‘Harder position than immediately after the attack’: Rabbi warns of rising vulnerability on eve of Heaton Park anniversary

‘We’re in a harder position than immediately after the attack’: Rabbi on rising fear one year on from Heaton Park

The rabbi of a Manchester synagogue that was the scene of a fatal attack last year has said the Jewish community now feels more vulnerable than it did in the immediate aftermath, warning that a ‘year of difficulty and of grief and of pain’ has been compounded by a failure to tackle the underlying causes of antisemitism.

Rabbi Daniel Walker of Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation told the BBC: “I think we’re actually almost in a harder position than we were even immediately after the attack. I think the sense of vulnerability has grown. It hasn’t diminished.” He described a ‘year of difficulty and of grief and pain’, adding: “Something has gone seriously wrong in our society.”

Walker was speaking ahead of a public memorial service being held later today to mark the first anniversary of the attack on Yom Kippur, 2 October 2025, when two men were killed and three others injured while defending their place of worship. The service will be attended by Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis, the Mayor of Manchester Bev Craig, and Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson, with members of the public expected to attend.

A private religious commemoration will be held on the Jewish anniversary of the attack later this month, but the public memorial has been organised to take place before the High Holy Days, allowing the wider community to join in remembrance and to hear calls for change.

Violence in numbers

The latest police data paints a sobering picture of rising antisemitic incidents. A Freedom of Information request by the BBC to police forces in England and Wales found that violent hate crimes targeting Jewish people, including harassment and assault, rose by nearly two-thirds across 33 forces since 2022. Antisemitic criminal damage and arson offences have also almost doubled in the same period.

In Greater Manchester, police recorded 150 antisemitic hate crimes in the first seven months of 2026 – only 32 fewer than during the whole of 2025. Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson has previously apologised after it emerged that police had failed to examine phones belonging to the attacker, Jihad al-Shamie, that had been seized twice in the months before the attack.

A community seeking to remember

Outside the synagogue, floral tributes and handwritten notes have been left by local residents. Fr Sayid wiped away tears as he spoke of the ‘senseless violence’ that had blighted their community. ‘The grief, it is still raw, but so is the determination to remember Melvin and Adrian and to stand firm against hatred,’ he told the BBC.

Visitors are expected to file past a memorial of photographs and candles, flanked by a large portrait in a simple wooden frame. The display, which includes pictures of Cravitz, Daulby and other victims, is due to be moved to a place of reflection at a community centre nearby. The families of the victims have called for the public to join them in a national minute’s silence.

The memorial has a new headstone with a biblical inscription highlighting the theme of remembering and never forgetting.

Local resident Miryam Green, who came to pay her respects, said: ‘My grandmother used to say, when you have your health, you have everything. Let us always remember not just the good health, but the joy of being together on the holiest day of the year. We have to get that ’

Campaigners call for more action

Campaigners have praised the dignity shown by the victims’ families but say Sunday’s terrorist designation shows more must be done to tackle the ‘root causes’ of terrorism. The family of victim Melvin Cravitz said in a statement that his memory should be marked by ‘finding the strength to move forward’ and ‘not letting his death be in vain’.

Former senior MI5 officer Charles Farr told the BBC that while the government had been forced to act in response to last October’s attacks, the latest incidents showed a ‘complete failure of our counter-terrorism strategy’ and a ‘complete failure of integration’.

He said: ‘These horrendous attacks on innocent civilians have led to the proscription of a group, but this is a small part of a bigger problem, and the fact that we still have to talk about it a year on is a sad indictment of how little has been ’

Greater Manchester Police has said it will provide additional resources to ensure ‘visibility and security’ at the memorial. A spokesperson said: ‘These plans have been formed following engagement with community leaders to best understand local concerns and to ensure that the Jewish community can enjoy this special period without fear of ’ Rabi Walker welcomed the police operation but insisted on the need for a wider societal response. ‘I think we’re dealing with symptoms. We’re extremely grateful for the increased security, but I don’t think there’s really any evidence of anyone dealing with the core problems. And on the contrary, in many ways, those may have become worse over the last months,’ he said.

He added: ‘I think this is a time when a lot of our community will be asking ourselves and the rest of society how we’re going to make sure this doesn’t happen again. I don’t think that’s been done yet. I don’t think the community feels secure enough yet, for good ’