Manchester attack was a desecration that changed us all forever, synagogue says

The attack on a Manchester synagogue which killed two people was a “desecration” that has “changed us all forever”, its leaders have said.

A statement from Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation rabbi Daniel Walker, its president Hilary Foxler and chairman Alan Levy, said: “It is hard to find the words to convey the depth of our community’s grief, as we try to process yesterday’s act of unimaginable violence.

“This desecration of our synagogue, on Yom Kippur of all days, is an episode that has changed us all forever.”

Three others remain in hospital with serious injuries after Jihad Al-Shamie rammed a car into people before stabbing others on Thursday morning.

The statement continued: “Two of our beloved members were murdered in cold blood, and others remain in hospital with serious injuries. The loss we feel is beyond words.

“These were not simply members of our synagogue – they were our friends, our family – and their absence leaves a void that can never be filled.

“Even in this valley of deepest sorrow, we have been upheld by extraordinary courage and kindness from so many.”