On your left is the Ashkenazi Synagogue of Istanbul, tucked near Galata Tower like it’s keeping a low profile on purpose. This is an Orthodox synagogue following the Ashkenazi rite, and it’s the ONLY active Ashkenazi synagogue in the city that still welcomes visitors and prayers. In a place where most Jewish life is Sephardic, that’s a pretty specific kind of survival.
The story gets dramatic in the 1800s. The earlier building here, the Austrian Temple, went up in 1831 with a very Central European sensibility… and then in 1866, a major fire wiped it out. For a community, losing a synagogue isn’t just losing a building-it’s losing your weekly rhythm, your meeting point, your sense of “we’re here.”
By 1900, Austrian-origin Jews founded today’s congregation. It still hosts weddings and bar mitzvahs, and it’s had memorable leaders-Rabbi Dr. David Marcus until 1938, and since 2003, Rabbi Mendy Chitrik.
When you’re set, St. George’s Austrian High School is a 3-minute walk heading north.
