Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis warns that years of unchecked antisemitism in Britain made the Yom Kippur terror attack against Manchester’s Jewish community tragically predictable.
The Chief Rabbi of Britain, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, issued a searing statement on Thursday night following the terrorist attack at Manchester’s Heaton Park Synagogue during Yom Kippur. Two Jews were murdered and three others seriously wounded when an assailant rammed worshippers with a car and then stabbed victims before being neutralized by police.
“Our hearts are shattered,” Rabbi Mirvis wrote. “This is the day we hoped we would never see, but deep down, we knew would come. For so long we have witnessed an unrelenting wave of Jew-hatred on our streets, on campuses, on social media and elsewhere—this is the tragic result.”
The Chief Rabbi stressed that the attack was not just an assault on Jews but “an attack on the very foundations of humanity and the values of compassion, dignity, and respect which we all share.”
He praised Rabbi Daniel Walker, the spiritual leader of Heaton Park Synagogue, whose heroism in physically blocking the doors prevented the terrorist from entering and turning the holy day into a mass slaughter. “His courageous leadership, together with the resilience of his congregation, are an inspiration to us all,” Mirvis said.
Rabbi Mirvis concluded with a prayer for the murdered and wounded: “May the victims’ memories be for a blessing and may the injured be granted a swift recovery. I pray that this tragedy strengthens our collective resolve to confront antisemitism, in all its guises, once and for all.”
