Tag #123030 - Interview #90376 (Lazar Abuaf)

At the time Ortakoy was a real village (the name Ortakoy means Middle Village in Turkish) and it was densely populated with Jewish families.  At the location where the synagogue stands now, there were three interspaced synagogues, one midrash (a smaller synagoge) and a beautiful big synagogue (where the breakfasts after Saturday mornings take place today).  This synagogue was opened on Saturdays and holidays.  We used the midrash during the week, in one of the interspaced ones, psalms would be recited.  In today’s location, on the administrative section of the synagogue, oil would be burned then, on a Yom Kippur night, these candles caught fire and caused a large fire.  As a result of the fire, this beautiful section of the synagogue completely burned down.  My voice was very beautiful with the talent I had in my family’s genes and I was part of the synagogue’s chorus.  I could recite the tones that our cantor Leon Levi did exactly, so much that even though all of us in the chorus (15-20 children) had black gowns and hats, my hat was the same as the grand rabbi’s gown.  We could not continue with this chorus after the fire.  Additionally we had a synagogue and two yeshivas in the neighborhood we called “the Armenian neighborhood”.  These place would be filled every Saturday and on holidays.