The Jews of Izmir (Smyrna) and the Aegean Coast

In the seventeenth century Izmir became a great Sephardic centre and the birthplace of Shabbetai Tzvi. A cosmopolitan port oriented toward Levantine trade, it welcomed renowned printers, poets and rabbis. Its Judeo-Spanish culture, songs and cuisine made it a major hub of Ottoman Sephardism until the twentieth century.