BISHOPS in London have expressed their “solidarity” with the Jewish community, saying that they “condemn unequivocally” the “abhorrent” anti-Semitic attacks in the capital, after another suspected arson incident, in Harrow, on Saturday night.
The incident at Kenton United Synagogue caused smoke damage to an internal room, but there were no injuries or significant structural damage, the Community Security Trust, which monitors anti-Semitism in the UK, reports.
A 17-year-old boy and 19-year-old man had been arrested, the Metropolitan Police said on Monday.
This came after bottles — one of which was thought to contain petrol — were placed near Finchley Reform Synagogue in Barnet, on Wednesday, and after four Jewish community ambulances were set on fire in Golders Green in the early hours of 23 March (News, 23 March). Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiyya (HAYI), an Islamist militant group, was reported to have said that it was behind the attacks.
In its joint statement, the London College of Bishops said: “We condemn unequivocally the recent attacks on London’s synagogues, Jewish charities and establishments. These antisemitic acts are abhorrent. Intended to intimidate Jewish communities and to make Londoners fearful in their own places of worship, they are wholly at odds with the values of our city, and our society.”
The targeting of any faith community, they wrote, “damages the life of our city as a whole. In speaking out, we do so as bishops and as leaders with responsibility for communities across London. Violence, hatred and intimidation directed at people of any faith undermine trust, fracture relationships, and corrode the foundations of a diverse and peaceful society. . .
“We stand in solidarity with those directly affected and with London’s Jewish communities at this deeply distressing time.”
The Bishops — the Acting Bishop of London, Dr Emma Ineson; the Bishop of Edmonton, Dr Anderson Jeremiah; the Bishop of Willesden, the Rt Revd Lusa Nsenga-Ngoy; and the Bishop of Fulham, the Rt Revd Jonathan Baker — continued: “Antisemitism does not exist in isolation. It sits within a wider pattern of religious hate and racism. No form of prejudice should be normalised, excused or left unchallenged.
“We call on those with responsibility in public life to act decisively to protect all places of worship, to challenge hatred wherever it appears, and to give clear reassurance to communities who feel increasingly vulnerable.
“Our Christian faith teaches us that every person is made in the image of God. That conviction calls us to stand alongside our Jewish neighbours today, and to work for a London tomorrow in which fear has no authority and hatred finds no shelter.”
The Chief Rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, said in a statement on social media: “A sustained campaign of violence and intimidation against the Jewish community of the UK is gathering momentum. This sustained attack on our community’s ability to worship and live in safety is an attack on the values that bind us all together.
“Thank God, no lives have been lost, but we cannot — and must not — wait for that to change before we understand just how dangerous this moment is for all of our society.”
The Prime Minister said: “This is abhorrent and it will not be tolerated. Attacks on our Jewish community are attacks on Britain.”
The president of the Kenton United Synagogue called on Sir Keir Starmer to declare “an epidemic of anti-Jewish hate”.
The Met report that Counter Terrorism Policing London are leading the investigation into the incident in Hendon, as well as those into other attacks, owing to the “similar circumstances and online claims of responsibility”.