What began as a solemn day of prayer turned into tragedy for Manchester’s Jewish community on Thursday when an attacker rammed a car into worshippers outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Crumpsall before stabbing several people. Two worshippers were killed in the assault, which occurred on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
Chaos during prayer and fasting
For many, the horror unfolded without their knowledge. Orthodox Jews observing Yom Kippur refrain from using phones, technology, or even turning on the news, leaving the community isolated as emergency sirens echoed across Manchester’s northern suburbs.
Chaim Leob, a local resident, recalled the unsettling scene:
The police cars just kept coming, one after another. Ambulances, fire trucks, even helicopters. But we had no idea what was happening. We didn’t know we were under attack.
Eyewitness accounts and fear
Rivka H., a mother of four, lives minutes from the synagogue. Bound by religious observance, she could not use her phone to check news updates.
There was so much police around the synagogue, so many sirens, it made me feel sick. Then a neighbor told me two people had died, I was shocked.
As she hurried through the neighborhood to check on her daughters, Rivka said she saw frightened community members desperately piecing together what had happened.
Antisemitism on the rise in the UK
The attack comes amid growing concerns about antisemitism in Britain. According to the Community Security Trust (CST), antisemitic incidents have been climbing steadily over the past decade, reaching record levels in 2024.
Although most of the UK’s nearly 300,000 Jews live in London, Manchester is home to the second-largest Jewish population in the country, about 30,000 people, many concentrated in Crumpsall and Prestwich.
Some community members, like Leob, voiced fears that Jewish life in Manchester is becoming untenable:
People say all the time that our time here is finished, and that everyone should move to Israel. This attack just makes it feel closer to home.
Community response and interfaith solidarity
Despite the fear, many residents, Jewish, Muslim, and Christian alike, expressed unity.
Ashfaq Malik, a British Pakistani Muslim who lives near the synagogue, said:
We never had problems. My mosque even posted a safety message this morning. Anyone who kills innocent people is a bad guy, whether Muslim or anyone else.
Ans Ahmad, a Muslim security guard stationed outside another nearby synagogue, added:
I have never seen anything like this. But the community has always treated me with respect.
Government Reaction
UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood addressed reporters near the scene, promising that authorities would strengthen protections for Jewish communities and fully investigate the attack.
Police later confirmed that the suspect was killed during the response and there is no ongoing threat to the public.
Shockwaves through the Jewish world
Because of Yom Kippur restrictions, many worshippers only learned of the tragedy after sunset, when phones and technology could be used again. Families scrambled to contact loved ones and check on relatives abroad.
Rivka expressed concern for her mother, currently in Israel:
She will be so worried when she hears. Tonight, after the fast ends, I’ll call her to let her know I’m safe.
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