The King has issued a statement paying tribute to the victims of the Manchester synagogue attack at a memorial on Monday evening.
The ceremony was held at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation in Crumpsall, remembering Adrian Daulby and Melvin Cravitz, who were killed after Jihad Al Shamie drove his car into the synagogue and embarked on a stabbing spree, and other victims of the horror.
Al-Shamie, 35, smashed his Kia Picanto into pedestrians before attacking worshippers with a knife on the morning of October 2, the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur.
He also attempted to storm the synagogue while wearing a fake suicide belt.
In a statement read by Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Greater Manchester Eamonn O’Neal, the King expressed his dismay at the horror – something he said remains “vividly” in his mind.
“My wife and I hold all those whose lives were so tragically disrupted by that terrible day most closely in our thoughts and prayers,” the King said.
“Though the months have passed, the sense of shock and sorrow remains undiminished.
“I shall never forget my visit to the synagogue shortly afterwards. It was a deeply moving and heartbreaking experience.
The King has issued a statement paying tribute to the victims of the Manchester synagogue attack at a memorial on Monday evening. He visited the area in October last year
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GETTY“To meet those who had been present that morning, and to hear their personal accounts of what they had experienced, was profoundly moving and troubling.”
His Majesty said the memory of those killed and injured “remains especially vivid in my mind”.
He continued: “The strength, resilience, and determination in the aftermath of such trauma left an indelible impression upon me, as did my conversations with members of the Jewish community whom I met in the street as I departed.
“Today, as we remember those who so cruelly lost their lives and all who suffered injury, grief, and hardship, we also give thanks for the spirit of unity, compassion, and support, which shone so brightly in those dark days.”
Jihad Al-Shamie killed two Jewish worshippers at a Manchester synagogue last year
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GB NEWSIn October, King Charles travelled to Manchester to show his support and meet members of the Jewish community and victims of the callous attack.
Al-Shamie, who is believed to have been on bail for rape at the time of the attack, was shot and killed by police at the scene within seven minutes of arriving.
The attacker was a Syrian man who relocated to the UK as a child in 2006, and was shot and killed by police after ringing 999 during his deadly rampage.
A vigil outside the Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester following the horrifying terror attack last year
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GETTYDuring the call, Al-Shamie pledged his allegiance to the radical terror group, the Islamic State.
Speaking on Monday, Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said: “Here in this synagogue, we witnessed a hate crime of the worst kind.
“Encouraged and inspired by thoughts, by speech, by statements, by policies, by declarations, by the demonisation of the state of Israel, and by extension the demonisation of all Jews.
“And so, while we mourn the loss of two exceptionally good and pious people who forever shall be kadoshim, we extend, as always, our heartfelt condolences to the Cravitz and Daulby families.
“Melvin and Adrian will not only be remembered for how they died, but also for how they lived.
“Pious, wonderful lives of kindness, of chesed, selflessness, for the sake of others.”
Communities Secretary Angela Rayner said Mr Cravitz and Mr Daulby were “two men of such immense kindness killed in an act of antisemitic hate”.
“Any attack on Jews is an attack on us all,” she said. “The horror which happened here, in a place of prayer, on the holiest day of the year, is a moment none of us should ever forget, and in particular, we should never forget Melvin and Adrian.
“Memories of those two men will forever live on.
“Together, we can overcome and defeat antisemitism, and we will never rest until every Jewish person is safe.”