800 Attend Manchester Synagogue Attack Memorial as UK Jews Warn Antisemitism Has Deepened
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 31
800 Attend Manchester Synagogue Attack Memorial as UK Jews Warn Antisemitism Has Deepened
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 31
Summary
About 800 people gathered at Heaton Park synagogue in Manchester for a memorial to last year’s attack, with Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis and communities secretary Angela Rayner among attendees.
Two empty seats honored Melvin Cravitz and Adrian Daulby, who were killed on 2 October 2025 when they tried to defend the synagogue from attacker Jihad al-Shamie; three others were injured.
Rabbi Daniel Walker said the community feels less safe than it did immediately after the attack, blaming rising antisemitism and insufficient action on its causes.
Survivor Yoni Finlay, who was hit by a stray police bullet while helping barricade the doors, said Jews now live behind heavier security and some are hiding their identity after threats.
The service was held ahead of the High Holy Days and on the attack’s religious anniversary rather than its October calendar date, pairing remembrance with a public call for wider societal change.
Despite a £251 million security package, why do community leaders believe the true root causes of the Manchester synagogue attack remain entirely unaddressed?
With the attacker's phones seized twice before the tragedy, what catastrophic intelligence failures allowed the Yom Kippur synagogue attack to happen?