About 800 people, including Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis and Communities Secretary Angela Rayner, attended a commemorative service on 31 August 2026 honouring the victims and survivors of the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue attack. Melvin Cravitz and Adrian Daulby were killed, and three others were injured, when attacker Jihad al-Shamie targeted worshippers on 2 October 2025 during Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
The service of remembrance began at 20:00 BST at the synagogue in Manchester, with relatives of those who died and some of the survivors among the speakers. Two seats bearing the names of Melvin Cravitz and Adrian Daulby remained empty throughout the event. In a message read at the start of the service, King Charles wrote:
My wife and I hold all those whose lives were so tragically disrupted by that terrible day most closely in our thoughts and prayers. Though the months have passed, the sense of shock and sorrow remains undiminished. The memory of those who lost their lives, Adrian Daulby and Melvin Cravitz, and of those who were injured, Andrew Franks, Bernard Agyemang and Yoni Finlay, remain especially vivid in my mind. Hatred can never prevail over our shared humanity.
Why does the community feel less safe now?
Prior to the event, Rabbi Daniel Walker expressed concern that the Jewish community feels less safe now than it did immediately after the attack. Rising antisemitism, combined with insufficient action to address underlying causes, has left many members of Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation and British Jews more widely feeling increasingly vulnerable. Walker had previously warned that the community's sense of security has deteriorated over the past year, despite initial shows of solidarity.
Yoni Finlay, one of those injured when he was struck by a stray police bullet while helping to barricade the doors during the attack, described the ongoing impact on the community. Speaking to a national broadcaster's radio programme, he said:
I don't think things feel safer, I think we certainly live behind ever increasing gates, more security than we've ever had. Jewish people are having to hide their identity. Even my own son, who's in college at the moment, has faced death threats.
What message did the memorial service convey?
Raphi Bloom, chair of the Yom Kippur Commemoration, said the service was about far more than remembrance alone. It represented resilience and
honouring Melvin and Adrian by ensuring that Jewish life continues to flourish. He emphasised that
the wounds remain, but so does our spirit, and that the community was sending a message that they would not be intimidated, defined by hatred, or driven from the place they have called home for more than two centuries.
As Jews we will stand tall, united, proud and strong,Bloom declared.
Other speakers at the memorial service included Alan Levy, who helped barricade the doors against the attacker, and Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson. The event was organised as a communal commemoration bringing together members of the Jewish community, local and national politicians, and emergency services representatives.
Why was the service held in August rather than October?
Although the first anniversary of the Heaton Park attack falls in October, the Jewish community chose to mark it on the religious anniversary rather than by the secular calendar. The attack occurred on Yom Kippur, which falls in September this year. Rabbi Walker explained that the service was held before the Jewish High Holy Days to ensure those affected are remembered by wider society and to call for broader societal change.
What legal developments have followed the attack?
Counterterrorism police charged Hekmat Omar Ali Hakim on 20 August 2026 with failing to disclose information about terrorist activity linked to the synagogue attack. Hakim was remanded into custody and was due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 21 August 2026. The charge relates to his alleged failure to report information connected to the incident that claimed two lives.
Key facts
- Melvin Cravitz and Adrian Daulby were killed in the attack on 2 October 2025; Andrew Franks, Bernard Agyemang and Yoni Finlay were injured
- The attack occurred during Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation in Manchester
- About 800 people attended the memorial service on 31 August 2026, including senior political figures and religious leaders
- The Jewish community reports feeling less safe now than immediately after the attack, citing rising antisemitism and inadequate action on underlying causes
- A man has been charged with failing to disclose information about terrorist activity linked to the attack
