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Synagogue in Izmir, Turkey, targeted by firebomb

A man threw a Molotov cocktail onto the sidewalk outside Beth Israel Synagogue; no damage was reported.

Beth Israel Synagogue in Izmir, Turkey. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.
Beth Israel Synagogue in Izmir, Turkey. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

Amid the persecution Jews face in Turkey, a synagogue in the city of Izmir on the Aegean coast was firebombed.

A man threw a Molotov cocktail last week onto the sidewalk outside of Beth Israel Synagogue, which ended up not being damaged.

The incident was first reported on Tuesday by the Turkish-language Salom Jewish news site.

“There is no difference between attacks targeting synagogues, churches and mosques; they all target social peace with their hate,” said Mustafa Yeneroğlu, the Istanbul lawmaker for the ruling Justice and Development Party.

The Turkish-Jewish community, in a statement, lauded the Izmir Security Directorate for responding decisively in apprehending the suspect and denounced “this heinous attack threatening our lives, peace and unity.”

“For Jewish families, this means the chance to give their children an education rooted in who they are, without being priced out,” stated Sydney Altfield, of the Orthodox Union.
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“Captivity was too hard to handle, and every moment you didn’t know if it was going to get even worse,” she said.