The Jewish Community in Turkey has a long and rich history that stretches back some 2000 years to Roman times when Jews left Jerusalem and dispersed throughout the world. The beginnings of the Jewish settlement in Anatolia are believed to belong to the 3rd century BCE, when Jews from Babylonia and other countries were encouraged to settle in the city of Sardis by the Seleucid King Antiochus III (223-187 BCE). The ancient synagogue ruins have been founded all over Turkey and mostly in Anatolia.
Did you ever heard that the Jewish community in Cappadocia is mentioned 15 times in the Talmud ? The word Sefarad, which today we use for Spain, is actually the name of the city Sardes… In Armenian Sardes is Sefarad. The earliest mention of a Jewish community is by the Prophet Amos approximately is year 500bc! He speaks about Jews from Jerusalem who went to live in Sardis.