Visiting Istanbul’s Armored Neve Shalom Synagogue Reinforces Author’s Zionist Convictions

Standing before the fortified doors of Istanbul’s Neve Shalom Synagogue, the author was denied entry unless he completed a lengthy registration and background-check process. A local guide recounted the 2003 truck bomb that, together with the 1986 gun attack attributed to the Abu Nidal Organization, has left the synagogue under constant surveillance. While the city bustled with tourists, ferries, and calls to prayer, the author sensed a rise in antisemitic sentiment after the October 2023 events in Israel.

He traced the historic presence of Jews in the Ottoman Empire to the present community of roughly 14,000 Turkish Jews, noting how each generation adds new security layers. The visit reinforced his belief that Jewish existence should not rely on the goodwill of majority populations, but rather on a nation-state that guarantees safety. He concluded that personal encounters in Turkey deepened, rather than weakened, his support for Zionism.