A drunken mob stormed into a London synagogue on Motzei Shabbos, shouting “Kill the Jews,” attacking people, vandalizing the building and stoking fears of rising anti-Semitism.
Jews inside the Ahavas Torah synagogue used chairs as shields as they beat back the throng, which assaulted at least one man and smashed windows. Scotland Yard said six people, including two women, were later arrested in connection to the attack, which came amid increasing anxiety in Europe’s Jewish community.
“After what happened in Paris, you are beginning to get British Jews asking, ‘Will I be safe going to synagogue or going to a Jewish shop? Will my children be safe in a Jewish school?’ ” Britain’s former chief rabbi, Lord Jonathan Sacks, told Sky News.
Reaction in Britain to Israel’s war against Hamas last summer contributed to a record number of anti-Semitic incidents in the United Kingdom last year. Some 1,168 incidents of anti-Semitism were recorded during the year, according to the Community Security Trust’s annual report issued for publication on Thursday.
Part of Sunday’s frightening incident in the city’s Stamford Hill section was captured on video. Still, police and synagogue elders, including Rabbi Maurice Davis, said they did believe the 1:20 a.m. incident was anti-social, and not simply anti-Semitic.
Meir Taub, a member of the local Shomrim, a Jewish patrol set up to counter violence against Jews, told the Telegraph he was called to the incident shortly after it began.
“I came down and there was a huge group of people, men and women, trying to force their way into the synagogue,” Taub said. “The window had already been smashed. Teenagers were shouting abuse. It was blatantly anti-Semitic, they came and attacked a synagogue.”
Jewish leaders said they turned over footage of the incident, which captured violence as well as the chants of “Kill the Jews.”
“I have clear footage which I’m going to show to the police, which clearly shows there were anti-Semitic chants,” Taub said.
Police said the mob had left a nearby party and tried to break into the synagogue, sparking the confrontation.
“The disturbance began when a group of drunk males, believed to have walked to the area from a house party nearby, tried to gain access to the synagogue,” said a Scotland Yard spokesman.
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11 Responses
curious to see what the reaction would be if Jews tried to break into a mosk yes the misspelling was intentional
@takingabreak: Jews don’t even need to break into a mosk to spark such a reaction like the mob’s in the above article! We only need to exist.
Absolute wog hosh no anti Semitic abuse was recorded. It was a drnken fight and never was the word Jew mentioned. All know it. What is it that people love making a
Mountain out of nothing.
Halevei we all lived so peaceful
Hey another on!!what have you been smoking?i’d love some!Seems to make this world a great place!
#3 thats what they said about hitler, just a thug.
To Commenter No. 1: Under Shariah law, are Muslims engaged in an anti-Semitic attack allowed to drink? Under Halacha, is punctuation assur? And what is the Halacha of gratuitous insults such as deliberate misspelling.
#3, In dreamland. Do you live in London? Friends in London? Do you ever talk to Londoners before you “know”?
I don’t understand, why are they sooooo hooked on and obsessed with the jews? Is this just their guilty conscious? over the years, we have lived in countries and they hated us. Lets dream with a real cause. Why if we’re out of these countries for 75 years do they still hate us? They don’t know us or see us. Can’t they just get over their hate ever? We are hated in countries where there has never been a significant jewish presence. Guess their religion doesn’t provide them with any real meaning to life.
@3 Attacking a Shul is an act of Jew hatred, very self explanatory if you couldn’t figure that out you might want to enhance your mental aptitude.
In this video it looks like 3 drunken teenagers and 2 girls that come in and out and no one in the shul looks very afraid.
I don’t know all the details about this incident of course, but in my shule here the USA I think our armed congregation members would likely have taken down the perps before they got very far.
friends of mine in London told me it was no anti-sametic attack, it was just some bored bochurim provoked the group then ran off in the shull…