The stepdaughter of one of the victims of the Heaton Park synagogue terror attack has told how she has received messages blaming Jews for his murder. Sherelle Dresner told a memorial service at the synagogue how strangers have sent her antisemitic messages in the year since Melvin Cravitz's death.
The 66-year-old, and Adrian Daulby, 53, were killed and three others were injured as they tried to defend the synagogue from terrorist Jihad al-Shamie on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, on October 2 last year.
Messages blaming Jews for murder
Speaking tearfully about her experience, Ms Dresner told the 850 people gathered at Monday night's event of a 'lonely' and 'overwhelming' new world she and her family faced in the aftermath of the attack.
“It is hard to remember a life or world prior to Yom Kippur 2025,” she said. “I have heard this new existence be described by survivors and bereaved families of other terrorist attacks as a club that no-one wants to be a part of, a club that no-one would ever choose to belong to.”
And Ms Dresner also described how she had received messages from strangers blaming Jews and world events for her stepfather’s murder.
“I have received messages from people I didn't know feeling the need to tell me that the blame for Mevin's brutal murder lies at the feet of all Jewish people,” she said. “These messages should worry us all, that there are people out there justifying his murder and blaming this on his religion.
“For me, all this achieves is to remind me of what Melvin’s crime was – being born Jewish, something that he never would have apologised for, something he was proud of being.”
Memories and promises
Ms Dresner also told how August 30 would have marked Mr Cravitz and her mum's 17th wedding anniversary.
“For Melvin, connecting with others… mattering to other people was all that he really wanted, and I hope he can see now just how much he mattered… and I am going to try my best to make sure he continues to matter,” she added.
Synagogue member Yoni Finlay, who was seriously injured after being hit by a police bullet as worshippers held the synagogue door shut, also spoke at the service. He told how his life 'changed forever' when a 'rabid Jew-hater chose to try to destroy my shul, my community, my friends'.
Community resilience
Mr Finlay recalled lying badly wounded in the synagogue foyer and looking up to see the shock on his son’s face.
“I made myself a promise that I would not die,” he said. “This was not when my life was going to end.”
But despite the horror and the difficulties of his recovery, Mr Finlay said he also believes the attack revealed the best of the community.
“Yes, we are all different now than we were before Yom Kippur, but I like to think that we are also better people,” he said. “An evil person tried to destroy us on Yom Kippur, and together we have not let that evil win. Evil will never succeed because of who we are and what we do.”
