For saturday morning my initial plan was buying a new 6V battery for my rechargable projector which I keep in the Rangie. And then attend a meeting with new rescue volunteers in the marina at 11:00

The Neve Shalom Synagogue is on one of the old parts of the city where the electrical appliances and accessories shops are. I planed to leave home at around 08:30 and get there at 09:10 do the shopping till 10:00 and go to marina for meeting at 11:00.

But on friday night my son fell asleep on our bed and I just did not want to bother them and tried to sleep on the couch. I couldn't so I began reading BCD papers to take notes for the meeting. It was after 05:00 in the morning that I could sleep. I woke up at 07:30 and felt lazy to leave early and then decided to stay home till 10:30 and go to buy the battery after the meeting. At 09:25 right 20-25 meters away from where I would be a 800 lbs bomb exploded in a vehicle right in front of the synagogue. I could have been there. Lucky?? Yes I am.

It is not a local job, beyond the scope of the ones here. Same method with first bombing of WTC, Oklohoma, Riyadh and some in Baghdad. Fertilizer and TNT. S..t bomb we call. 2/3 of the dead and wounded also are muslims. With the Jewish people we have no problems here. Turkey is one of the best loved countries by the Jews for the last 500 years. It is also Ramadan here. No religion in this. It is surely a cell job. Prepared long ago and triggered short while ago I assume. They just waited for the political correct time.

On the preparedness side: Two Synagogues have been bombed at the same time. One is in the middle of a busy electrical market and the other in between apartment buildings. People have been evacuated from their houses and still cannot go into their houses or shops due to forensic reasons and damage. They are out on the street for the last 48 hours. Two people died a few blocks away from the explosions just becuse they thought it was an earthquake and jumped out of the window and crash landed on a parking car. Life is interesting nowadays and I am very angry and very sorry.

Burak

Glad you and yours are safe.

Extremism - religous, political, or racial - sucks. Pardon my French

Ed

Dear Burak,

I'm glad you are all right. And you are right life is interesting. I'm 27 yo and look around thinking if what's going on was always part of "adult" world or are those just current developments. Again I'm glad you are safe and sound. Greetings to your family.

Trully yours,

Matt the Polak

Burak--

I thought of you when I heard the news report. Glad to hear you're safe & sound.

David

Glad to hear you are okay. I wish to offer condolences and prayers to those who were affected by this horrendous act. Stay safe - Pete

it's a shame that people use futilizer to make a ANFO bomb. i'm not use wheather it is good to conclude that a big terrorist attack is always from a big terrorist organisation, ANFO bombs are easy to make.... wish the victims well.

Ratstr

Sterkte (keep strong)

Burak,

I, too, wondered if you were affected when I heard the news. Glad you are not injured. A prayer, if you have religious beliefs, eh? I'm sorry your country suffers these atrocities.

My prayers for your countrymen and you.

Tom

My fellow friends,

Thank you all for your kind words and concerns. The best answer to the terrorists was given by the public, the Jewish and the Muslim stood together in the funerals.

Nobody should be afraid of terrorists, because when we do, they win.

Many thanks again for all of you,

Burak

Someone once said "Fundamentalism is to [religion] as paint-by-numbers is to art."

I'm glad you're okay.