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Urfalim (Hebrew:אוּרְפָלִים) orUrfan Jews, also known asUrfan Levites,[citation needed] are aJewish (predominantlyLevite) community originating fromUrfa, in south-easternAnatolia, in modernTurkey. Jews from the Anatolian villages ofSuruç andÇermik (named Surucalim and Cermikalim) are also included within the Urfalim definition, due to the geographic proximity among those communities, and due to marriage relations between the three. The community fled Urfa in 1896, eventually relocating toJerusalem andTiberias.
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According to several traditions, Urfa is the BiblicalUr Kaśdim (Ur of the Chaldees, or City of the Chaldees),[1] though most archaeologists establish the location ofUr Kaśdim as being identical withUr in modern-dayIraq. WhenAlexander the Great conquered Urfa, he renamed it Ruha. During a significant period of history, the city was called in its Greek variation asEdessa. Tradition of the Urfalim tells, the community was quite small, and had grown over 500 years by influx ofMizrahi Jews fromIraq andAleppo.[1] During the 19th century, the community included about 1,000 people.[1]
Many of the Urfalim are named Levi (descendants of theLevi tribe). In order to make a distinction between many Levi families, a nickname had been added, such as: "Levi Abud", "Levi Aslan", "Levi Hamami", "Levi Urfali" etc. Other family names of Urfalim include Ba'sher, Gila (Gil), Yagen, Gazoli and simply Urfali.[2][citation needed]
Most of the Urfalim community migrated toOttoman Syria in December 1896, fleeing theHamidian massacres of Armenians, instigated by Ottoman SultanAbdul Hamid II. The massacres marked the end of the multicultural period, which had characterizedUrfa andAnatolia in general for millennia. On their way to theLand of Israel, some Urfalim settled inAleppo, whereas most moved on, settling inTiberias (Beirut Vilayet) and mostlyJerusalem (Mutesarrifiyyet of Jerusalem). Some later moved from Jerusalem toRishon LeZion to work in orchards. In 1947, with the eruption of theAleppo pogrom, most of the Jews of Aleppo fled the city, relocating to Israel as well.[citation needed]
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