Manisa, formerly known as Magnasia or Magnésie, is situated in the North East of Izmir (38°36N 27°26E). A Jewish 'romaniote' community existed there from the Byzantine period, praying in the Etz Ha-Hayim Synagogue. After 1492, Jews expelled from Spain settled there, joining a hundred or so romaniote families. These newcomers founded two synagogues: Lorca and Toledo. At the end of the 19th century, Alliance Israélite Universelle inaugurated two schools, one for boys in 1891 and one for girls in 1896.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Jewish community numbered about 2000 souls out of a total population of some 40,000. The Greeks had conquered Manisa in 1919 and when they retreated in 1922, a large conflagration destroyed much of the town including many Jewish institutions. Most of the Jews left their community and emigrated to France, South America, U.S. and Israel. Today, there are no Jews in Manisa. There were three Jewish cemeteries in Manisa.

The most ancient was damaged after the 1878 Turko-Russian war. In 1900 a wall was built around the second cemetery that was until then an open field. The third was acquired in the 1930s. The two ancient cemeteries have since been destroyed. At the time of writing his book, Abraham.Galante (see bibliography) could still read some of the oldest 16th c. tombstones. The tombstone data of the new cemetery has been collected and computerized by Prof. Minna Rozen (Diaspora Sudies Institute of Tel Aviv University) although this very important information has not yet been published.

Here is the (incomplete) listing of the Chief Rabbis of Manisa as drawn up by Avram Galante (see bibliography):

1. Rabbi Juda Ben Soussan, (born in Castilla).

2. Rabbi Joseph Levi.

3. Isaac Hazan; (still alive in 1555).

4. Moshe Unqueira from Safed, Eretz Yisrael, (appointed in 1557).

5. Moshe Eskenazi from Istanbul, elected in 1615; (his colleagues were: Isaac ben Moise Cohen, Isaac ben Haim Abourabi and Joseph Cohen).

6. Joseph Abou Amir; (in office in 1624).

7. Chalom Anichahon; (he was an old man).

8. Jacob Uziel; (he was an old man).

9. Aaron Lepapa; (born in Manisa in 1604 and died in Izmir).

10. Moise ben Jacob Uziel; (lived in Manisa for a very short period).

11. Benjamin Melamed, (elected in 1668).

12. Moise ben Jacob Uziel; (died in 1671).

13. Nissim Amato from Saloniki.

14. Abraham de Boton from Saloniki, elected in 1671.

15. Isaac Jafe; after him there was a period without a Chief Rabbi. Some lesser-known rabbis including Isaac Franco, Isaac Behar David and Benjamin Lahbala held office. In 1692 they sent a question to the Izmir Rabbinate.

16. Isaac Algazi; (died in Manisa in 1739).

17. Raphael Abraham Masliah; (died in 1784).

18. Nissim Zerahia Azoulay. He left Manisa and went to Safed, Eretz Yisrael.

19. Joseph Ben Ezra; there are letters written by him from 1843, while he held office.

20. Behor Coshti; (born in Manisa and died in Jerusalem).

21. David Dayan. 22. Joseph Matsliah, (son of Raphael Abraham (No.17)).

23. Abraham Matsliah; (died in Manisa in 1861).

24. Joseph Oaknin. (later became Chief Rabbi of Safed).

25. Moise Matsliah; (died in Jerusalem).

26. David Gomel; (died in Manisa in 1904). [See Figure 1. Below]

27. Haim Matsliah; (died in 1906).

Fig. 1. R' Gomel

Most famous person born in Manisa

Rabbi Haim Nahoum Effendi, born in 1872, scholar, became a Rabbi in Paris in 1907. He was sent by the Alliance Israelite Universelle in Paris to Abyssinia to investigate the history and the costums of the Jews there. From 1908 till 1920 he had the function of Hakham Bashi of Turkey. In 1925 he was elected Chief Rabbi of Egypt, a post he held till his death in 1960. In 1931 he was appointed member of the Egyptian Senate, and in 1933 he became a member of the Arabic Language Academy in Cairo.

Manisa family names (mostly based on Galante's book):

Alazraki, Algranati, Armales, Azar, Beja, Benjoya, Benveniste, Buenavida, Cavallero, Challoum or Challum, Cheres, Cherkerdji, Chikiar or Chiquiar, Cohen, Confortes, , Coshti or Costi, Danon, Dayan, Eskenazi, Faradji, Franco, Gaguin, Ganon, Gargir or Garghir or Garguir, Gomel, Gourdji, Israel, Lereah, Levy, Masliah or Matsliah or Mazliah, Mayo, Mendes, Misriel, Mizrahi, Moutal, Nahoum or Nahum, Pessah, Politi, Roditi, Sabah, Saban, Sereno, Toledo, Tobi or Touvi, Uziel, Ventura.

Table 1. Persons born in Manisa and deported from France to Death Camps during WW II:

Persons Conducting Research on Jews of Manisa

The families of Haim Gargir, Jack Levi and Mathilde Tagger have found family ties between them, the familie suenames are: FRANCO, GOMEL, GARGIR, NAHUM.

Haim Gargir (no e-mail): 17 Boaz St. - 52491 Ramat Gan - Israel (GARGIR, NAHUM)

Jack Levi: levi@delphifinancial.com ( NAHUM, FRANCO, GARGIR)

Mathilde Tagger: tagger@actcom.co.il ( GOMEL, FRANCO, NAHUM, GARGIR)

 

References:

• Galante, A.. Manisa in: Histoire des Juifs de Turquie, Istanbul, 1940. 9 v.
• Klarsfeld, S. Mémorial de la Déportation des Juifs de France 1942-1945. Paris, 1978.
• Manisa. Encyclopaedia Judaica. Jerusalem, 1970.
• Rosanes, S. Divrei Yemei Yisrael beTogarma [History of the Jews of the Ottoman Empire]. Tel Aviv, 1910. 6v.