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A new Sefer Torah has been dedicated to the memory of the two men murdered in last year’s Yom Kippur terror attack at Manchester’s Heaton Park Synagogue.
Crowds lined the streets as the Torah scroll, honouring Melvin Cravitz, 66, and Adrian Daulby, 53, was carried in a moving procession to the synagogue, with members of the community singing and dancing in a show of solidarity. The procession culminated in a celebration inside the synagogue.
The two men were killed on 2 October 2025 when Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, drove into the synagogue gates before launching a knife attack while wearing a fake suicide belt.
Three others were seriously injured before Al-Shamie was shot dead by armed police.
Posting on social media, The Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester & Region wrote: “In the face of the hatred and terror that took Melvin and Adrian from us, this was a powerful demonstration of the strength, unity and resilience of our community. Their memories will forever be a blessing, and their legacy will live on through the Torah and the generations who will read from it.
Community spokesperson Marc Levy told Jewish News: “There was something incredibly powerful about singing and dancing our on Middleton Road yesterday, in the very same place where, just 12 months ago, we stood in the pouring rain at a vigil the day after the terrorist attack. The contrast between those two moments says so much about our community. We have known unimaginable pain, but we have not lost our pride, identity or joy.
“To see thousands of people come together to celebrate the dedication of a Sefer Torah in memory of Melvin Cravitz and Adrian Daulby was deeply moving. Our thoughts were with their families throughout the day. Melvin and Adrian were taken from us in a horrendous act of terror, and yesterday was a beautiful and lasting tribute to their memories.
“This was also a powerful statement of Jewish pride. We were not simply remembering what happened to us but were celebrating our faith, traditions, community and our determination to live openly as proud British Jews.”
Raphi Bloom, speaking behalf of the Fed, the largest Jewish social care charity in Manchester, said: “We have always said that we would not let the actions of the Heaton Park terrorist define us, but that we would decide, as a Jewish community, how we chose to define the events and react to them. In Judaism we have a saying in Hebrew of “Me’Eivel L’Yom Tov” – from mourning to celebration and this was what we did yesterday.”
He added that the Sefer Torah dedication was “the perfect example of our community coming together as proud resilient Mancunian Jews and saying that this is our city, this is our community and out of terrible tragedy we will ensure that we redouble our efforts to become even more connected, engaged, and proud Jewish people in memory of Melvin and Adrian.”
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