Synagogue security heightened after Manchester attack

Attendances have been down at Brighton & Hove Reform Synagogue since the Manchester attack

Security has been heightened at a synagogue in East Sussex following the attack in Manchester.

Two people were killed in a car and stabbing attack at the Heaton Park Synagogue in Crumpsall, north Manchester, on Thursday.

Dr Andrea Zanardo, rabbi at Brighton & Hove Reform Synagogue in Hove, said attendances had been down since the incident "because there is fear."

He said: "We need decisive action to protect the Jewish community."

Dr Andrea Zanardo said attendances at his synogue were down since the Manchester attack

He added: "When you hear the news from Manchester, you think it could happen here."

Dr Zanardo said his congregation reacted "with complete silence" when he announced the news.

Adam Ma'anit, security officer and congregation member at the synagogue in Hove, said things had changed "palpably" since the Manchester attack.

"The trepidation was always there with a heightened security operation in place," he said.

"Our worst fears came true, but there was a certain sense of inevitability about it.

"We felt it was only a matter of time."

Mr Ma'anit is an Israeli who is also a trustee at the synagogue.

He added: "In the past two years, we have seen a record levels of antisemitic incidents in this country.

"It seems the genie is out of the bottle and not coming back in."

Adam Ma'anit said things had changed "palpably" since the Manchester attack

In the wake of the attacks in Manchester, security has been tightened in Hove, Mr Ma'anit said.

"The sense of threat is palpable. We have to be mindful of it and vigilant," he said.

"We have to assure the Jewish community that we are doing everything we can to protect them.

"We don't want to panic people. We want to make sure we are safeguarding the community in a way that is minimising any disruption to community life."

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