'In the presence of evil': Manchester synagogue attack survivor on the day that shook British Jews

Yoni Finlay's Voice Rises Above the Chaos as He Confronts the Evil that Attacked Manchester's Synagogue

In the early hours of Yom Kippur, Britain's holiest day, 39-year-old Manchester resident Yoni Finlay was preparing to sing a dawn prayer at his local synagogue in north Manchester. It was just another morning for Finlay, but for him and hundreds of other worshippers, it turned into a nightmare.

The sound of breaking glass pierced the air as two men stormed into Heaton Park shul. The attackers shouted vile threats towards Jewish people before one of them pulled out a knife and attempted to force his way inside.

Finlay rushed to the entrance to see that Bernard Agyemang, a security guard at the synagogue, was lying on the ground after being stabbed by another attacker, Andrew Franks, a volunteer security guard. Finlay joined in with other members of staff as they barricaded themselves behind reinforced glass doors.

"We were in the presence of evil," Finlay would later recall to the Guardian in his first interview since the attack. He described seeing an assailant shouting "I'm going to kill children" before he was shot by police who had arrived within seven minutes. Finlay himself had been struck in a chest and another worshipper, Adrian Daulby, died shortly after from a police bullet.

The day's deadly antisemitic assault left 3 people dead, with dozens more injured, including Yoni Finlay. Seven weeks into his recovery, he was still grappling with the aftermath of that horrific event.

Finlay expressed concern that normalising hatred and antisemitism in Britain had been allowed to fester under governments' policies and societal shifts.

man... this thing is like a punch to the gut ... i feel so helpless when ppl can just walk into a place of worship and try to hurt others cuz of their background or beliefs... it's like, we're all human beings here, deserving of respect n kindness ... what's crazy is how society's normalized this kinda hate speech & stuff, and now ppl are like "oh, it's okay" ... but for those who've been affected by such violence, it's NOT OKAY ... we need 2 take a step back n think about the impact of our words & actions on each other's lives

I'm tellin' ya, this is just gettin' crazier ! This whole thing in Manchester's synagogue is like a setup, you know? Like, what were the chances of all these people bein' there on that particular day? It's too convenient, if you ask me. And now we got Yoni Finlay talkin' about how normalizin' hatred has been allowed to happen in Britain... I'm thinkin' it's more than just coincidence . What if this is some kinda wake-up call for all the stuff they're tryin' to push through without us noticin'? The gov't might be tryin' to distract us from somethin' bigger... I don't know, man, my mind's racin' with possibilities .

Man, this is just crazy . I mean, I know there's been a lot of talk about 'normalizing' stuff, but I never thought it'd actually lead to something like this . Yoni Finlay's got some serious guts for speaking out like that , and yeah, I can see why he'd be worried about antisemitism just festering away in the background. It's wild to think about how quickly society can shift when we let hatred seep into our culture .

And what really gets me is that we're still trying to figure out how something like this could've happened in a place that's supposed to be safe . The police were there within 7 minutes, so it's not like they weren't prepared or anything ... but I guess you never know what's going to happen until it happens, right?

Oh man, this is so sad ... I mean, 39-year-old Yoni Finlay was just trying to sing a prayer at his synagogue, and BAM! His day turns into a horror movie . The fact that he got stabbed by Andrew Franks, another security guard, is absolutely horrific . And the shooter getting shot by police within seven minutes is still unbelievable .

I'm so grateful that Yoni Finlay was able to talk about his experience and express how much it's affected him. It's clear that the antisemitic assault left a huge impact on him, especially considering he had only just recovered from his injuries .

It's scary when you think about the 'evil' that can be lurking in our communities, waiting to happen . But what really gets me is that Yoni Finlay believes that normalising hatred and antisemitism has been allowed to fester under certain policies . Let's all try to spread some positivity and understanding instead of hate .

man this is so sad ... Yoni Finlay's voice just echoes through my mind, it's like he's still trying to process what happened. how can we let things get to this point? where was the sense of community? the empathy? it's not just about the attack itself, but the fact that it was a hate crime targeting jewish people... and what really gets me is that it's not an isolated incident , but a symptom of a bigger problem. we need to have open conversations, listen to each other's perspectives, and work towards creating a more inclusive environment... for everyone

I don’t usually comment but this latest attack on a synagogue in Manchester is absolutely heartbreaking . I mean, can you imagine walking into your place of worship, looking forward to a prayer, and suddenly being met with violence and hatred? It's just so senseless .

I think it's really sad that Yoni Finlay had to go through all this trauma and now he's still dealing with the emotional aftermath . I don't know if anyone can even comprehend the pain and fear he must be feeling right now .

As someone who cares about human rights, it makes me so angry that we're seeing more of these attacks in the UK . I mean, what is going on? Can't we all just get along and respect each other's differences? It's not like this is the first time we've seen anti-Semitic incidents rise, but it feels like they're getting more and more aggressive .

I don’t usually comment but maybe this is a wake-up call for us to take a closer look at our own attitudes and biases towards certain communities . We need to start having more open conversations about hate speech and how we can prevent these kinds of attacks from happening in the first place .

Ugh, can we talk about this news for a sec? I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that we're having to have conversations like this in 2025. Like, where was our society when Andrew Franks was roaming around with a knife, thinking it's okay to attack people because of their faith? And now Yoni Finlay is stuck dealing with PTSD and whatnot, all because some dude had a bad day... Meanwhile, I'm over here scrolling through my feeds and seeing all this love and support for Yoni, but also the vitriol and hate comments that come with online discussions. Can't we do better than this? The fact that Finlay is still grappling with the trauma of that day, 7 weeks in, just breaks my heart. It's time to get real about our societal shifts and where they're taking us, if you ask me.

I cant even imagine how scary it must've been for Yoni Finlay and everyone at the synagogue . It's just heartbreaking that something like this can happen in a place of worship, where people go to find peace and community . The fact that he had to deal with that trauma and then speak out about it takes so much courage . I think it's really important that we acknowledge the impact of hate speech and antisemitism on our communities, especially in Britain . We need to make sure that we're doing everything we can to prevent these types of incidents from happening again

man this is getting outta control how many times do we have to see people get hurt because of hate speech? i remember when people were more chill about everything, like back in the 90s when everyone was all about peace and love but now it's like everyone's just so angry and stuff what's going on with our society?

I'm not sure what's more shocking, the fact that there were 3 dead and dozens injured in a synagogue attack or that they're already talking about "policies" being to blame like it's all one big experiment "Hey, let's see how many people we can hurt with some subtle changes and then wonder why ". Give the attackers a participation trophy for showing up!

This attack is a wake-up call for our society to acknowledge the growing threat of hate crimes and their consequences . We need to come together as a nation to address these issues head-on, not just by paying lip service but also by making meaningful policy changes . Governments have a responsibility to ensure public spaces are safe for everyone, regardless of faith or background . It's time to hold hands and work towards creating an inclusive Britain where such attacks can never happen again

Ugh, this is so messed up my heart goes out to Yoni Finlay and all those who were injured... 39 years old just trying to do his thing at the synagogue and BAM! This senseless violence has no place in our society it's crazy how normalizing hate can lead to these kinds of atrocities he's right though, I think governments need to address this antisemitism issue head on we can't keep sweeping it under the rug and expecting everything to be okay... we gotta take a stand against hatred in all its forms

man that's so sad it's like they just walked in there thinking they could hurt people and get away with it... but the thing is, Yoni Finlay he's a hero for standing up against those guys even though he got stabbed and everything. I don't think we should blame anyone or anything, just say that hate is bad and we need to stop it from spreading around you know what would be good? if people could just get along and respect each other's differences... that'd be something

man this is so messed up the fact that people can just walk into a synagogue and start shooting is wild, like what's going on with us? we're supposed to be one of the most developed countries in the world but we still got this kinda thing happening all the time it's not just about security or policing, it's about how we as a society view each other we need to take responsibility for our words and actions, no more justifying hate speech

man... this is just heartbreaking . Yoni Finlay's story is a harsh reminder of the evil that's lurking in our society. it's crazy that something like this can happen in our own backyard, in a place where people are supposed to feel safe while worshiping.

I'm with Finlay on this one - we need to take responsibility for normalizing hatred and antisemitism in Britain. as a society, we've become too complacent and silent when it comes to speaking out against these issues. we can't just sit back and let people like Andrew Franks carry out their twisted agendas without being held accountable .

and to think that Yoni Finlay was preparing for his own prayer the very same morning... it's a miracle he's still with us, considering what he went through. let's make sure we're not just talking about this issue, but actually doing something to prevent these kinds of attacks from happening again .

OMG u guys cant even believe what's happening rn like synagogues r gettin attacked left n right in the UK?? its so not okay. Yoni Finlay is literally a hero for talkin out about it n tryna raise awareness about antisemitism, which is low-key on the rise in britain u gotta wonder what's behind it all tho. some ppl r sayin governments policies r part of the problem, but idk its like too much to handle . Finlay's right n sayin we need 2 address this before its too late

I'm literally shook by this attack . The fact that it happened on Yom Kippur, a day meant for reflection and healing, is just devastating . Finlay's bravery in the face of evil is something we should all strive to emulate . It's not just about his own survival, but also the lives lost and those left injured . Normalising hatred can be so subtle, and it's worrying that our society has been 'allowed' to fester with it . We need more people like Finlay speaking out against it . And can we talk about how quick the police were? 7 minutes is just crazy fast . This attack highlights so many issues, from antisemitism to security measures . Let's all be honest with ourselves and work towards creating a more compassionate world .

This just makes me so mad , like what's going on in our society? We're living in a world where hate crimes are becoming more & more accepted as if it's just part of the norm now . I mean, Yoni Finlay was just trying to do his thing at the synagogue and he gets attacked because of who he is. It's not right . The fact that he's still recovering from the trauma 7 weeks later is a testament to how messed up our society has become . We need to take a step back and think about what we're doing, like are we really normalising this kind of hate? Shouldn't we be promoting love & acceptance instead? It's scary that some people have actually become desensitized to violence towards others just because it's been going on for so long... We need change, like now .