Antioch: From Bustling City to Jewish History's Graveyard

Have any of you ever heard of Antioch? Sure, it brings to mind Antiochus and Chanukah. But what else do we know?

Antioch was once one of the largest cities in the world. Those familiar with the Talmud may recall several stories about the Jews of Antioch. Yet, surprisingly, many are unaware of the rich history of Antioch's Jewish community, which came to an early end.

In southern Turkey flows the mighty Orontes River (historically called "Arantes"), stretching 620 kilometers from Lebanon's valley to Seleucia Pieria in southern Turkey, where it dramatically empties into the Mediterranean Sea. The Orontes served as a natural border for millennia. It was near this river that Pharaoh Ramses II fought the Hittite kings in the famous "Battle of Kadesh", and where the massive Battle of Qarqar occurred, pitting Shalmaneser of Assyria against 12 kings, including Ben-Hadad of Aram and Ahab of Israel. The Arameans and Israelites claimed victory in this battle.

By the river's mouth, Seleucus, a general of Alexander the Great, established a modern Hellenistic city in 300 BCE, named Antioch after his son, Antiochus I (Antiochus IV was the one against whom the Maccabees revolted). Today the city is called Antakya, a modest city in Turkey. Back then, Antioch was "the place to be", drawing settlers from all over the Middle East, especially Jewish traders. It was one of the three largest Hellenistic cities in the world—think "Rome, Alexandria, and Antioch" in ancient terms, much like "New York, London, and Paris" today (this phrase is also mentioned in the Midrash Chupat Eliyahu page 27: "Antioch, Alexandria, and Edom").

The earliest Jews who arrived were soldiers from Alexander the Great's army who had been discharged. However, the Jewish population quickly grew thanks to trade and the vibrant life in this new metropolis. Josephus writes, "The Jews are dispersed throughout all the world... and most numerous in Syria, as it is nearest to them, but Antioch has the majority of them."

Jews in Antioch enjoyed special privileges. When the city was founded, a group of Jewish veteran soldiers settled there. These veterans became citizens with rights, passing down their privileges. Hence, Jews were not mere guests but had full rights like any other ethnic group. A law by Seleucus granted Jews special rights according to Jewish law: since it was forbidden to use Gentile oil, they received cash equivalent to the oil proportion they were entitled to from local authorities, who taxed oil and distributed it to rights holders. Jews did not use Gentile oil, so they received money to buy kosher oil from their own.

During the persecutions of Antiochus Epiphanes, which led to the Maccabean revolt, the Greek army was stationed in Antioch, and it's said that the story of Hannah and her seven sons took place there. After Antiochus looted the Temple, he took the treasures to the Antioch camp, and when the Maccabees triumphed, the Greeks panicked and gave the treasures to the Jewish synagogue in Antioch. The sage Rabbi Apos visited Antioch and lectured at the synagogue (Genesis Rabbah 10).

During the Great Revolt, before the destruction of the Second Temple, a tragic event took place: the son of the community leader, bearing the symbolic name "Antiochus", converted and incited the local Gentiles by claiming that the Jews planned to burn the city. The Gentiles reacted by attacking the Jewish neighborhood, resulting in a horrific massacre, encouraged by Roman authorities at war with Jews in Israel. The Jews barely escaped this disaster. Not long after, the Romans defeated the Jews and destroyed the Temple. Titus paraded through cities on his way to Rome, holding victory celebrations where he exhibited Jewish captives and desecrated Temple vessels. During this time, a sudden fire broke out in Antioch's market, burning the archive documenting numerous transactions. Again, the treacherous Antiochus roamed the streets shouting that "the Jews are burning the city." The residents prepared for another assault, but by Hashem's mercy, the Roman envoy Gnaeus conducted a swift investigation, uncovering that the arsonists were indebted Gentiles eager to wipe out their obligations. He punished the arsonists and ordered that no harm come to the Jews.

The Gentiles tried to persuade Titus, who had reached the city, to expel Antioch's Jews, but Titus replied: "I just destroyed their city, burned their Temple, and decimated their land, where would I expel them to?"

An ancient legend tells that Titus dismantled the cherubim he had plundered from the Temple and placed them at Antioch's gates as a trophy of his great Jewish conquest.

However, in the years following the destruction, life became increasingly difficult for the Jews. Christianity eventually took over the Middle East, and especially Turkey, subjected to Church rule, which pushed out the Jews. Rabbi Benjamin of Tudela, who visited Antioch in 1175, found only ten Jews, working in stained glass.