R' Daniel Walker: Stopping the Yom Kippur Terrorist Attack
November 1, 2025
AI Summary
5 min readThe Attack on Hale Synagogue: Rabbi Daniel Walker's Account of Yom Kippur 2023
On the morning of Yom Kippur, about twenty minutes into the davening, Rabbi Daniel Walker heard a tremendous bang. Two men ran into the main sanctuary shouting at everyone to close the doors and windows—someone was trying to get in. What followed was a seven-minute attack that left two members of his Manchester community dead and several others badly wounded. But as an ambulance man later told Rabbi Walker, the death toll could have been far worse. The reason it wasn't was that a handful of men, acting with extraordinary quick thinking and bravery, managed to secure the building before the attacker could get inside.
How the Attack Unfolded
The incident began around nine o'clock in the morning, just as services were starting. The shul's security team—a mix of professionals and volunteers—noticed someone behaving suspiciously near the building. Rabbi Walker arrived around that time and was told there was concern but nothing seemed major. Then, about twenty to thirty minutes into the davening, the attacker got into his car and deliberately crashed it into the gate entrance area where a security guard was standing, badly injuring him.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:00) **Introduction and Background** - Host Yaakov Langer introduces Rabbi Daniel Walker and the story of the Yom Kippur attack on his shul in Manchester.
- 2 (03:20) **The Attack Begins: Suspicious Activity and First Warnings** - The attack starts around 9 AM on Yom Kippur, with the security team noticing suspicious behavior.
- 3 (04:37) **The Terrorist's First Strike: Car Ramming and Stabbing** - The attacker crashed his car into the gate, badly injuring a security guard, then began stabbing people.
- 4 (06:49) **The First Fatality: Melvin is Murdered** - The attacker killed a congregant named Melvin as he was arriving at the shul gates.
- 5 (07:39) **Quick Thinking Saves Lives: Securing the Building** - Multiple men acted swiftly to secure the building, preventing a far worse massacre.
- 6 (08:50) **The Bomb Belt and Police Intervention** - The attacker was seen wearing what looked like a bomb belt, and armed police arrived and shot him.
- 7 (10:11) **First Thoughts and Immediate Aftermath** - Rabbi Walker describes his first focus was on the injured man, and the mind cycles quickly from one thing to the next.
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Show Notes
Inspiration for the Nation is the weekly Jewish podcast from Living Lchaim, hosted by Yaakov Langer.
Rabbi Daniel Walker, leader of the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation in Manchester, became a symbol of courage during the Yom Kippur 2025 terrorist attack on his shul. When the attacker tried to storm the building with a knife, Rabbi Walker bravely held the doors shut, protecting his congregants while two community members tragically lost their lives. He has since vowed that he will not let the darkness win and continues to lead his community and the Jewish people of the UK.
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