Turkey -

Attacker killed in gunfight outside closed Israeli consulate in Istanbul

April 7, 2026April 7, 2026Jesse Orine

One attacker was killed and two others injured in a gunfight with police outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbul on Tuesday morning. The consulate has been largely closed since 2023, when the Oct. 7 attack on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza escalated diplomatic tensions between Turkey and Israel. Turkish authorities said they had […]

Isak Haleva, Turkey’s chief rabbi and face of Jewish minority, dies at 84

January 15, 2025January 15, 2025Jesse Orine

ISTANBUL — Turkey’s Jewish community is mourning after Isak Haleva, chief rabbi since 2002, died at 84 on Tuesday. Haleva was the 35th person to hold the title of Hahambaşi, by which the chief rabbis of both the modern Turkish Republic and the Ottoman empire have been known since the position was established after the […]