Abstract:

The Jewish History consists of the accumulation, experience, cultural texture, religious life of Jewish communities, and perhaps most importantly, of individual and group experiences of Jews living in different periods and parts of the world. The Jewish communities residing in Anatolia since the early times have preserved their existence from the first periods of the Ottoman Empire to the present time. Of these the Kilis Jewish community represented by the chief rabbinate of Aleppo lived in Kilis until 1960s. The Jews of Kilis, who had their own synagogue, schools and cemetery, lived in the same neighborhoods as their Muslim neighbors. In Kilis, which has been home to many different religious communities, the Jews are one of the longest-standing communities. The Jews of Kilis, are known to have had a conservative religious life, and been generally engaged in trade, and also stood with the Turks against the French during the National Independece (Milli Mucadele). It is possible to see the concrete traces of the Jewish faith through the architectural and cultural fabric of the city, which was home to communities of different faiths. The traces, ruins and existence of religious structures with different characters, which we encounter as material reflections of the spiritual world in Kilis, reveal the multicultural life in Kilis with people from various faith. In addition, since the Jews in Kilis lived until recently, the memories of the Jews can be said to be still alive in the collective memory of the city. A relationship shaped by mutual respect, tolerance and values have been maintained both by Muslims and Jews. In this context, the recent restoration of the Kilis Synagogue is also of great significance. This article will account for the Kilis Jewish community, and discuss institutional of synagogues and the Kilis community in particular for Jewish communities.

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