Leaders in Reading have spoken out after a terrorist attack at a synagogue in Manchester left two Jewish people dead.
Jihad Al-Shamie, a 35-year-old British man of Syrian descent, attacked Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester yesterday (Thursday, October 2).
The attack led to the deaths of victims Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66. Al-Shamie was killed by an armed police officer.
A rabbi and politicians in Reading have condemned that attack, which has been characterised as anti-semitic.
Rabbi Zvi-Solomons of the Jewish Community of Berkshire said: “Jews have had to live with security concerns for over a century, and are security conscious for very good reasons.
“In Britain, Palestinian terrorists have in the past bombed Jewish communal offices. The Al-Qaeda and ISIS decentralisation and outsourcing of terror means that many plots to kill Jews have been unearthed, including in Reading.
“After the October 7 attempted genocide of Israelis, and the ensuing war, antisemitic sentiment has been wound up to fever pitch.
“The relentless, as yet unsubstantiated, allegations of genocide started on October 8, 2023, before Israel had finished mopping up the terrorists or had a list of victims or abductees.
“This was co-ordinated in the UK and around the world, and started well before the war in Gaza. Both on the streets and on social media this attack was a fillip to antisemitism.
“Whilst it is true that not all antizionists are antisemitic, all antisemites are antizionist.
“Jews have felt particularly threatened because we are a very small and vulnerable minority.
“Our community have been reviewing our security and tightening up in the face of a very obvious threat. I myself have reported hate crime to the police in the past month.
“We were expecting an attack. The repeated hyperbole of the genocide claims and media bias against Israel meant that it was inevitable, as Jews are always blamed for Israeli government actions.
“We have had some members avoid attending synagogue due to the perceived threat. This might threaten our future as a community. I spend my life trying to help people understand Jews and Judaism, and our similarities, by speaking in schools. Those who wish to support this can find details on http://rejudaism.org.”
Laura Blumenthal, who served for 10 years as a councillor in Woodley and is the host of the Berkshire Heroes Podcast, has also posted about the incident.
She is of German Jewish descent, and raised concerns about the climate of fear shortly after the lasted Israel-Gaza war broke out.
Ms Blumenthal posted on X: “The Islamist clearly didn’t think the Jews he was murdering were innocent, that’s why he did it. There are people whipped into an antisemitic frenzy, not helped by politicians & media, that think Jews as a whole aren’t innocent and wiping them out is genuinely a good thing. That’s the problem.”
Olivia Bailey, the Labour MP for Reading West and Berkshire said: “I am devastated by the appalling terror attack on the Jewish community in Manchester, and my thoughts first and foremost are with the victims and their families. May their memories be a blessing.
“Antisemitism, violence and terror have no place in our society. It is heartbreaking that on the holiest day for the Jewish community, families were not safe to attend their local synagogue.
“I know that our local police force will be doing what they can to reassure our Jewish neighbours at this deeply worrying time. I have contacted Local Police Commander Felicity Parker to seek information about additional support.
“My fellow Reading MPs and I have reached out to local synagogues to offer support, and I would urge any constituents who are concerned to contact my office.”
