Tags
architect, Bach Before & After, Bernar Motola, Beyoğlu, Daily Sabah, Elyo Ventura, Galata, Gülşah Dark, Istanbul, Jews, Neve Shalom Synagogue, Rav Rafael Saban, refugee, Sigiswald Kuijken, Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin, synagogue, Turkish, violin
The dome of Neve Shalom Synagogue
The construction of Neve Shalom Synagogue, the central and largest Sephardic synagogue in the Galata neighborhood of Istanbul, today encompassed by the Beyoğlu district, was completed in 1951 by architects Elyo Ventura and Bernar Motola. At its opening, Chief Rabbi Rav Rafael Saban expressed his wish that it would be “not only a place to pray, but a place where the rich and poor, the young and old, the ignorant and the learned could gather and meet in a spirit of brotherhood and sincere equality.” In 1992 a prayer of thanks was offered to the Turkish nation on the five hundredth anniversary of their acceptance of the Jewish refugees who had been driven from their original homes into these new lands.
On 26 February 2015, as part of the the music series “Bach Before & After,” Sigiswald Kuijken will present a program featuring Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas (BWV 1001-6) at Neve Shalom Synagogue.
