This book traces the rise and activity of the gvirim—the wealthy Jewish elite of Istanbul during the long eighteenth century (1680–1830). Drawing on diverse printed and archival sources, it examines how this influential stratum operated amid political, military, and economic upheavals in the Ottoman Empire and within a vibrant multiethnic metropolis where the empire’s largest Jewish community faced wars, epidemics, fires, economic crises, and growing competition from Armenians and Greeks.
A small circle of affluent families shaped communal institutions, finances, and relations with Ottoman authorities, while extensive philanthropic activity—especially founding yeshivot and supporting the Jewish settlement in the Land of Israel—enhanced their prestige. Many gvirim held senior positions such as Bazergans of the Ocaq, Sarrafbaşıs, tax farmers, and customs officials, while others amassed great wealth through international trade.
The book explores the elite’s lifestyle, pursuit of luxury, family patterns, and their far‑reaching economic networks, including brokerage, banking, tax farming, activity in the imperial mint, and service at the Sultan’s court—alongside the dangers they faced, from political intrigue to executions and confiscations.
It concludes with a detailed prosopography of dozens of gvirim, illuminating how they operated within a complex system of power, wealth, culture, and communal life.
Leah Bornstein‑Makovetsky is Professor Emerita of Jewish History, Ariel University, Israel.
