Anger over ‘sickening’ hate crime that targeted ‘deepest heart of the Jewish community’

The Jewish community in north London was “completely shocked” and “horrified” after four ambulances were set on fire outside a synagogue in an anti-Semitic hate crime.

CCTV shows three men flashing lights at vehicles on Highfield Road in Golders Green at around 1.45am and no injuries were reported.

While Jewish community leaders condemned the attack, Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said it was “particularly sickening” that volunteer service was targeted.

Detective Superintendent Luke Williams, a Metropolitan Police spokesman, said: “There have been no arrests at this early stage,” adding: “Whilst this has not been declared a terrorist incident at this stage, the investigation is currently being carried out by Counter Terrorism Police.”

To talk Independent, Passerby Dov Forman, 22, said he was relieved that his great-grandmother and Holocaust survivor Lily Ebert was not alive to witness the event.

“My great-grandmother was a survivor of Auschwitz,” he said. “He moved to this country after the Holocaust to rebuild his life. He rebuilt it from the ashes.

“He lived directly opposite the site of the attack and would have been completely devastated because it would have completely shattered his notion that the UK was a safe place for him and his family to live.”

The surrounding residents were awakened by the explosion sound caused by the oxygen tanks in the ambulances.

He added that many in his community would question whether the UK was “a safe place to be a visibly Jewish person” and that many of his friends had already concluded that it was no longer the case.

“I think we are seeing levels of anti-Semitism that many people would have experienced decades ago, that many people in this country never thought would be possible,” he said.

“Our non-Jewish friends, our non-Jewish neighbours, our colleagues will stand up for us, they will stand up to this hatred that has gone unchecked and unchallenged in society for the last two and a half years. This hatred has led to the complete marginalisation, delegitimisation and dehumanisation of the Jewish people in the UK.

“We have been pushed to the margins. Weekly marches where intifada chants are allowed have led to incidents like this, and ultimately it is not just the responsibility of the Labor government, but also the responsibility of successive governments who have failed to uproot the ideological cause of it.”

Jewish community security patrol group Shomrim said the vehicles belonged to the charity Hatzola and were fully operational.

Founded in 1979 and run by volunteers, Hatzola provides free medical transport and emergency response services to residents of North London.

To talk Independent, Damon Hoff, president of the nearby Machzike Hadath Synagogue, said the explosions woke him and his family up and described the incident as “an attack on everything.”

He said: “This is the deepest heart of the Jewish community and it is an incredible vulnerability because it is your way of life and it is an attack on everything you stand for.”

Mr. Hoff added that the synagogue’s historic stained glass windows were damaged by the fire, and the roof of the building also suffered smoke damage.

Since moving to England 17 years ago, Mr Hoff said he no longer felt safe wearing his kippah (skull hat) while walking in the West End.

One resident, Gedale Weinberg, 56, woke up in a similar manner and said his wife started crying when she heard a second explosion.

“They destroyed four ambulances, probably five were written off, they destroyed,” he said. “Ambulances that provide free service to not only Jews, but also Sikhs, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, anyone who needs help and take them to the hospital.

“What they did was strategic, disgusting, spiteful, pathetic and disgusting. They knew very well what they were doing, they had to cripple us.”

Mr Weinberg, who has lived in Golders Green since 1969, said the area had changed “significantly for the worse” and said he would run for Reform UK as a local councilor in the May election.

“If I wasn’t running for office, I would pack up and leave,” he said.

Peter Zinkin, Conservative councilor for Golders Green, added: “The way I feel about it is very sad. “Given all the attacks on the community over the last few years, it’s sort of no surprise that this has happened.

“It’s just deep sadness, and deep sadness leads to sadness. But the important question is: Why did this happen?”

“And in my view, the reason this is happening is because we have sadly sanctioned antisemitism in this country, and I hold both the media and the government responsible for that.”

The Chief Rabbi said in a statement on

“Our Hatzola volunteer ambulance service is an extraordinary service whose sole mission is to protect the lives of Jews and non-Jews alike.

“The targeting of Hatzola by people so devoted to terror, hatred and the sanctity of life is the most painful example of the ongoing war between those who sanctify life and those who seek to destroy it.

“At a time when Jewish communities around the world face an increasing pattern of these violent attacks, we will meet this moment with shared determination and stand together against hatred and intimidation.”