A year after a terror attack on the Heaton Park Hebrew Synagogue in Manchester, survivors report an ongoing sense of vulnerability, with one man revealing his teenage son has received death threats.

Yoni Finlay, 40, who was accidentally shot by a police bullet while barricading the synagogue doors during the attack last October, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that while security measures have increased, "things don't feel safer." He noted that members of the Jewish community are taking steps to conceal their identities, and event addresses are not publicly displayed.

Finlay's 16-year-old son, Uriel, a college student, has reportedly faced death threats. "Even my own son, who's in college at the moment, has faced death threats," Finlay stated.

The attack on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, resulted in the deaths of Melvin Cravitz, 66, and Adrian Daulby, 53. The assailant, Syrian-born Jahid Al-Shamie, who was a British citizen, drove into the synagogue gates and attacked with a knife while wearing a fake suicide belt. He was killed by police gunfire at the scene.

Rabbi Daniel Walker, who leads the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation, expressed that the community is in a more difficult position now than immediately after the attack. He cited a rise in antisemitic violence and a perceived lack of action to address underlying issues as contributing factors to the growing sense of vulnerability.

Data from a Freedom of Information request to 33 police forces in England and Wales indicates a nearly two-thirds increase in violent hate crimes targeting Jewish people since 2022, with antisemitic criminal damage and arson offenses nearly doubling in the same period.

Rabbi Walker mentioned that other recent attacks, including a mass shooting in Sydney, Australia, and incidents in London where emergency service vehicles were set alight and Jewish men were stabbed, have compounded the community's grief and pain.

Finlay acknowledged the significant support received by the Jewish community in the aftermath of the tragedy, noting that a memorial service planned for Monday night was fully booked. He emphasized the community's resilience, stating, "Someone evil came to our synagogue last year and tried to destroy us and we haven’t let that happen."

Among those expected to attend the memorial service, held under tight security, were Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, the Mayor of Manchester Bev Craig, and Sir Stephen Watson, the chief constable of Greater Manchester Police. Sir Stephen had previously apologized after it emerged that the attacker's phones, seized months before the assault, were not examined.

In July, police announced that the attacker's phones had been seized twice prior to the incident but were not examined. Earlier this month, Hekmat Omar Ali Hakim, 49, was charged with failing to disclose information regarding terrorist activity in connection with the attack.

Mr. Cravitz died from multiple knife wounds, while Mr. Daulby and Mr. Finlay were struck by a police bullet fired as they attempted to barricade the synagogue doors. Another survivor, security guard Bernard Agyemang, 44, sustained multiple fractures and a suspected brain injury, describing his memories of the event as still vivid.

The Jewish community will observe the first anniversary of the attack on Yom Kippur next month, with a public memorial service being held prior to the High Holy Days to ensure remembrance by the wider society.