Ruth on the Heaton Park Synagogue Attack

‘‘I was horrified by the attack at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester yesterday.  This took place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish Calendar, and comes when Jewish people up and down the country will have been attending synagogue.

My thoughts are with the victims and their families, and I know that this will be an extremely difficult time for them and for the whole Jewish community here in the UK.

I know that the Prime Minister chaired a COBRA meeting yesterday and that the authorities are continuing to work to respond to this serious incident. I also want to pay tribute to the brave members of the emergency services who ran towards the danger.

This attack comes at a time of rising antisemitism both here in the UK but also across the world. Synagogues and Jewish schools have needed both volunteer and paid security because of the risks of violence that they face. It is so important that we stand together as one community in opposition to antisemitism and work to tackle the rising antisemitism that we have seen.

I am proud to represent a borough where people of all faiths and backgrounds live side by side and I know that we will not let this attack divide us.’’