Changes After Construction
In 1947, an initiative was undertaken on Orhan Street to establish a synagogue; the plot was found unsuitable because of its technical conditions.
On the religious festival days in the autumn of 1948, worship was held, with permission, in a rented school hall.
In the summer of 1950, an official application was made for another building to be used as a temporary place of worship on certain days during the summer season in order to meet the need for worship.
In 1953, the plot was registered in the name of the relevant community/foundation; after the necessary permits were obtained, the construction process began.
The synagogue was opened for worship on Sunday, 10 June 1956.
Until 1997, it remained open every day in the summer months for morning and evening prayers; later, with the decrease in the number of summer residents, it became open for worship only on certain days and for certain prayers.
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In the 1940s, as the number of Jewish families coming to Heybeliada in the summer increased, the need for a synagogue on the island emerged.
It was established as a “summer synagogue” to meet the needs of the community that increased in Heybeliada during the summer season.
The pattern of worship is maintained on a seasonal basis, depending on the island’s fluctuating population.
