Congregation Heichal Moshe is located at 303 West 91st Street between West End Avenue and Riverside Drive (Google Maps)
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The beloved custodian of an Upper West Side synagogue was fatally stabbed while vacationing in Turkey, leaving his community mourning and pleading for answers.
Yitzhak “Igor” Alishayiv, 46, had worked at Congregation Heichal Moshe (at 303 West 91st Street)—also known as the Vorhand Shteibel—for years. Known for his quiet dedication and passion for wildlife photography, Alishayiv had taken a solo trip to a remote part of southern Turkey to photograph birds in the wild.
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The incident is believed to have taken place on or around May 3, though friends and colleagues say the last time they heard from Alishayiv was nearly a week earlier.
Sara Shulevitz Vorhand, co-head of the synagogue, told the Post that efforts to retrieve Alishayiv’s body have been delayed by red tape and confusion over the timeline of events. “He deserves a proper Jewish burial,” she said.
Adding to the distress, some in the community suspect foul play beyond what has been reported. Friends told the Post that Alishayiv was carrying up to $40,000 in camera equipment, none of which has been recovered. While Turkish authorities have ruled out antisemitism as a motive, according to Turkiye Today, some close to Alishayiv remain unconvinced.
Radio host Rabbi Zev Brenner, a longtime friend, called the story “deeply troubling” and is urging U.S. officials to intervene. “It doesn’t make any sense,” he told the Post. “Something’s not kosher about this story.”
Back on the Upper West Side, the community is reeling. Alishayiv wasn’t just a custodian—he was a fixture of the synagogue, a man who showed up early, stayed late, and quietly cared for the space and the people inside it.
As friends and community leaders continue working to bring his body home, they are also seeking justice and closure.
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Sorry, I’m from that part of the world when I say what I’m about to say. With that amount of valuable equipment in his room (unlikely to be housed in a relatively small room safe), and as a Jew and as an American in Turkey, Alisahyiv’s family and the U.S. investigating authorities will NEVER get a straight answer as to the whereabouts of his valuables or reason for his murder.
I’m amazed that there’s even an arrest on record; let’s see what the actual charge is and what penalties and civil fines are sought. Please do not forget Jamal Kashoggi’s assassination by Saudi agents in the Istanbul-based Saudi embassy. Fingers may have been pointed at the royal family’s role in facilitating his dismemberment and disposal of his remains but no one has been charged in his murder over 6 years later. And all of the accused are Trump’s and his son-in-laws best buds. $3 billion and counting has been invested with Jared Kushner and now Trump’s sons by the Saudis. Istanbul may be beautiful and filled with ancient relics and bustling bazaars, but your life isn’t worth squat there.