Manchester attack latest: One of synagogue victims was shot by armed police as they took down killer

Two other victims who were injured and hospitalised in Thursday’s terror attack have been named by Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis.

In a statement on Faceboo, he wrote: “We deeply mourn the tragic loss of Adrian Daulby and Melvin Cravitz Z”L, who were murdered in the horrific Yom Kippur terrorist attack on the Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester.

“ This morning, Valerie and I visited three wonderful people who were seriously injured in the attack.

“Please pray for Yehonoson Zalman ben Shaina Gittel, Anshel Yitzchak ben Malka and one other person, whose name has not yet been made public.”

Green Party leader Zack Polanski said he felt the terror attack in Manchester “deeply” adding his “heart is with the community”, as he made a headline speech at the party’s conference.

Speaking in Bournemouth, the Green leader said: “I’m one of five Jewish people to lead a British political party in the last 100 years, and that also means that I do want to spend a moment to mark yesterday’s awful attack.

“As a Jewish man raised in north Manchester, I feel this deeply and my heart is with the community. More widely I am the product of migration. It’s why defending migrants matters so much to me.

“I want to tell you about a common Jewish experience – it is a tale as old as time. Now my Jewish ancestry is confusing and muddling because we’ve always been on the run. But from what I can gather together, they started in a Jewish town in Latvia but they fled from pogroms.

“They fled to Ukraine where they faced more pogroms. Then they ended up in Poland, where they faced the Nazis. Then they arrived in England and met antisemitism here too.”

He added: “They changed their name to sound more English, and I’ve changed it back, because I know – in fact we all know – real pride comes when you no longer hide who you are.”

A statement from Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Rabbi Daniel Walker, its president Hilary Foxler, and chairman of trustees Alan Levy, said the “loss we feel is beyond words”.

It 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.

“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.

“We are profoundly grateful to our security team, to CST (Community Security Trust) and to the emergency services, whose swift and selfless actions saved countless lives and brought reassurance amid chaos. To all of them we owe a debt that can never be repaid.

“We have also been strengthened by the countless expressions of solidarity that have poured in, not only from across the Jewish community but from faith leaders, from political leaders and, from neighbours of every background.

“In our darkest hour, you have shown us that we do not stand alone. Your embrace reminds us that love and compassion remain stronger than hate.

“As the chief rabbi has noted, this attack was an assault not only on Jews, but upon our shared values.

“The greatest tribute to the memory of Adrian and Melvin Z”L (which means, may their memory be a blessing) would be for communities right across the country to come together in peace and solidarity, to challenge the evil of antisemitism wherever it is found, so that no other community has to endure these horrors ever again.

“For now we will continue to weep, we will continue to pray, and we will continue to live our lives as Jews with dignity and faith.”

Heaton Park Synagogue’s Rabbi Daniel Walker said the terror attack in Manchester was a “desecration”, adding in a joint statement with the synagogue executive and trustees that it was “an episode that has changed us all forever”.

The rabbi, who is the executive and trustees the synagogue targeted in Manchester said in a statement “the loss we feel is beyond words”, adding: “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.”

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is launching an investigation following a fatal police shooting.

Emily Barry, Director of Engagement: “Our thoughts remain with the victims and their families, as well as all those affected by yesterday’s horrific events.

“As is standard when there has been a fatal police shooting, we are carrying out an independent investigation to establish the facts of what happened, and our findings will be shared with the Coroner in due course.

“IOPC investigators attended the police post-incident procedures and were at the scene last night gathering evidence. We will be present at the post-mortems today to provide independent oversight.

“It is important in these circumstances that the police are able to continue their vital work, and there are established protocols we follow to ensure our role does not hinder their ability to conduct enquiries as part of their own investigations.

“We will share further information when we are in a position to do so.”

Protests about Palestine Action just after the synagogue attack shows a “rotten core” and “even support for terror”, Phil Rosenberg, the president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, told Sky News.

Rosenberg also urged the organisers of the planned protest in London against the banning of Palestine Action to “pull back” after the Metropolitan Police said it will divert crucial police resources.

“I think the organisers of these events have to ask themselves the question what are they really in for? I think this shows antisemitism and even a support for terror,” he told the broadcaster.

Members of the Police Tactical Aid Unit arrive at Langley Crescent, Prestwich, after two people died in a terror attack at the Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Crumpsall, Manchester

Social media “has a lot to answer for” in the “stoking of hatred” and fear, senior Masorti Judaism rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg has said in the wake of the Crumpsall synagogue terror attack.

He told BBC News: “We have for a long time… been accustomed to needing security at all our venues and all our events. It actually reflects a tragic situation: the presence of antisemitism in so many ways in our society, and we deeply regret that.”

The rabbi added: “Judaism is a deeply, deeply resilient religion, and I want to say they also appreciated, when I came home from the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), the many, many messages from Christian and particularly Muslim colleagues of solidarity, because this is not just attack against us – it’s an attack against all faiths and against the very coherence and tolerance of our society.”

Asked how “voices of calm can make themselves heard above voices of hatred”, Mr Wittenberg said: “The stoking of hatred and the stoking of fear is really profoundly, profoundly wrong, and social media has a lot to answer for.

“And so do people who don’t appreciate the vulnerability that others feel and how much we need to be humanity together.

“Across our faiths and across our society we need to be seen more together, we need to partner more together: the Jewish, the Muslim, the Christian community and other faiths, civil society as well.

“The statements by Government are reassuring but they need to be backed up with actions to protect the security and safety over all of us.”