At least 20 killed in Turkish synagogues bombings
[Car bombs exploded in front of two Istanbul synagogues this morning,
killing at least 20 worshippers and wounding more than 250, according
to breaking news reports. A caller claiming to represent the small
Turkish militant group, Great Eastern Islamic Raiders' Front, took
anonymous responsibility for the attack. Turkish authorities claim,
however, that Al-Qaeda may have had a role in the bombings, a
possibility that recent American intelligence reports from the region
also suggest.
These heinous attacks are a reminder of the virulence of anti-Jewish
hatred among some radical Islamic militants who apparently believe that
their acts of violence have a receptive audience among Muslims who feel
disempowered. Muslim leaders must do all they can to condemn such acts
and to reject the bigoted hatred they represent. Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called today's bombings "an attack
against humanity," a phrase that is perhaps irksome in its generality
but expresses, nonetheless, the need for a common front against
violence among people of all faiths and cultures.
The flagrancy of such horrific acts also testifies to the diversion of
the US administration's "war on terror," which in focusing on Iraq --
whose former leaders had no known involvement in Al-Qaeda activities --
necessarily has siphoned military and intelligence resources away from
the investigation and dismantling of terror networks.
Above all, today's attacks are a horror story for the small Turkish
Jewish community of about 26,000. Jews have lived peacefully in Turkey
for centuries, the largest population influx occurring when they were
welcomed there after the Spanish Expulsion in 1492. Many Jews later
found safe haven there or the means of transit out of Europe during the
Second World War, but the community dwindled afterwards, when many
emigrated to Israel and elsewhere. I visited the Jewish synagogue in
Istanbul in the summer of 2002, less than a year after the World Trade
Center bombings. At that time, and no doubt since, tourists (including
Jewish ones) could not freely enter the synagogue because of security
concerns; one needed to fax a copy of one's passport and to make an
advance appointment in order to visit. When I strolled by the
synagogue, it was guarded by a squad of police who seemed nervous at
the approach of anyone unfamiliar.
The Jewish community in Turkey now must be in a state of shock. The
attack on them today is evidence that what is needed is an
international effort to eradicate terrorism (whether practiced by
militant groups or states) and to marginalize those who commit violence
against civilians. Such an effort cannot be successful, in my view,
unless the most visible and long-running conflicts -- such as the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict -- are resolved equitably by the
international community working in cooperation. As long as these
simmering tensions continue, the efforts of moderate Jews and Muslims
to improve relations will be overshadowed by fanatical absolutists on
all sides. If the Turkish Jewish community's mourning is to create
momentum for broader global changes, those who seek peaceful
coexistence and understanding among all faiths and cultures must work
collectively to resolve injustice, intolerance and inequity. --LS]
Car Bombs at Turkey Synagogues Kill 20
By James C. Helicke
The Associated Press
Saturday, November 15, 2003; 8:30 AM
ISTANBUL, Turkey - Twin car bombs exploded outside synagogues in
Istanbul during Sabbath prayers Saturday, killing at least 20 people
and wounding more than 257, officials said.
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said there were "international
connections" to the near-simultaneous attacks, one of which blasted the
city's largest synagogue, Neve Shalom, as hundreds were gathered to
celebrate a bar mitzvah, the coming-of-age ceremony for a young man.
Police were investigating whether the al-Qaida terror network had any
link to the bombings, private CNN-Turk television reported.
A huge crater was blown into the street in front of Neve Shalom,
leaving the twisted wreckage of a car, as medical teams carried away
bloodied and burned victims. The other blast hit the Beth Israel
synagogue in the affluent district of Sisli, three miles away,
collapsing its roof and littering the street with debris.
"There was huge panic, glass exploding and metal pieces all over the
place," said Enver Eker, who witnessed blast at Neve Shalom, which in
Hebrew means "oasis of peace."
At least 20 were dead and 257 were wounded, the Istanbul Health
directorate announced.
Chief Rabbi Isak Haleva had a slight hand injury, but his son Yosef
suffered serious facial wounds and underwent eye surgery, another son,
Mordehay Haleva told the Anatolia News Agency.
Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu said police were investigating
whether the attacks were suicide bombings, or if the bombs were on
timers or detonated by a remote control.
Footage from security cameras showed a red Fiat exploding in front of
Neve Shalom synagogue, and the driver who parked the car walking away,
police told the semi-official Anatolia news agency.
A militant Turkish Islamic group, the Great Eastern Islamic Raiders'
Front, claimed responsibility for the attacks in a phone call to the
semiofficial Anatolia news agency. But NTV television quoted police as
saying that the attack was too sophisticated to be carried by that
group - a local and relatively small organization - and that recent
intelligence had indicated al-Qaida could be planning attacks in
Turkey.
"It is obvious that this terrorist attack has some international
connections," Gul said.
Al-Qaida is thought to have carried out an April 2002 vehicle bombing
at a historic synagogue on the Tunisian resort island of Djerba that
killed 21 people, mostly foreign tourists.
Turkey, NATO's only Muslim member and close ally of the United States,
has long had military and political ties with Israel. Turkey was the
first Muslim country to recognize Israel, in 1948.
In Israel, Raanan Gissin, an adviser to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon,
said, "This wasn't just an attack against Jews," Gissin said. "This is
radical Islamic terrorism against humanity."
Turkey has also raised the ire of some in the Arab world by offering to
send troops to Iraq to bolster U.S. troops. On Oct. 14, a suicide car
bomber exploded his vehicle outside the Turkish Embassy in Baghdad,
killing the driver and a bystander and wounding at least 13
Iraqi leaders came out against any Turkish deployment and Ankara this
month retracted its offer.
Israeli, EU and NATO leaders expressed horror at the synagogue bombings.
"One can hardly imagine a more tragic, violent and cruel attack than to
simultaneously go after two places of worship on the Sabbath in order
to kill a maximum amount of people who are busy praying and worshipping
their Gods," said Daniel Shek, a senior Israeli Foreign Ministry
official.
Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom contacted his Turkish
counterpart to express his condolences and to offer Israeli assistance
in treating the wounded, Israel Radio reported.
NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson expressed condolences to the
victims' families and Turkish people.
"These odious crimes near two synagogues are unacceptable acts of
hatred and intolerance, which I strongly condemn as barbaric attacks
against innocent people," Robertson said in a statement.
The synagogue is the most important spiritual center for the
25,000-member Jewish community of predominantly Muslim Turkey.
Security has been tight at Neve Shalom since a 1986 attack when gunmen
killed 22 worshippers and wounded six during a Sabbath service. That
attack was blamed on the radical Palestinian militant Abu Nidal. The
Iranian-backed Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah carried out a bomb attack
against the synagogue in 1992, but no one was injured.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Saturday's Istanbul
bombings "an attack against humanity."
Parking was not allowed in front of the synagogues but intelligence
sources said two slow moving pickup trucks could have been exploded
while passing by, private NTV television said.
"The houses and cars are completely destroyed, as if a huge earthquake
hit the area," Sabri Yalim, the head of Istanbul's fire department,
told NTV outside Neve Shalom.
Edi Baruh, who runs a lighting shop near Neve Shalom, said his
father-in-law was in the synagogue during the attack attending a bar
mitzvah, the Jewish ceremony to celebrate the thirteenth birthday of a
male. There were some 300 attendants, mostly women, Baruh said.
Around the Beth Israel synagogue, twisted metal, shattered windows and
bricks filled the streets. "I threw myself on the floor and it got all
dark," said Rifat Haifi, who was praying in Beth Israel at the time of
the explosion. "Later, we got up and carried the wounded out."
The claim of responsibility came in an anonymous phone call to
Anatolia. The caller said attacks would continue "to prevent the
oppression against Muslims," the agency said.
The Great Eastern Islamic Raiders' Front, also known as IBDA-C, has
been accused in a bombing attack that injured 10 people in downtown
Istanbul on Dec. 31, 2000. However, no one has claimed responsibility
for that attack.
© 2003 The Associated Press
Correction: Istanbul bombings
[Correction: as the following AP report clarifies, the twin synagogue
bombings today in Istanbul killed six Jews and about 12 others who were
near the Beth Israel synagogue. The responses to the bombings by
non-Jewish Turks reported in the following article are worth reading.
--LS]
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Turkey-Explosion-
Scene.html?ex=1069928927&ei=1&en=98d5009dc10b0f31
Bar Mitzvah Taking Place During Bombing
November 15, 2003
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 3:14 p.m. ET
ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) -- Verses from the Torah were
resonating through the Neve Shalom synagogue at the climax
of a bar mitzvah when a bomb explosion shattered the chants
-- and left a crater outside deep enough for a man to stand
in.
Usually, only about a dozen worshippers attend Sabbath
prayers at Neve Shalom. This Saturday, hundreds were inside
to witness the ceremony marking a boy's 13th birthday and
his ascension as a full member of the congregation.
No one was killed, and the boy was not among those hurt.
But at nearly the same moment across town, a second car
bomb exploded outside another synagogue, killing six Jews
and more than a dozen others.
The Beth Israel synagogue was also more crowded than usual,
with 300 people marking the completion of a remodeled
religious school. Among the many wounded were Chief Rabbi
Isak Haleva and his son Yosef, who underwent eye surgery.
The twin attacks shocked Turkey's close-knit community of
Sephardic Jews, who nonetheless rushed to defend the Muslim
country that offered their forebears refuge from the
Spanish Inquisition in the 15th century.
``We have been practicing our religion here under Ottoman
rule and under the Turkish republic. There has been freedom
to practice religion,'' said Avi Alkas, a board member of
the some 25,000-strong Jewish community. ``It's very
difficult to accept.''
Neve Shalom, Turkey's main synagogue, has seen violence
before. In 1986, gunmen killed 22 worshippers during a
morning Sabbath service.
As a reminder, a broken grandfather clock at the entrance
to the main prayer hall says 9:17, the moment of that
attack.
Saturday's bombing happened at nearly the same time.
It was 9:30 a.m., and the metal-encased Torah used by
Sephardic Jews had just been opened. Honored guests in the
bar mitzvah service had just finished the traditional
prayer over the holy book when the blast sent a roar heard
miles away.
Sweeping broken glass from the floor of his nearby
electronics store, Nesim Guner, 53, was still shaken hours
later.
``I'm in a state of shock,'' he said, unable to recollect
details of what happened at the time of the blast. Somehow,
he said, those inside made their way out through a back
door.
His cousin, Bahri, said he was in Neve Shalom in the 1986
attack and praised new security measures for keeping the
explosives outside the synagogue.
``People are afraid, but how can it get any worse?'' he
asked, adding that the Jewish community would rebuild the
synagogue and go on with their lives in Turkey.
Outside Neve Shalom, rescue workers wearing masks against
the dust probed the crater left from the blast. Broken
glass from storefronts covered roads through much of the
old Galata neighborhood, shattered when shock waves from
the explosion snaked through the narrow streets.
Once the city's main Jewish neighborhood, the area became
more industrial and most Jews have moved elsewhere. For
centuries, the streets had echoed with the sounds of Ladino
-- the fusion of Spanish and Hebrew spoken by Sephardic
Jews, who trace their roots to Spain and the Middle East.
Still, many Jews own shops in the neighborhood, filled with
electric and lighting stores.
``We're all equal here,'' said Cengiz Can, a shopkeeper.
Jews have always lived closely with their Muslim hosts. In
Saturday's blast, a mosque just a few doors down from Neve
Shalom also had its windows blown out.
``Muslim, Christian, Jewish, people are people. Today it's
them, tomorrow it could be me,'' said shopkeeper Ismail
Yilmaz, who was searching for an employee missing after the
bombing.
Before the 1986 shooting, there were no special security
precautions at the synagogues, and visitors entered freely.
Afterward, the community installed security guards
protected by bulletproof glass, who check people's
identification. Also, vehicles are not allowed to park in
front of the synagogues, and community leader Alkas
speculated that slow-moving cars passing nearby carried the
bombs.
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said there were
``international connections'' to the attacks. Jewish
community members were also quick to blame outsiders -- not
their neighbors.
``This is not something special for Turkey. This can happen
anywhere in the world now,'' said Deniz Saporta, another
Jewish community official.
Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company
