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British Authorities Allowed Antisemitism to Fester. Now Two Jews Are Dead in Manchester.
People react near the scene, after an attack in which a car was driven at pedestrians and stabbings were reported at a synagogue in north Manchester, Britain, on Yom Kippur, Oct. 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Phil Noble
As Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, draws to its close, we Jews plead: “Open the gates for us, even as they close.” It is the cry of a people who know that time is short, that chances to change are finite. And as I joined in that call myself, surrounded by those I’ve known my whole life at synagogue in London, I thought how Britain too should act before it is too late — to repent, to rectify, to make good — before the closing of the gate. For Britain has had a decade or more of warnings about jihadist terror and rising antisemitism.
And yet, on the morning of Yom Kippur on Thursday, two Jews were killed outside their synagogue in Manchester, and the gates are fast closing on illusion and denial.
A decade ago, in the aftermath of the Hypercacher supermarket massacre in Paris, I said what should have been obvious: the ideology that sent Amedy Coulibaly to murder Jews in cold blood would not remain contained to France. I warned then, in a Sky News interview, that Islamic extremists who had returned from Syria with training, weapons, and a genocidal worldview posed a direct and specific threat to Jewish communities in Britain. That warning was not cryptic, nor was it speculative. It was grounded in fact and in history. But it was dismissed.
Now, in Manchester, it has come to pass again.
On Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, worshippers at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation were attacked in a manner grimly familiar to anyone who has studied Islamist terror. At 9:31 in the morning, a man rammed his vehicle into congregants before attacking with a knife. Two men, Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, were killed. Three others remain in hospital with serious injuries. The suspect, named by police as Jihad Al-Shamie, a 35-year-old British citizen of Syrian descent, was shot dead by armed officers.
We should dwell on the symbolism. A synagogue targeted on Yom Kippur. British Jews once again forced to barricade their sanctuary. A suspect literally named Jihad, when only a year ago Londoners watched Hizb ut-Tahrir demonstrators chanting that very word in open calls for holy war. Then, the Metropolitan Police reassured us that “jihad has a number of meanings.” Today, two Jews lie dead.
This was foreseeable. British Jews have lived under extraordinary security for years. Synagogues, schools, and communal centers rely on cameras, fences, guards, and the vigilance of CST volunteers. Families tell their children not to wear uniforms on buses, not to speak Hebrew in public, not to appear recognizably Jewish. We knew something like this would happen. The only surprise is that it has taken until 2025 for such a day to arrive in Britain.
And yet, the official response has been one of ritual platitudes. The Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has spoken of deploying more police to synagogues and expressed his horror that Jews were attacked at prayer. Words are necessary, but words cannot obscure reality. His government, like its predecessors, has chosen to ignore warning after warning. It emboldened extremism with the hasty recognition of a Palestinian state, long before any credible peace plan existed. It indulged weekly marches in central London where chants about the “army of Muhammad” killing Jews were not fringe but center-stage. It failed to act against hate preachers, failed to prosecute violent demonstrators, failed to confront the hostility to Jews that has bled into British institutions and media.
The BBC and other broadcasters have, for years, twisted their reporting on Israel to such an extent that Jewish safety in Britain has become collateral damage in the narrative war. When synagogues were daubed with “Free Gaza” graffiti, when schoolgirls were struck with bottles, when buildings in Golders Green were smeared with feces, when radical clerics called for Jews to be killed, the media’s instinct was to frame Jewish alarm as a lobbying effort, as if security itself were a political demand.
But this is not political. It is existential. And it is not only a Jewish problem. Britain has already bled from the hands of Islamist terrorism at Westminster Bridge, at London Bridge, in the Tube, in Manchester Arena. MPs have been murdered, commuters blown apart, children incinerated at a concert. The ideology is not selective. It does not merely menace Jews, though Jews remain its perennial and symbolic target. It menaces the fabric of our entire civic life.
That is why the protests that followed the Manchester killings were so grotesque. Hours after two Jews were murdered outside their synagogue, thousands gathered in central London waving Palestinian flags, clashing with police, chanting slogans, some dismissing the attack altogether. One campaigner told a journalist she did not “care about the Jewish community.” This is the climate we have allowed to fester. When hatred marches so brazenly, it ceases to be protest and becomes license.
The historical parallels are not abstract. England was the cradle of the first blood libel in Norwich in 1144, where Jews were accused of murdering a Christian boy for ritual purposes. By 1290, Edward I expelled the entire Jewish population. Centuries later, Kristallnacht in Germany turned synagogues into smouldering ruins. Each time, antisemitism was permitted to grow, ignored by authorities, rationalized by elites, until violence erupted. What happened in Manchester is not the same in scale, but it is the same in kind.
Two men from Crumpsall are now dead. Their synagogue, where generations have gathered in faith, is a crime scene. Rabbi Daniel Walker had to barricade his congregants inside and continue leading Yom Kippur prayers in bloodstained robes. This is Britain in 2025.
The lesson is not complicated. Where Jew-hatred is tolerated, civilization is corroded. A society that cannot keep its synagogues safe cannot keep itself safe. The victims are Jewish today, but the target is Britain itself.
On Yom Kippur, Jews confess: “For the sin we have committed by silence … by cowardice … by hardening the heart.” These are not only our sins; they are Britain’s. For years, leaders silenced themselves in the face of hate, institutions cowered before extremists, and the media hardened its heart against Jewish suffering. Adrian Daulby and Melvin Cravitz are dead at least in part because this nation’s guardians chose inaction when it could have chosen to prevent the climate of Jew-hatred from growing. If Britain does not confront this hatred with justice and resolve, then it is complicit in its return.
Editor’s note: British police said on Friday they may have accidentally shot a victim who died in the Manchester attack, as well as one of the survivors, as they attempted to stop the perpetrator. Greater Manchester Police chief constable Steve Watson said in a statement that one of those killed suffered a gunshot wound but that the assailant, shot dead by officers at the scene, was not carrying a firearm.
Jonathan Sacerdoti, a writer and broadcaster, is now a contributor to The Algemeiner.
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British Jews Say Yom Kippur Attack Was Just a Matter of Time as Israel Demands UK Crack Down on ‘Incitement’
People gather near the scene, after an attack in which a car was driven at pedestrians and stabbings were reported at a synagogue in north Manchester, Britain, on Yom Kippur, Oct. 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Phil Noble
British Jewish leaders warned that Thursday’s terrorist attack on a synagogue in Manchester was a long-feared tragedy, accusing the government of fueling a hostile environment and rising anti-Jewish hatred through its anti-Israel rhetoric.
On Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement and holiest day of the year in Judaism, a man identified by police as Jihad al-Shamie, 35, drove a car onto the grounds of the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Manchester, northern England, and went on a stabbing spree, leaving two Jewish men dead and at least three others critically injured.
The attack occurred as the congregation gathered to observe Yom Kippur and ended seven minutes later, when police shot the assailant dead.
The chief rabbi of the United Kingdom, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, said the attack was a tragedy the British Jewish community had long feared — “the day we hoped we would never see, but which 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,” Mirvis wrote in a post on X.
“This not only an assault on the Jewish community, but an attack on the very foundations of humanity and the values of compassion, dignity, and respect which we all share,” he continued.
Our hearts are shattered.
Emerging from the holy fast of Yom Kippur, British Jews are now grasping the full extent of today’s terror attack at the Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester.
This is the day we hoped we would never see, but which deep down, we knew would come.
For…
— Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis (@chiefrabbi) October 2, 2025
Pinchas Goldschmidt, president of the Conference of European Rabbis, also condemned the deadly terrorist attack, calling on the British government to take stronger action to “stamp out murderous ideologies.”
“Jews in Manchester, England, woke up this morning to pray, and were murdered in their own synagogue. Governments from the world over should spare us the statements about fighting antisemitism and instead ensure Jews are safe,” Goldschmidt wrote in a post on X.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar strongly denounced the attack and accused British authorities of inciting hatred, saying the local Jewish community in Britain is “currently suffering from a horrific wave of antisemitism.”
“The truth must be told: blatant and rampant antisemitic and anti-Israeli incitement, as well as calls of support for terror, have recently become a widespread phenomenon in the streets of London, in cities across Britain, and on its campuses,” the top Israeli diplomat said in a post on X.
“The authorities in Britain have failed to take the necessary action to curb this toxic wave of antisemitism and have effectively allowed it to persist,” Saar continued.
“We expect more than words from the Starmer government,” he added, referring to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. “We expect and demand a change of course, effective action, and enforcement against the rampant antisemitic and anti-Israeli incitement in Britain.”
I am appalled by the murderous attack near the Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester on the morning of the holiest day for the Jewish people: Yom Kippur.
My deepest condolences go to the families who have lost their loved ones,and I wish a swift and full recovery to the injured.…— Gideon Sa’ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) October 2, 2025
As the investigation continues and the local Jewish community mourns the victims of the deadly attack, the British government has called for an anti-Israel protest scheduled for Saturday in London to be canceled. The demonstration is being organized by a group called Defend Our Juries to oppose the British government’s decision in July to ban the group Palestine Action under anti-terrorism laws.
Raucous anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian demonstrations erupted in London on Yom Kippur on Thursday, following the attack in Manchester.
Pro-Pals took over the streets of central London last night. Set off fireworks in the busiest parts. Chanted for Israel’s destruction. And I don’t see a single police officer. So do racist thugs run our capital now? It’s like a nightmare dystopia. @metpoliceuk pic.twitter.com/AA6VqwNQ4K
— Heidi Bachram
(@HeidiBachram) October 2, 2025
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood urged demonstrators to “step back” from plans to hold marches this weekend.
“I do think that carrying on in this way does feel un-British, it feels wrong,” Mahmood said.
However, the anti-Israel group behind protests against the ban on Palestine Action announced it still intends to proceed with the march.
In a statement, the group called on local police to “prioritize protecting the community, rather than arresting those peacefully holding signs” in support of Palestine Action.
Mahmood also said she was “disappointed” that pro-Palestinian protests went ahead on Thursday in the aftermath of the synagogue attack.
As British Jews gathered to observe Yom Kippur, widespread anti-Israel demonstrations erupted across the UK. In Manchester, a pro-Palestinian protest unfolded in the city center, while in London, clashes broke out between police and demonstrators opposing the Israeli navy’s interception of a Gaza-bound flotilla.
Decent folk mourn the horrific terrorist murder of Jews in Manchester
Yet this bunch see fit to hoot and toot in London; perhaps they are pro Hamas? pic.twitter.com/cI5Dm1xHoN
— Richard Tice MP
(@TiceRichard) October 2, 2025
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Trump Gives Hamas Until Sunday Night to Reach Gaza Deal or ‘All HELL’ Will Break Out
US President Donald Trump in the Oval office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, Sept. 30, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ken Cedeno
US President Donald Trump gave Palestinian Hamas terrorists until Sunday evening to accept his proposal to end the nearly two-year-old war with US ally Israel in the Gaza Strip or “all HELL” would break out.
“An agreement must be reached with Hamas by Sunday Evening at SIX (6) PM, Washington, DC time,” Trump posted on social media on Friday. “Every Country has signed on! If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas.”
The plan specifies an immediate ceasefire, an exchange of all hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, a staged Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas, and the introduction of a transitional government led by an international body.
Trump first presented his plan to leaders and officials from Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, on the sidelines of last week’s UN General Assembly.
Mediators Qatar and Egypt then shared the 20-point plan with Hamas late on Monday after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared alongside Trump at the White House and endorsed the document, saying it satisfied Israel‘s war aims.
‘INTENSIVE DISCUSSION’ UNDER WAY ON HAMAS RESPONSE
Hamas was not involved in the negotiations that led to the proposal, which calls on the Islamist group to disarm, a demand it has previously rejected.
Asked whether his group had finalized its response to Trump’s Gaza plan, a Hamas official told Reuters late on Thursday: “Not yet, intensive discussion is under way.” The official said Hamas had held talks with Arab mediators, Turkey and Palestinian factions to shape “the Palestinian response.”
On Tuesday, Trump said he would give Hamas three to four days to accept the plan. On Friday he described Hamas as a “ruthless and violent threat in the Middle East.”
In his Truth Social post on Friday, Trump made an apparent reference to Israel‘s offensive in Gaza City. He said remaining Hamas terrorists in Gaza are trapped and “will be hunted down, and killed” without a deal, and warned “innocent Palestinians” to leave for safer areas of Gaza.
Israel blocked Gaza City’s main road on Thursday and has told its million residents to flee south, warning it was their last chance to escape a major offensive.
TRUMP PLAN ‘A WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY,’ UN AID CHIEF SAYS
“President Trump’s Gaza initiative opens a window of opportunity. It offers both a chance for Palestinians to receive life-saving aid at the scale urgently needed, and to bring the hostages home,” UN aid chief Tom Fletcher said in a statement on Friday. “We are ready and eager to act.”
Trump’s plan calls for aid to Gaza to be distributed without interference by neutral international groups, with the UN promising 170,000 metric tons ready to enter.
Israel began its offensive in Gaza after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken as hostages back to Gaza. Israel responded with a military campaign aimed at freeing the hostages and dismantling Hamas’s military capabilities and political rule in neighboring Gaza.
Trump said in his Friday post that “more than 25,000 Hamas ‘soldiers’ have already been killed.” Hamas rarely discloses fatalities among its fighters.
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Israeli Military Intercepts Final Gaza Flotilla Boat as Pro-Hamas Protests Erupt in Europe
Sailing boats, part of the Global Sumud Flotilla aiming to reach Gaza and break Israel’s naval blockade, sail off Koufonisi islet, Greece, Sept. 26, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Stefanos Rapanis
The Israeli military intercepted the last boat in a flotilla attempting to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza on Friday, a day after stopping most of the vessels and detaining some 450 activists including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg.
The organizers of the Global Sumud Flotilla said the Marinette was intercepted some 42.5 nautical miles (79 km) from Gaza. Israeli army radio said the navy had taken control of the last ship in the flotilla, detained those aboard, and that the vessel was being led to Ashdod port in Israel.
In a statement, the Global Sumud Flotilla said Israeli naval forces had now “illegally intercepted all 42 of our vessels — each carrying humanitarian aid, volunteers, and the determination to break Israel’s illegal siege on Gaza.”
For nearly two decades Gaza has been ruled by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, which openly seeks Israel’s destruction and started the current war with its Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of and massacre across southern Israel.
However, in another attempt to challenge Israel‘s naval blockade, a new flotilla comprising 11 vessels was attempting to make its way to Gaza on Friday, organizers said, including a vessel carrying medics and journalists.
A live-tracker shared by the organizers showed the boats sailing southeast in the Mediterranean between the Greek island of Crete and Egypt, while live footage from one of the boats showed activists chanting for a “Free Palestine.”
MARINETTE PASSENGERS CLAIM TO SEE A WAR SHIP
A camera broadcasting from the Marinette showed someone holding up a note saying “We see a ship! It’s a war ship”, before a boat is seen approaching and soldiers boarding. A voice is heard telling the people on board not to move and to put their hands in the air.
An Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the boat’s status.
The flotilla, which set sail in late August, marked the latest attempt by activists to challenge the Israeli naval blockade of the territory where Israel has been waging an offensive to dismantle Hamas and free the hostages kidnapped by the terrorist group during its Oct. 7 attack.
Israeli officials have repeatedly denounced the mission as a stunt. The foreign ministry had said the flotilla was previously warned that it was approaching an active combat zone and violating a “lawful naval blockade,” and asked organizers to change course. It had offered to transfer aid to Gaza.
The Israeli foreign ministry on Friday said that four Italians had been deported. “The rest are in the process of being deported. Israel is keen to end this procedure as quickly as possible,” it said in a statement. All the flotilla participants were “safe and in good health,” it added.
The Italian government identified the four Italians as parliamentarians who would fly back to Rome on Friday.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators took to the streets in cities across Europe as well as in Karachi, Buenos Aires, and Mexico City on Thursday to protest the flotilla’s interception.
On Friday, tens of thousands of Italians demonstrated, as part of a day-long general strike called by unions in support of the flotilla.
BEN-GVIR CALLS ACTIVISTS ‘TERRORISTS’
During a visit to Ashdod on Thursday night, Israel‘s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was filmed calling the activists “terrorists” as he stood in front of them.
“These are the terrorists of the flotilla,” he said, speaking in Hebrew and pointing at dozens of people sitting on the ground. His spokesperson confirmed the video was filmed at Ashdod port on Thursday night.
Some activists are heard shouting “Free Palestine.”
Cyprus said one of the flotilla boats had docked in Cyprus with 21 foreigners aboard. Crew from the vessel, “Summer Time”, said it was an observer mission carrying doctors and journalists.
“Nobody has the right to be a pirate of the sea and enforce whatever they want to do and I think we are equal,” Palestinian crew member Osama Qashoo told journalists.
Israel faced international condemnation and protest after it intercepted all of the 40 or so boats in the flotilla and detained more than 450 activists from different countries.