Manchester, England (AP) – Hundreds of mourners gathered in the wind and rain on Friday to gather for an overnight vigil combining sadness and rebellion with the memories of two men killed during the knife-wielding attacker Attacked their synagogue in Manchester’s UK city.
The Hebrew Congress synagogue council in the city’s Crumpsor district, standing behind the police cordon surrounding Heaton Park, said it felt forgotten by the permitted society Anti-Semitism In the UK, it has grown defiantly over the past two years.
They said politicians and other leaders have rejected anti-Semite speeches and failed to protect Jews from hate crimes.
“We are Jews, but we are English. We have lived in Manchester for 150 years. We belong here,” Simon Burton, who works in sales, told the Associated Press. “As a community, we feel we’re not always listening. We feel disappointed.”
On Thursday, people gathered at the synagogue to celebrate Yom Kippur, the sacred day of the Jewish calendar, and attackers I drove his car to people He stabbed one person outside the building and died. It appears the second man was like that He was inadvertently shot by the police Police said Friday. Three other people were seriously injured.
The assault was declared a terrorist act
Authorities have declared the attack an act of terrorism, but are still investigating the motivations of attackers identified as naturalized British citizens of Syrian descent. He was shot dead by the police.
“Our hearts are now shattered,” Chief Rabbi Ephraim Milvis said Friday. “What happened yesterday was a terrible blow to us. What we were actually afraid of could happen due to this accumulation of behavior.”
As evidence of the intolerance climate allowed to fester in the UK, some pointed to the pro-Palestinian protests in London that advanced Thursday night, even if the Jews in the country grieved by Manchester’s death.
London police urged organizers to suspend demonstrations planned on Saturday in opposition to the government’s decision to ban the group Palestinian lawsuit labelled terrorist organizations after members attacked Israeli defense contractors and support for the war in Gaza.
The organizer declined the request.
“Canceling a peaceful protest will help the fear win,” the group said in a statement.
Since the Hamas-led attack on Israel almost two years ago, protests and opposition have seized cities across the UK.
Amid criticism of Israel’s attacks in Gaza, the pro-Palestinian march is bigger and angry. Some Jews say they feel they are being blackmailed A chant such as “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” The protests were largely peaceful.
The Israeli Prime Minister and his supporters have frequently condemned Israeli critics or acts of war in Gaza’s anti-Semitism. Israeli detractors do that They try to suppress even legitimate criticism.
The number of anti-Semitism cases has skyrocketed
According to the Community Security Trust, which works to protect the Jewish community, the number of reported anti-Semitism incidents across the UK has skyrocketed since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. The group recorded 1,521 anti-Semitism incidents in the first half of this year, rising from 965 in the same period in 2023.
However, at Crampsall, all faith neighbors were tied together to support each other on Friday, focusing on mutual dislike for the violence inflicted on the multicultural community during the seven minutes of Thursday morning.
“There’s no room for this,” said local businessman Sham Raja. “The Jewish community, obviously, they’re very upset about what happened, and there’s no room for anti-Semitism. And as a British Muslim, I’m fully supportive of the Jewish community and work side by side.”
Josh Aronson, a Jew who lives near the synagogue, said it turned out that all faiths were showing their solidarity.
“Yesterday, I was… one of my neighbors who is Muslim and another Christian neighbors, and I hugged them together.
However, the air of solidarity was shattered during Friday’s vigil when Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy was introduced to the crowd. Until a few weeks ago, Ramie was the British Foreign Secretary and is considered the architect of the government’s decision to recognize the Palestinian state, criticizing Israel’s attacks in Gaza.
Ramie was greeted with screams of “not today” and “shameful.”
Mark Addolstone, chairman of the Jewish Representative Council in Greater Manchester, ultimately quieted the crowd and said, “It’s okay, we’ve heard enough. We know how you feel.”
Kiel Premier, who visited the synagogue on Friday, said the attack was designed to “fear” the Jewish community.
The Manchester Jews seem to be determined to continue. Orthodox Jews were rushing to shop before the Sabbath, but they didn’t want to stumble over journalists for their opinions. Were they afraid? Did they see this coming?
Yes, there was sadness for those who were lost. Yes, there was fear of an increase in anti-Semitism. But there was also rebellion.
“We’re not going to drive away,” Isaac Friedlander said. “We won’t hide. …We’re going to continue our lives.”
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This version has been changed to fix that the pro-Palestinian protest in London was Thursday night and not Wednesday night.
