The Resilience of the Turkish Jewish Community: The Reopening of the Neve Shalom Synagogue

Ten months after terrorist blasts devastated two Jewish synagogues in Istanbul and ripped through the narrow Turkish streets during Sabbath morning prayers, the Jewish community in Istanbul regained its spiritual center. On October 11th, 2004, the Community celebrated the reopening of the Neve Shalom Synagogue.

At the time of the explosions, the synagogues were filled with worshipers. As a result of these incidents, 53 people were killed and over 700 injured. Six Jews died and over 70 were wounded. Many of the victims, both Moslems and Jews, worked together for the Jewish community.

In the aftermath of the bombings, the Jewish Community has been working to repair the damaged buildings and provide care for victims of the attacks. Security has become an increasingly important issue for the community.

Ami Bergman, JDC’s country director for Turkey, praised the unity of Istanbul’s Jewish community in working together toward the remarkable achievement of recovering from this tragedy.

Although the blasts shattered lives, sacred synagogues and neighboring Muslim and Jewish homes and businesses, they did not shatter the strong spirit of the Turkish Jewish community nor the strong relations between Muslims and Jews.

Many governmental and religious officials attended the rededication ceremony and Silvyo Ovadya, the President of the Jewish community, emphasized that although the Jewish community suffered greatly, the terrorists did not succeed in "damaging the peaceful social fabric of Turkish society." President Ovadya acknowledged the key role that the Weinberg Foundation and JDC, together with the local community, played in helping the synagogue become fully operational again.

In the wake of the attacks, JDC placed an ad in the New York Times and established an Emergency Campaign Mailbox that raised over one million dollars from North American Jewry, including $500,000 from the Weinberg Foundation. The Jewish community of Istanbul directed these funds towards the renovation and upgrading of security at the Neve Shalom Synagogue, as well as for health expenses and trauma therapy for Muslim and Jewish victims.

The resilience and power of the community have been proven once again – in a very short time it has come back to life, stronger than ever.