'We are standing with them in their grief'

Islanders have been urged to "stay strong"

The leader of Jersey's Jewish Congregation says the island is standing "shoulder-to-shoulder" with those affected by an attack at a synagogue in Manchester on Thursday.

Two men were killed when a man drove a car at members of the public before stabbing people on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish religious calendar. It is being treated by police as a terror incident.

Martha Bernstein, president of Jersey's Jewish Congregation, said: "Unfortunately... for Jewish people, it was question of when not if."

Darren Vogel, a member of the Jewish community in Guernsey, said the incident made "people scared to go to their place of worship on the most holy day of the year".

'Stay strong'

High-visibility police patrols are taking place in Jersey for 48 hours after the attack.

Guernsey Police said its thoughts were with "everyone affected by yesterday's appalling terrorist incident".

It said: "In Guernsey, we work hard to engage with all our communities to ensure they are supported by police.

"Meetings have and will continue to take place with our Jewish community to provide the reassurance and support necessary, in light of this attack."

Martha Bernstein said the Jewish community had come together following the attack

Ms Bernstein said the Jewish community "live with an eye over our shoulder", but has urged the community in Jersey to "stay strong".

"Jewish children who go to faith schools, Jewish faith-based schools, they don't only do fire drills which every school undertakes but they also do anti-terrorism drills and that's been going on for decades," she said.

"So this is something that is deeply embedded in us."

Ms Bernstein said: "Our hearts are absolutely with the families of the people who have died, with the families of the injured, with the injured themselves.

"We are standing metaphorically shoulder-to-shoulder with them in their grief."

'Real terrorism'

Mr Vogel said there had been some "microaggressions" towards the community in Guernsey.

"It's nothing to do with policing," he said.

"I think people just need to take account of their behaviour.

"The real terrorism that has been achieved is making people stay at home when all they want to do is be with their community."