Under the grey skies of a Manchester evening, the glow of the Hanukah menorah at Heaton Park synagogue carried a profound and sombre significance this week. The community gathered not only to celebrate the festival of lights but to mourn lives lost thousands of miles away in Sydney and to remember their own recent trauma.
A Community Grieves While Celebrating
The second night of Hanukah on Monday was marked by heavy hearts. Worshippers at the synagogue in Greater Manchester were processing the horrific terrorist attack at a Hanukah gathering in Bondi Beach, Sydney, where 15 people were shot dead and dozens injured. This fresh grief was layered upon a local wound that is still raw.
It has been just over two months since an antisemitic terrorist attack struck the very same synagogue car park. On 2 October, during Yom Kippur, two men—Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66—were killed. Cravitz was stabbed by attacker Jihad al-Shamie, while Daulby was accidentally shot by police as he bravely tried to prevent the assailant from entering the building.
"We have mixed feelings because it's quite difficult going through what we have to go through, and that sense of insecurity," said Sholom D, a 33-year-old synagogue member. He reflected on the grim familiarity of such threats, noting, "The difficult part is that we're sort of used to it... but you just realise it more and more."
Reclaiming Light from Darkness
Despite the palpable sadness and the visible presence of police security, the community was determined to honour the spirit of Hanukah. Traditional music played, people danced, and the giant menorah's lights shone brightly, interspersed with the blue flashes from police vehicles stationed outside.
Leading the ceremony, Rabbi Daniel Walker stood on the steps outside Heaton Park Shul and addressed the crowd. "Here on this spot, evil stood," he declared. "But this is a place of joy and tonight we are reclaiming that joy, we are reclaiming that light and we're shining it out into the whole world."
The mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, attended the event to show solidarity. He condemned "abhorrent acts of antisemitism" and acknowledged the impact of the Sydney attack. "We think today of people affected by what happened in Sydney and I know it has reverberations here," Burnham said, pledging to work with the Jewish community to improve protection.
A Rising Tide of Hate Crime
The gathering in Manchester occurred against a distressing national backdrop of escalating antisemitism. According to the Community Security Trust, the UK witnessed a record number of anti-Jewish hate crimes in 2023, with 4,296 incidents reported. Although the figure dipped slightly in 2024, the 3,528 recorded instances still represented the second-highest annual total ever.
This climate of fear was echoed at a parallel vigil in London, where approximately 3,000 people assembled outside Parliament. Organised by the Campaign Against Antisemitism and Chabad Lubavitch UK, the event combined Hanukah celebrations with a firm stand against hatred.
Gideon Falter, chief executive of the CAA, addressed the London crowd, stating, "We stand in solidarity [with the victims]." Labour MP Ashley Dalton added, "We're here to stand together against the hatred and the vitriol from wherever it comes."
Attendee Aaron Cowland expressed a sentiment felt by many: "At the minute, there is so much hatred shown towards Jews... and I think tonight is almost a message about someone please protect us. Against people who needlessly want to kill us."
As the candles burned in Manchester, London, and in Jewish communities worldwide, the Hanukah message of light overcoming darkness was tested but fiercely upheld. The celebrations, tinged with profound sadness, became an act of resilience and a public reclamation of peace and safety.
