The neighborhood and around

What is Yom Kippur like in Turkey? Well, I decided to find a
synagogue on the Asian side since going across the channel takes more than twice as long. I found one that was built in 1800s and tried to find it. Finally I asked one
of locals and they gave directions to a place that was not clearly
marked. There was a guy outside who asked me some questions, then
another guy came out and took my ID, asked more questions and then I
was searched after they were convinced that I was there for services.
You can understand the concerns here: my cousin's temple was bombed
twice over the past years; they all have solid doors and walls, a
couple of layers you go through, before you enter. Wow, it really
wakes one up! My cousin's synagogue on the European side suffered several attacks. September 6, 1986, which resulted in the death of 22 Turkish Jews, this attacked was blamed on the Palestinian militant Abu Nidal.
March 1, 1992, which was a bomb attack and left no casualties, this attack is suspected to have been carried out by the the Lebanon-based Shi'ite Muslim group of Hezbollah.
November 16, 2003, the Synagogue was hit by one of the four car bomb attacks in Istanbul. Even though a local Turkish militant group, the Great Eastern Islamic Raiders' Front, claimed responsibility for the attacks, police claimed the bombings were "too sophisticated to have been carried out by that group", with a senior Israeli government source saying: "the attack must have been at least coordinated with international terror organizations. So one really realizes what part of the world you are living in and the daily concerns.
The services were all Sephardic orthodox and interesting to watch but difficult to follow; I'm glad I did it, being
in my 'homeland' and all.

A description of the synagogue follows:
Hemdat Israel Synagogue, set in the quiet residential area of Yeldegirmeni Mahallesi on Izzettin Sokak at Süngertasi Sokak, was first used for prayers on September 3, 1899.
In the late 19th century, inter-ethnic strife was becoming common in the sultan's domains as ethnic nationalism gripped the various peoples of the empire. The Jewish community suffered most from attacks by Greek Orthodox factions, one of which maneuvered to have a military unit sent from the Selimiye Barracks to halt construction of the synagogue. Sultan Abdulhamit II discovered this injustice and had it corrected. In his honor the synagogue was named Hemdat, "He who is compassionate (to Israel)," a play on the sultan's name "Hamid," which means "compassionate."
The interior of the synagogue is a large, harmonious space rich with arabesque painting and a marble ark, all lit by large crystal chandeliers. The arabesque painting was renewed in 1990-91. On the north side of the synagogue is a lovely garden.