Backstreets of the Jagannath Temple, Puri, India in a rickshaw

Istanbul is often described as a city where cultures and religions coexist—but what does that look like today? We arrived just days after a deadly attack targeting Jews at a Hanukkah celebration in Bondi Beach, at a moment when tensions from the Middle East were reverberating globally. And then, we walked into a Hanukkah celebration in Istanbul. Inside the synagogue, there were candles, Ladino songs, and centuries-old traditions still alive. Outside, there were protests.. As we explore the city—from Galata to the Bosphorus—we uncover the layered story of Istanbul’s Jewish community and the cosmopolitan world around it. But this journey is also personal, revealing how differently the same city can be experienced depending on who you are.