איזמיר — קבר רבי חיים פאלאג׳י

Gürçeşme — kever of Rabbi Chaim Palachi

Izmir (Smyrna) · איזמיר

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Visitor experience

Practical notes from visitors — access, directions, and the condition of the site.

How to get there

Gürçeşme Jewish cemetery, Gürçeşme Caddesi 86-116, Izmir, Turkey

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The exact grave coordinates are not confirmed yet — go by the address and ask locally. We don't publish a coordinate we haven't checked.

1.GO TO GÜRÇEŞME, NOT TO BAHRI BABA. Rabbi Chaim Palachi was buried in the Bahri Baba cemetery when he was niftar in 1868, and his remains were moved to Gürçeşme in 1924. Older seforim and older directions still point at the first ground, and people lose a morning to it.
2.His son Rabbi Avraham Palachi is buried beside him, and the two together are the reason people come.
3.Izmir was one of the great Sephardi kehillos of the Ottoman world and there is more here than the one kever — several historic synagogues survive in the Kemeraltı bazaar area and have been under restoration.
4.Gravestones at this cemetery were vandalised in recent years. That is not a reason to stay away, but the community keeps the site closed rather than open, so arrange the visit through the Izmir Jewish community rather than arriving at a gate.

Closed cemetery — access is arranged through the Jewish community of Izmir, not by turning up. Bring a passport; Turkish sites of this kind usually want identification.

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Closest airports

Main airports serving Turkey — tap for exact driving or transit time.

Istanbul (IST)Istanbul Airport· major hub
🚗 By car →🚆 Public transit →
Istanbul (SAW)Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen· regional
🚗 By car →🚆 Public transit →

Who is buried here

Known kevarim

רבי חיים פאלאג׳י

Rabbi Chaim Palachi

The Chikekei Lev — Chacham Bashi of Izmir

חקקי לב · כף החיים · תוכחת חיים

Yahrzeit: י״ז שבט · 10 February 1868

Born in Izmir in 1788 and Chacham Bashi — chief rabbi — of the city. He wrote prolifically in halachah and mussar; the Kaf HaChaim here is his and is not the later sefer of the same name by Rabbi Yaakov Chaim Sofer. His kever is the most visited in the cemetery.

רבי אברהם פאלאג׳י

Rabbi Avraham Palachi

Son of the Chikekei Lev, and rov of Izmir after him

Buried beside his father at Gürçeşme.

Verification and source

No public access contact has been verified for this cemetery yet.

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