Join us for the third session in our online From the Mediterranean to the Northern Lights: Jewish Journeys Together series for a Jewish exploration of Izmir, Turkey.
Izmir’s Jewish community is small but vibrant, preserving traditions through religious and cultural activities. Jewish presence in Izmir dates back centuries, with a major influx of Sephardic Jews after the 1492 Spanish expulsion, shaping the city’s economy, culture, and intellectual landscape.
A unique aspect of Jewish life in Turkey is the connection to Ladino, the historical language of Sephardic Jews. Though less spoken today, it remains a cultural link to the past.
In this virtual tour, we will hear personal insights and historical perspectives on Jewish Izmir, guiding participants through its historic synagogues and exploring the community’s evolution, challenges, and unique traditions with visuals, stories, and interactive discussion.
About our speaker:
Our presentation will be given by Jacob “Ceki” Hazan who was born and raised in Izmir, Türkiye, and is now based in Sweden. Jacob is a Turkish-Italian Sephardic Jew with deep Mediterranean roots and a family network that spans the globe. Jacob who goes by Ceki was born and raised in Izmir and was among the last graduates of the city’s final Jewish primary school. Though his native language is Turkish, he grew up surrounded by Ladino, French, English, Hebrew, and Portuguese, spoken by relatives who had emigrated from Izmir. After living in several countries, he returned and became an active figure in the Izmir Jewish community as a researcher and project developer. He led Despertar Izmir, an EU-funded Jewish heritage initiative, and manages the community’s website, izmirjcc.org. His work centers on educational resource development and learning design for non-profit organisations across Europe, particularly in youth and adult education. Passionate about the power of books, videos, podcasts, and digital tools, he explores how these mediums can inspire meaningful learning experiences and how libraries can evolve to serve diverse communities. Having lived in several countries, he is fascinated by how knowledge is created, shared, and preserved across cultures and generations.
This series is made possible by a grant from the Congregation Ahabat Shalom Religious Fund and other generous donors.
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