Members of Congress and other U.S. officials and those of other states reacted on Thursday to a terror attack, in which a man killed two Jews and injured others at a synagogue in Manchester, England, on Yom Kippur. Some offered specific statements about the Jewish community and Jew-hatred in particular, while many universalized their messages and referred broadly to “all forms of hate.”
Greater Manchester Police stated that it believes Jihad al-Shamie, 35, a British citizen of Syrian descent, to be the terrorist. Police shot him dead. A bomb that he wore has been assessed and was deemed not to be viable,” police said. “We can confirm that three suspects are currently in custody and have been arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism. They are two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s.”
Police said that three men are in the hospital with “serious” injuries, one with a stab wound and one who “was struck by the car involved in the attack.” A third had an injury that “may have been sustained as officers stopped the attacker,” police said.
“I’m praying for the victims of today’s depraved terrorist attack on the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester,” stated Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.). “Today’s attack and the recent arrest of Hamas terrorists in Germany make clear that appeasing terrorists is a failed policy. It puts all of Europe at risk.”
Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) stated that “we must remain relentless in combating antisemitism wherever it appears,” and Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), who is Jewish, wrote that he is “disgusted by this vile act of antisemitic violence on Yom Kippur—the holiest day of the year for Jews.”
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) stated that “antisemitic violence has no place anywhere” and, universally, that “we must stand united against hate, always.”
JNS sought comment from the White House and from the U.S. State Department. Both the department and Marco Rubio, the U.S. secretary of state, shared a post on social media from Warren Stephens, the U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom, who said that he and his wife were “horrified” by the attack.
“That it has happened on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, is abhorrent,” the envoy stated. “We pray for the recovery of all those injured, and our thoughts are with their families and loved ones. Our thanks to the brave first responders and emergency services.”
Ephraim Mirvis, chief rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, stated that “emerging from the holy fast of Yom Kippur, British Jews are now grasping the full extent of today’s terror attack at the Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester. This is the day we hoped we would never see, but which deep down, we knew would come.”
“For so long, we have witnessed an unrelenting wave of Jew hatred on our streets, on campuses, on social media and elsewhere. This is the tragic result,” the rabbi stated. “This is not only an assault on the Jewish community but an attack on the very foundations of humanity and the values of compassion, dignity and respect which we all share.”
Keir Starmer, prime minister of the United Kingdom, stated that “the fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific,” and that “this was a vile terrorist attack that attacked Jews, because they are Jews.”
Mark Carney, the Canadian prime minister, said that the attack was “an appalling antisemitic atrocity” and that “hate must be confronted in all of its forms and with all available tools.”
Jeremy Corbyn, a British parliamentarian who was kicked out of the Labour Party after an antisemitism probe, first stated that “we must defend a society where people of all faiths can practice their religion in safety and peace.” Some 20 minutes later, he wrote that “I know that Jewish communities in my constituency will be deeply affected and frightened by today’s horrific attack” and that “there is no room for hatred.”
Anthony Albanese, Australian prime minister, called the attack “heinous” and said that there “is no place for terrorism.” António Guterres, United Nations secretary-general, wrote that he is “deeply concerned by the alarming rise of antisemitism worldwide” and that “we must urgently confront hatred and intolerance in all their forms.”
Hiroshi Suzuki, the Japanese ambassador to the United Kingdom, said that he is “deeply shocked by the horrific attack on a synagogue in Manchester” and “I utterly condemn this abhorrent act of terrorism and antisemitism.”
The Swedish prime minister, the French president and the deputy prime minister of the United Kingdom also commented on the attack.
Viktor Orbán, prime minister of Hungary, stated that “Hungary has zero tolerance for antisemitism and is proud to be a country where Jewish communities can practice their faith safely.”
“The rise in attacks against Jews across Europe is unacceptable,” he said.
