Yoni Finlay, who was wounded during the attack on the Heaton Park synagogue in Manchester last Yom Kippur, stated that nearly a year after the tragedy, the Jewish community does not feel safe.
Jnews.az reports that according to Finlay, his son, who attends college, has faced death threats.
Two killed in attack on synagogue
During last year’s attack, carried out by Jihad al-Shami, 53-year-old Adrian Dolby and 66-year-old Melvin Kravitz were killed.
Finlay, who helped barricade the synagogue doors to keep the attacker out, was wounded by a police bullet and spent two weeks in the hospital.
“Jews are forced to hide their identity”
Speaking on the BBC Radio 4 ‘Today’ program, Finlay noted that the community is forced to live under constantly increasing security measures.
“We are living behind higher and higher fences. For any event we attend, the address is never listed on the flyers. Jews are forced to hide their identity,” he emphasized.
Rabbi: Concerns of the Jewish community have increased further
Rabbi of the Heaton Park congregation, Daniel Walker, confirmed that the sense of vulnerability among British Jews has not diminished over the past year, but has instead increased.
He described the current situation of the community as more difficult than it was immediately after the attack.
As an example of the worsening situation, the rabbi cited a stabbing attack in Golders Green on April 29, which left two victims hospitalized.
Walker called the past year a time of ‘hardship, grief, and pain.’
“We are very grateful for the increased security, but I see no evidence that anyone is addressing the root causes. On the contrary, in many respects, they have become more serious,” the rabbi stated.
In his view, society is facing the symptoms of a disease rather than its causes, and at the moment, members of the community have no reason to feel safe.
Source: thejc.com
