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Dark rain clouds hung above Heaton Park synagogue in Greater Manchester on Monday evening as worshippers gathered for the second day of Hanukah. It was the nightly menorah candle lighting, typically a festival of joy and celebration, but this year the atmosphere had a sombre tinge.
As well as celebrating the annual festival, members of the Manchester Jewish community are mourning those who were killed in a terrorist attack in Bondi Beach, Sydney, where 15 people were shot dead and dozens injured during a Hanukah gathering on Sunday.
The car park where worshippers gathered was lined with police and security, now a normality for the Jewish community, who have faced a recent rise in antisemitism. As festivities commence, attenders were juggling feelings of sorrow.
Sholom D, 33, a member of the synagogue said he had “mixed feelings because it’s quite difficult going through what we have to go through, and that sense of insecurity”.
“The difficult part is that we’re sort of used to it, we grow up knowing the history,” he said. “It’s always part of us, but you just realise it more and more.”
It is just two months since two people were killed during an antisemitic terrorist attack at Heaton Park synagogue.
Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, were killed in the attack on 2 October. Cravitz was stabbed by attacker Jihad al-Shamie. Daulby was accidentally shot by police as he tried to stop Shamie entering the synagogue.
That tragedy also took place during a Jewish festival, Yom Kippur, making the community particularly worried around holiday periods. But in spite of events, spirits were raised, traditional music was blaring and members of the crowd danced jubilantly, the glowing lights of the giant menorah candle blurring with the blue lights of police cars parked outside.
“Here on this spot, evil stood,” said Rabbi Daniel Walker, as he led the opening prayer on the steps outside Heaton Park Shul. “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.”
Rising antisemitic hate crime has left Jewish communities across the world fearing for their safety. In Heaton Park, their worst fears became a reality and events in Australia were another cruel reminder of the deadly threats Jewish people face.
The Community Safety Trust recorded more anti-Jewish hate crimes in 2023 than ever before in the UK, with 4,296 reports. The following year, 3,528 instances were recorded, the second-highest annual total.
The mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, was in attendance and addressed the crowd, condemning “abhorrent acts of antisemitism”.
“We think today of people affected by what happened in Sydney and I know it has reverberations here,” he said, pledging to “do more to provide reassurance and work with partners in the Jewish community to protect the community”.
In Hebrew, Hanukah translates to dedication, a celebration of the triumph of light over darkness. Many in attendance embraced this spirit.
“I feel strongly about how people can get together and make one big happy family,” said Neil Reisman, 36, a member of a nearby synagogue. “It doesn’t matter if you’re in a different country, we’re all holding hands and hugging each other and I feel very warmly about that.”
Meanwhile, in London, about 3,000 people attended a vigil outside parliament in memory of those who died in Sydney.
Organised by the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) and the Jewish organisation Chabad Lubavitch UK, the event combined Hanukah celebrations with a call to stand against rising antisemitism.
Dozens of Israel flags fluttered in the December night as roads were closed to facilitate attendees. On a small stage lit by a large menorah-style decoration, the CAA chief, Gideon Falter, opened proceedings by condemning the killings.
“We stand in solidarity [with the victims],” Falter told the crowd in Parliament Square before religious leaders led prayers.
The Labour MP Ashley Dalton told the vigil: “We’re here to stand together against the hatred and the vitriol from wherever it comes. The government does not and will not tolerate antisemitism. We stand with Jewish people today.”
The event was heavily policed, with CAA stewards and additional private security monitoring the crowds.
“I came down tonight to show my support and solidarity for Jews on Hanukah after the horrible events that took place in Sydney,” said Aaron Cowland. “I felt a real need to come and support my community.”
Cowland said that any British Jew who did not already fear antisemitism was “very mistaken in their understanding of what’s happening in the UK currently”.
“At the minute, there is so much hatred shown towards Jews – especially in London – and I think tonight is almost a message about someone please protect us. Against people who needlessly want to kill us,” he said.
Among those attending was Sophie Lupton. “Too many people are dying,” she said. “Because too many lies are being believed. The world is turning a little bit upside down. We’re living in strange times.”
