The İzmir Jewish Heritage Project, formally “Cultural Wealth of İzmir: Sustaining Jewish Heritage”, was a European Union-supported programme led by the Jewish Community Foundation of İzmir with Kentimiz İzmir Association as project partner. It began on 1 August 2020 and concluded after a 42-month programme of heritage planning, research, publications, public events and civic network-building.
- Formal name: Cultural Wealth of İzmir: Sustaining Jewish Heritage
- Period: August 2020-January 2024
- Lead: Jewish Community Foundation of İzmir
- Partner: Kentimiz İzmir Association
- Project centre: Sinyora Synagogue, Kemeraltı
- Focus: preservation, visibility and sustainable civic stewardship
Why it mattered
The project treated Jewish heritage as part of İzmir’s wider cultural wealth, not as a closed communal subject. Its wider goal was to strengthen a civil-society platform capable of supporting heritage preservation, intercultural dialogue, public awareness and participation in local decision-making.
The work centred on both tangible and intangible heritage: synagogues, the historic Jewish quarter, ritual objects, books, press history, memory, language, music, food and the civic relationships needed to keep these subjects visible after the funded period ended.
- A rare urban complex The Havra Street area contains nine synagogues, the Hahamhane and historic kortijos within the old Jewish quarter.
- Restoration planning Hevra and Forasteros synagogues, both linked to the seventeenth century, became a core preservation focus.
- Public knowledge The project produced books, films, a bilingual website and heritage interpretation material.
- Civic continuity A platform, workshops and a manifesto helped connect community, municipality, academia and heritage stakeholders.
Photo Story
Kemeraltı as a heritage landscape
A Complex With Few Parallels
The old Jewish quarter is not a single monument. It is an urban fabric of synagogues, courtyards, streets, the Hahamhane and traces of communal life.
The project gave special attention to the four-synagogue courtyard complex and to the possibility of making this rare setting better understood as a cultural heritage, tourism and intercultural dialogue centre.
Restoration and access
Planning For Hevra And Forasteros
Restoration projects were prepared for Hevra and Forasteros, two historic synagogues that had fallen into disrepair.
The Forasteros work was especially important because it can help connect the synagogue cluster as a more legible route, allowing visitors to understand the relationship between the buildings rather than seeing them as isolated sites.
Networks and learning
From İzmir To A Wider Heritage Network
The project strengthened local, national and international relationships around Jewish heritage. Activities included workshops, training, conferences, study visits and a three-day international awareness event with specialists from across Europe.
Academic partnerships also supported the work, including field visits with universities and planning studies connected to Kemeraltı.
Research into publications
Four Books For Public Memory
The project produced four major publications: Anıların İzinde İzmir Yahudileri, İzmir Yahudi Basını, İzmir Yahudi Toplumunda Kadın and İzmir Sinagogları'nın Ritüel Tekstilleri.
Together, they broadened the record of Jewish İzmir through oral memory, press history, women's history and the material culture of synagogue textiles.
Outputs
- Digital and public interpretation A bilingual website, visual identity, brochures, short films and online material made the heritage easier to encounter.
- Archive foundations Preparatory digitisation work covered three categories: tombstones, marginalia and shiviti manuscripts.
- Meetings and workshops Heritage tourism, cultural decision-making, architecture, music, sustainability and local participation were discussed with public bodies, universities and civil society.
Films And Online Material
The project produced two short films: İzmir Jewish Cultural Heritage, introducing the city’s tangible and intangible Jewish heritage, and Perspectives, focused on restoration perspectives. The project also gathered many videos through its YouTube channel.
Opening, Manifesto And Closing
One of the strongest outcomes was the Joint Manifesto, prepared through the participatory process as a public roadmap for protecting Jewish cultural heritage, strengthening urban memory, supporting intercultural dialogue and integrating the heritage into İzmir’s cultural strategies.
After The Project
The funded project has ended, but its outputs continue to shape how Jewish İzmir is introduced. The website, books, films, restoration documentation and public networks remain a foundation for future preservation, research, visits and cultural programming.
