‘God chose to save me that day’, says father injured in Manchester synagogue attack
Yoni Finlay, shot whilst helping to barricade the doors as Jihad Al-Shamie targeted Heaton Park shul, speaks to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme
A man injured when he was shot during the October attack on a synagogue in Manchester has said “what happened to me was a miracle” as “God chose to save me on that day”.
Yoni Finlay is believed to have been hit by a police bullet at Heaton Park Hebrew Synagogue in Crumpsall on October 2.
He is reported to have been helping to barricade the doors as Jihad Al-Shamie targeted the place of worship.
Asked how he is processing what happened on podcast Ready To Talk With Emma Barnett, in a clip played on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he said: “It’s incredibly difficult. People have asked me how my faith is now after what happened, and the only answer is it’s stronger than ever.
“And I think the only way I can get through this is by faith. I know that what happened to me was a miracle. I know that for whatever reason, God chose to save me on that day, which gives me responsibility as well.”
He added: “Because I was centimetres, millimetres, whatever it was, you know, if I’d be one step to the left or one step to the… who knows, I wouldn’t be here now. So again, it’s dealing with that.
“But then that’s where my faith comes in. For whatever reason, I’ve been given more time.”
Asked what it was like being so close to the attacker, he said: “It’s a very shocking thing to be in the presence of somebody who just wanted to kill Jews. That’s all he wanted to do, and he was prepared to die for that.
“And it’s, it’s not a nice thing to be in the presence of, it really isn’t, and to feel it coming off him. And it really was in waves.
“He was there for one purpose only that morning, because he wanted to kill Jewish people. And it’s a horrific thing to be in the presence of.”
On his memories of the police arriving, he said: “So the police arrived and came into the courtyard.
“He came down the steps towards them quite aggressively. They were shouting ‘armed police’.
“And presumably, because of the bomb that they thought he had, they had to open fire. They had to stop him.
“So they shot him a number of times, and he went down, but he got back up.”
He added: “He got back up after he’d been shot and again, quite aggressively, moved towards them, which is when they shot him again. And that’s when I felt the bullet go into me.”
Worshippers Melvin Cravitz and Adrian Daulby were killed after Al-Shamie, a Syrian-born UK citizen, drove his Kia Picanto into the gates of the synagogue on October 2 and then began attacking with a knife, wearing a fake suicide belt.
The 35-year-old attacker was shot dead by armed police.
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