'It's not normal to see cops in body armour with rifles'

IN the heart of Greater Manchester's Jewish community, people are rushed off their feet.

- BY JOHN SCHEERHOUT

Sedgley Park, in Prestwich, which is home to a large Jewish community and, below, a police officer outside Heaton Park synagogue

It's the day before Passover, children are off school and there's a nonstop flurry of activity as families prepare for the eight-day festival.

But there's a shadow over this year's Passover. It's less than six months since two men were killed during a terror attack at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.

The community has faced soaring levels of antisemitism in recent years. Outside the shops and delicatessens of Leicester Road, Salford, anticipation for the next major Jewish festival is tinged with concern for some. "You always have to keep your eyes open," one man said.

Like all others who stopped to speak about tensions in the community, he asked not to be named. He added: "People can throw insults at you, whether it's verbal or physical. It's happened to me, it's enough to keep me concerned."

Police in Greater Manchester are on high alert ahead of Passover. Armed officers, backed by visible uniformed patrols, will be part of a significant operation to protect Jewish synagogues and communities in areas like Crumpsall, Higher Broughton and Prestwich.