Following Attack, Turkey’s Jews Remain Strong

More than 24 hours after a terrorist detonated his bomb on one of Istanbul’s busy thoroughfares, it has emerged that Jews were indeed the intended target, as surveillance footage shows the suicide bomber following the group from their hotel all the way to the city center.

Three Israelis were killed, and at least five seriously injured.

The attacks have put Turkey’s thriving Jewish community of about 15,000 on edge.

From Lubavitch.com:

“The Jewish community worked with compassion and dignity, arranging for the immediate return of the bodies to Israel in accordance with Jewish law, and accompanying relatives of the injured who flew in from abroad to be with their loved ones in local hospitals,” Rabbi Mendy Chitrik told lubavitch.com the day after the attack.

Moved by the community’s response, he said: “I feel fortunate to be part of this community. From the moment we heard the news, until the plane took off to Israel, the community worked round the clock to help family members of the victims in every way.”

The Jewish community, he said, is a lively, thriving one, with shuls and schools, and will continue with its traditional activities as its members support one another.

“Istanbul’s Governor Vasip Şahin accompanied bodies on the way to the plane. He also visited the sick in the hospital,” said Chitrik.