Several hundred mourners filled a Manchester synagogue Monday to mark nearly one year since a deadly jihadist attack claimed two lives during Yom Kippur services.
The memorial at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation honored Melvin Cravitz and Adrian Daulby, who died in the Oct. 2 assault on the house of worship. British Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis and Communities Secretary Angela Rayner joined victims’ relatives and survivors at the service.
Rabbi Daniel Walker, who helped keep the attacker outside while worshipers remained inside during the rampage, delivered a stark assessment of the community’s current state. The Jewish community feels less safe now than it did immediately after the attack, he said. Lack of action to “deal with core problems” had left many members of Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation, and British Jews more widely, feeling increasingly vulnerable, the broadcaster quoted him as saying.
The Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester and Region issued a statement Tuesday reflecting on the gathering’s broader meaning. “Last night was also about strength, unity and resilience,” the group wrote. “Standing together at the Synagogue where so much changed for our community, we showed that hatred will not define us. The terrorist tried to close the Synagogue. Instead, he filled it.”
King Charles sent a written message read at the service, recalling his own visit to the damaged synagogue in the attack’s aftermath. “My wife and I hold all those whose lives were so tragically disrupted by that terrible day most closely in our thoughts and prayers,” the monarch wrote. “Though the months have passed, the sense of shock and sorrow remains undiminished. I shall never forget my visit to the synagogue shortly afterwards. It was a deeply moving and heartbreaking experience.”
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham also contributed a message, posting on social media: “We send our love and support to the Jewish community in Manchester and beyond” in remembering those “who were killed defending their synagogue last year,” He added: “My thoughts are with their families and all those who have been affected by the attack.”
The attack occurred on Oct. 2, when an assailant targeted the Heaton Park synagogue during Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Rabbi Walker was among those who acted to prevent the attacker from entering the building while services were underway, protecting worshipers inside. The assault killed Cravitz and Daulby and left the Manchester Jewish community shaken.
Monday’s commemoration came as Jewish communities across the United Kingdom continue grappling with rising antisemitism and security concerns at religious institutions.
