The Jewish community across Manchester and beyond is still in shock and mourning at such a despicable attack. This comes after the horrific attack on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. The incident unfolded on Thursday at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, where two members of the community lost their lives. The victims Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, both residents of nearby Crumpsall, died saving others during the attack.
Witnesses We’re calling a “war zone” testimony of calm, ordered situation description of emergency responders scrambling to help those shot at the synagogue. The perpetrator started the attack by driving a vehicle into those gathered outside of the synagogue. Then he systematically began killing members of the community with a meat cleaver. That attack broke the fragile peace in the community. For the last ten years, they have been threatened by a worrisome spike in antisemitic acts throughout all of the UK.
Rivka H. is a local active, engaged mother of four. She lives only minutes away from the synagogue, and she recalled in full detail her experience during that harrowing event. When she heard the police sirens go off, her heart dropped with panic.
“There was so much police around the synagogue, so many sirens, it made me feel sick.” – Rivka H.
Countless supporters of our community spent their own Yom Kippur fasting while praying for our success. At the same time, Rivka expressed her fear for her daughters, hoping to comfort them about her wellbeing amidst the violence.
“Hopefully I’ll be able to catch my girls and tell them I’m safe. My brother came to check on me because they know that I go to that synagogue,” – Rivka H.
Chaim Leob, an artist who lives on the bustling corner next to the synagogue. He shared about how the neighborhood used to exude a deep level of security. He added that the community had always been tight, promoting empathy and camaraderie across faiths.
The Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue had armed guards patrolling the outside locked gates. Now witnesses and community leaders are raising serious doubts about whether these new measures went far enough to avoid what happened on Sunday.
Ashfaq Malik, a British Pakistani who lives just down the road. He similarly shared his shock over the attack while highlighting the deeply rooted interfaith ties in the neighborhood. He noted that his mosque moved with speed. In addition, they published a safety advisory on their home page within minutes of first hearing of the attack.
“We never had any problems. We talk to each other, we know each other. My mosque actually put a safety message on the website this morning when it happened because our Imam is always talking to the Jewish rabbis here,” – Malik stated.
The Jewish community in Greater Manchester is about 30,000 strong, the second largest Jewish community in the UK. The total national Jewish population at last census in 2021 was a little under 300,000.
In the face of pervasive antisemitism, community leaders have sounded alarm bells about their security and their safety. Ans Ahmad, who lives several blocks away from the shooting site, told us that the violence was unlike anything his community had ever seen.
“Anyone who kills innocent people is a bad guy. Whether it’s a Muslim or anyone,” – Ahmad said.
He followed that with, “I’ve never seen anything like this,” underscoring the emotions of most everyone that lives there with a sense of shock and disbelief.
This attack is yet another disturbing indication of increasing hostilities and violence toward minority groups in the UK and abroad. In their own words, local leaders have stated that opening channels of communication and teaching respect between faiths was an invaluable step toward maintaining peace in their communities.
Leob went on to explain why it is so crucial to have support from both sides of the diaspora as well as Israel. He views creating relationships as a way to cool boiling blood and rebuild civil society.
“I think Israel needs the diaspora as much as the diaspora needs Israel, you know, because if there was no diaspora, there’d be no one to support Israel from the outside. We can’t just all run off to Israel,” – Leob expressed.
Investigations into this tragic attack are still ongoing. At the same time, hundreds of members of the community are publishing their stories and feelings about this challenging and tragic moment. Rivka presented her plan for contacting relatives in Israel after the conclusion of Yom Kippur services.
“Tonight, after the restrictions are lifted, I’ll get on my phone and call her. But it will be later for me, so then there’s a couple of hours where it will be out for my mum in Israel, but not here. What can you do?” – Rivka H.
