An Ottoman Sultan and his Jewish Subjects

ORHAN GAZI b. 1281 - d. 1360 CE

After the conquest of Bursa, in 1326 Orhan Gazi issued a Royal Decree for the building of a synagogue, the "Etz Ha Hayim" (Tree of Life) synagogue which was in service until 50 years ago. The oppressed Jewish community, thanks to Orhan Gazi could breathe again. When Bursa was declared the capital, Jewish tradesmen were invited to Bursa and thanks to the climate of freedom, Jews came even from Arabia.

Ottoman rule was much kinder than Byzantine rule had been. In fact, from the early 15th century on, the Ottomans actively encouraged Jewish immigration. A letter sent by Rabbi Yitzhak Sarfati (from Edirne) to Jewish communities in Europe in the first part of the century "invited his coreligionists to leave the torments they were enduring in Christiandom and to seek safety and prosperity in Turkey."

Fast forward

Since World War II, the Jewish community shrunk to about 140 in Bursa. Only two synagogues remain active. Five hundred year-old Gerush Synagogue is a little northwest of the town center. An electrician's shop called Simsek Elektrik, at 20A Altiparmak Caddesi, has the key to the synagogue. ( Nesim Kuzu, is the owner of the shop.) The airy and attractive synagogue has a circle of pillars around the bema in the center of the room. The columns support a dome. The Torahs came from Spain with Sephardic immigrants about 500 years ago.