The Jewish Community of Izmir

Izmir (Smyrna) is located on the Aegean coast, in western Anatolia, Turkey. According to the New Testament, Jews were living in Izmir at the start of the Christian era. However, in the middle ages the community declined and may have disappeared completely. In the sixteenth century, the descendants of Spanish exiles established a small community in the city. At the beginning of the seventeenth century, Izmir became an important trading center, and Jews from a variety of locations, including Salonika and Constantinople, settled there, each group founding its own community. Joseph Escapa, who was appointed rabbi of Izmir in 1648, sought to unite the various groups. He introduced taxation and community administration, improving both religious and material conditions. The community enjoyed a golden era in the seventeenth century, boasting large yeshivas, schools, nine synagogues, social institutions, and a printing house. Some important halakhic and ethical texts were composed in the city, which quickly became one of the most important in the Ottoman Empire. The Jews of Izmir made their livelihoods as merchants, translators, scholars, and bankers.