Ashkenazi Synagogue and The Old Temple

In Sarajevo, BiH, there still exists a long Jewish history. That history began (sort of, there was a small Jewish population prior) in 1492 when Jews from Spain were expelled after proclamation from the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon. Those Jews migrated to many places, but many made their way through Italy or by boat to Istanbul and eventually settled in Ottoman controlled Sarajevo.

The Ottomans allowed freedom for the Jewish community, but were treated as 2nd class citizens like any other non-muslims in the Empire. Shortly after their arrival, The Old Temple was erected in 1581. It suffered significant fire damage twice, but has withstood both Nazi occupation and the Bosnian war. Today it is a Museum of Jews in Bit.

The Ashkenazi Synagogue was built in 1902 and has also survived Nazi occupation and the Bosnian war. It is significant, not only for its size but a relic it told inside. It contains the Sarajevo Haggadah. A relic assumed to have been written in or near Barcelona in the 14th century and made the journey with the Jewish fleeing of Spain. It is a handwritten, beautifully illustrated telling of the story of exodus and was almost destroyed in Italy in 1609 during the inquisition. Today it is read during a ceremony on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Unfortunately David and Emily could not attend for fear of missing our flight on Tuesday. It is considered a one of a kind and a significant Jewish artifact.

As previously mentioned in other posts, while there was Nazi occupation during WWII there was also a fascist group called the Ustasa, and made up of, most notably, Croats. In 1941 there were 14,000 and 22,000 Jews in BiH and 12,000 to 14,000 in Sarajevo. 12,000 were victims of Fascism. Today there are only 281 Jews living in BiH as there were also victims of the Bosnian war.Read more