Survivors and community members affected by the Manchester synagogue terror attack on Yom Kippur on Thursday spoke to the New York Times on Friday, describing the event and their feelings since.
Ivan Telzer, who was attending the prayer service at Heaton Park synagogue during the event, recalls that he heard people screaming "shut the doors!" when Jihad al-Shamie began his terror attack.
Some of the approximately 20 congregants present attempted to use their bodies to barricade the entrance, he told NYT.
He recalls that he saw a congregant "slump to the floor" during the attack, which led to the death of two congregants, although Greater Manchester Police later noted that one of the victims suffered from a bullet wound fired by armed police officers responding to the attack.
"I'm scared to go to the synagogue," Telzer told NYT, saying that he went to work on Friday at the local supermarket as normal, but the attack was still on his mind, and he was afraid to be alone.
Other community members noted that antisemitism had significantly risen since Hamas's October 7 massacre, but they never expected an attack like they experienced in Crumpsall, Manchester.
Heavy visible police presence seen in area following terror attack
Police officers were conspicuous wearing high visibility uniforms at the entrances to many Jewish institutions on Friday morning, including schools, synagogues, retail stores, and cultural centers, the report noted.
Anne Goldstone spoke to NYT as she drank coffee at a local bakery with three armed guards standing outside.
"It was shocking," she said, acknowledging that "it was kind of an inevitability...we were always worried," she said.
Nati Azar, who lives near the synagogue and heard gunshots being fired said that the Israel-Hamas war intensified fears among the Jewish community about their perception.
"Everyone is scared and worried. People don't like us because of the Middle East war," he said.
"We don't know when the next attack is going to come," Azar added.
Avrom Baker spoke about his memories of Melvin Cravitz, telling NYT that Cravitz "did not have a single bad bone in his body."
Baker knew Cravitz in particular as he was a care worker looking after Cravitz's mother at a local nursing home.
"He was a devoted son. He did not deserve to get killed," Baker added.