Elad Simchayoff, a Channel 12 News reporter based in Britain, expressed deep anguish in a post on X following the deadly attack in Manchester.
“Yom Kippur has just ended in Britain, and this may well be the most difficult Yom Kippur in the living memory of British Jewry,” he began.
“Yom Kippur is the holiest day, when we, as Jews, look inward, reflect on our sins, and seek forgiveness. Today, I wish those outside our wounded community would do the same.”
He continued, “On October 8 - while the flames were still burning in Israel’s kibbutzim - a demonstration against Israel took place in Manchester, where a speaker praised Hamas. Since then, Britain has seen protesters dressing as Hamas terrorists, weekly calls for intifada and the destruction of Israel, and shouts of ‘Death to the IDF.’ Posters of kidnapped children have been torn down. Jewish children have been told to hide their school uniforms. A man was blocked from crossing the street simply because he was identified as Jewish.”
“Antisemitism in Britain is at an all-time high. Today, two Jews were murdered solely because they were Jews. Anyone who justified this, downplayed it, or remained silent bears responsibility. Britain as a whole must reflect, atone, and act. A society where Jews are persecuted and hated is a society in crisis, in desperate need of redemption.”