Neve Shalom Synagogue

About Neve Shalom Synagogue

The Neve Shalom Synagogue is a Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at Büyük Hendek Caddesi 61, in the Karaköy quarter of the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul, in the Istanbul Province of Turkey.

The Neve Shalom Synagogue, whose name means "Oasis of Peace" or "Valley of Peace", is the largest and most beautiful Sephardic synagogue in Istanbul, located at Büyük Hendek Street 61 in the Karaköy quarter of Beyoğlu, close to the Galata Tower. It was built in response to the growth of the Jewish population of old Galata in the late 1930s: a Jewish primary school was demolished in 1949 to make way for it, construction was completed in 1951 to the design of two young Turkish Jewish architects, Elio Ventura and Bernar Motola, and it was inaugurated on Sunday 25 March 1951 in the presence of the then Chief Rabbi of Turkey, Rafael David Saban. The synagogue hosts the community's prayers and major religious ceremonies, from bar mitzvahs and weddings to funerals. It suffered two deadly terrorist attacks, in 1986 and 2003, and strict security measures are in place today. The Jewish Museum of Turkey, which tells the history of the Jews in Ottoman and Turkish lands, is housed in the same complex. Together with the churches and mosques of Galata, the synagogue reflects the religious diversity that has long characterised this old commercial quarter of Istanbul.

Where:

Istanbul, Türkiye