Bikur Holim Synagogue
In 1724, Salamon de Ciaves, a Dutch immigrant Jew from Izmir of Portuguese origin, donated one of his houses with a large garden on the İkiçeşmelik road to be used as a synagogue and endowed some of the adjacent houses and shops to the synagogue to generate revenue. The basement of this synagogue, also known as Çaves Synagogue, was used as a hospital during one of the frequent plague or cholera epidemics in the city, and from then on it was known as Bikur Holim Synagogue, which means visiting the sick. Burned down in 1772, the synagogue was rebuilt in 1800 by Manuel de Ciaves of the same family. This synagogue is one of the most beautiful places of worship in Izmir, with its central Teva (pulpit for reading prayers), its ceiling decorated with floral and fruit paintings, and its green-yellow painted and ornate columns. The synagogue is open for worship every other Saturday morning, alternating with the Algazi Synagogue.
