015-16 called the siege (or curfew) of Sur.
Diyarbakır’s massive fortress walls, built around 350 C.E., and other features are listed as a UNESCO heritage site.
“One of the two synagogues in Diyarbakır [province] was demolished during the curfew in Sur in 2015,” she tweeted.
Now the other synagogue in Çermik is in danger of collapse due to the failure to take preventive measures. Measures must be taken urgently and this holy place must be protected.
Rabbi Mendy Chitrik, the Rabbi of Turkey’s Ashkenazi Jewish Community, who oversees kashrut operations in the country, visited Çermik during a 5,000 km trip last year in eastern Turkey’s Anatolia region to inspect around 100 factories and plants producing kosher products.
He described his visit to Çermik in the Turkish Jewish publication Salom:
In Diyarbakır, a man whose mother was Jewish welcomed us. No one was left from his family, they all had migrated to Israel. This man took us to the synagogue in the village of Çermik, which is a one-hour drive away. Since we did not know the exact location of the synagogue, we asked the elders there whether they had some knowledge about it or not.
The replies we received were interesting. They took us to the location saying, “Many Jews used to live here, as a matter of fact, this used to be a Jewish quarter. There were two synagogues. One is ruined but the other is still standing.” even though the synagogue was being used as a cellar and storage, it was right in front of us, with Aron Hakodesh (where the Torah scroll is kept) and writings in Hebrew above the synagogue door. After we prayed there, we thanked them and left.
I also learned about the Diyarbakır and Çermik Jews, who were not known much until today, that there was a synagogue in Israel called ‘Çermukim’ meaning ‘coming from Çermik’.
Read about Rabbi Chitrik’s visit and see a picture in Salom
Read about Rabbi Chitrik’s visit and see a picture in The Forward
Read a Jewish Chronicle article about the destruction of the Sur synagogue