Because there is often the misconception that non-Muslims cannot build their churches and synagogues in Turkey, I wanted to share some information with you. There have always been churches and synagogues in Turkey the number has significant
ly decreased. In Bursa, all churches had been closed down because there were no (significant) numbers of worshipers anymore. One church has been renovated and re-opened to the public for worship in 1996. It's the French Protestant church. It had opened in 1881 for the first time and was used by Italians in the 70th, who had come to Bursa to work at Fiat/Tofaş.
Most Jews left for Israel I believe. But at least one synagogue has always remained open. I was once standing in front of its door but didn't dare open it :-) The only time I was in a synagogue was in Instabul. I'm more comfortable with churches because I lived in Germany and know how to behave in one. One of the synagogues was established when the Ottomans conquered Bursa in 1326, another one was build for the Jews who came from Spain at the end of the 14th century. Here is some information about Jews in Bursa:
http://www.allaboutturkey.com/jews.htm.Now, that more and more people from Europe and other places move permanently to Turkey, new churches are being build.
