Manchester synagogue past horror from antisemitic abuse to chilling murder on CCTV

The devastation that has unfolded today at Heaton Park Shul has caused shockwaves across the country, and sadly, this isn't the first time the Manchester-based synagoguehas faced dark chapters in its history.

Two people have been killed, and three more seriously injured, following a brutal attack at the synagogue on Middleton Road, Crumpsall, a place described as "very spiritual", "life soothing" and with a "gregarious congregation" in various positive Google reviews.

Today, Heaton Park Shul appeared a world away from its usual place as a haven of reflection and community, with a police cordon placed around the scene where, only this morning, the congregation had gathered to celebrate Yom Kippur.

The holiest day in the Jewish calendar, Yom Kippur, is a day on which those who follow the faith look back on the year and consider how they might put things right with God. Today, their prayers were interrupted in the cruellest way imaginable.

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Although this marks a particularly devastating time for members of the Heaton Park Shul, they have previously had to contend with troubling times. According to the Jewish Virtual Library and Antisemitism.org, there have been incidents when antisemitic epithets were shouting at members of the congregation.

Then, in June 2008, a horrific murder unfolded just outside the synagogue, captured on the holy building's CCTV cameras. Talented violinist Michael Kahan was attacked by paranoid schizophrenic Jonathan Mills in June outside a nearby bakery.

As reported by The Jewish Chronicle at the time, Manchester Crown Court heard that Mills had stabbed the father of three as he was suffering delusions that Jewish people had been preventing him from having his medication changed.

Following his arrest, Mills, who had been discharged from a psychiatric unit just 10 days before the attack, told a psychiatrist: “I was having thoughts of attacking a Jew. I got out of the car. I heard a voice saying, ‘Do it. Do it now’. I stabbed him twice in the stomach. I didn’t say anything to him. I thought he was Jewish. He looked Jewish.”

Michael's parents, David and Irene Kahan, questioned why Mills was not given immediate help before he could hurt anybody, while his mother, Irene, wished for the racial element of her son’s murder to be made publicly known.

This comes at a time when Jewish people across Manchester have expressed fears over a growing number of anti-semitic attacks in the city. As reported by the Manchester Evening News back in August, nearly 200 anti-Semitic incidents were recorded in Greater Manchester over the first six months of 2025, as per figures from the Community Security Trust (CST), which also recorded 1,521 anti-Semitic incidents across the UK between January and June 2025.

According to the CST, an organisation that "protects British Jews from terrorism and antisemitism", this marked the second-highest figure ever recorded in the first six months of a year.

Greater Manchester Police has today issued the following statement: “In response to today’s major incident in Crumpsall, a loud noise was heard at the scene as specialist resources gained entry to the suspect’s vehicle as a precaution.

“There is no risk to the public, and ongoing activity in relation to this major incident can be expected as we continue our inquiries. People are urged to avoid the area and speak to our officers if they have any concerns. We have officers deployed across key sites in the local area.

“We can confirm three people have died, including the offender, who was shot by GMP Firearms officers.”

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