It’s an epidemic of anti-Jewish hate, warns head of attacked synagogue’s charity
Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis called it “a cowardly arson attack” and warned “a sustained campaign of violence and intimidation against the Jewish community of the UK is gathering momentum”
A police forensic officer works inside a cordon set up near to Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow, north-west London on April 19, 2026, the scene of an arson attack overnight.
Picture:
JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP via Getty Images
The Prime Minister should call this “an epidemic of anti-Jewish hate”, the president of the charity behind the latest London synagogue to be attacked has said. Counter-terror police are leading probes into multiple arson and attempted arson attacks at Jewish sites in the capital’s north-west during the past month.Officers on “deterrence and reassurance patrols” in the wake of the previous incidents spotted damage to a window of Kenton United Synagogue, Harrow, at around midnight on Sunday.A “bottle with some sort of accelerant had been thrown through the window” and smoke was seen inside a room, a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said.Sir Keir Starmer said he is “appalled by recent attempted antisemitic arson attacks in North London.”Read more: Counter terror police investigating attempted arson attack reported at north London synagogueRead more: Jewish community urged to ‘remain calm’ after another arson attack
A police officer outside the Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow, north-west London, where an attempted arson attack overnight has caused minor smoke damage to an internal room but no injuries or significant structural damage.
Picture:
Alamy
He added in his statement on X, formerly Twitter: “This is abhorrent and it will not be tolerated. Attacks on our Jewish community are attacks on Britain.”Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis called it “a cowardly arson attack” and warned “a sustained campaign of violence and intimidation against the Jewish community of the UK is gathering momentum”.Paul Taylor, president of the United Synagogue, the UK-wide charity that supports Jewish communities and provides infrastructure including the Kenton place of worship, said: “The Prime Minister should declare publicly what the Jewish community has known for some time: this is an epidemic of anti-Jewish hate”.Meanwhile, the chief communications officer for the charity told the Press Association: “Whilst most British Jews don’t want to be thinking about ‘where else am I going to live if Britain is not safe?’, that is a conversation that is certainly now beginning to happen.”Richard Verber was asked if there had been discussions at the synagogue about security concerns given the attacks in the past weeks.
A police forensic officer works inside a cordon set up near to Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow, north-west London on April 19, 2026, the scene of an arson attack overnight.
Picture:
JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP via Getty Images
He said: “It’s a tragic answer that I’m going to give you… these conversations have been happening not for days or weeks or months, but for years.“I don’t know if you’ve ever had the opportunity to visit a Jewish school or a synagogue but it can sometimes feel there’s less security getting into a prison in the UK, the amount of security guards, cameras, barbed wire.“It’s completely not right that in 2026 the British Jewish community has to live like this, these are not new conversations that the community has had to have, but… these have been ramped up in the past few weeks.”Mr Verber said the community has been “very grateful” for the emergency services and Government’s responses following “horrific attacks” such as the Heaton Park, Manchester, terror attack and the torching of four Jewish community ambulances in Golders Green, north-west London, last month.“But the question is, what can the Government now do to prevent these attacks happening? It’s good and we are grateful for the response afterwards, but nobody wants these attacks to happen”, he said.Mr Taylor likewise emphasised the need for prevention.
A police officers stand in front an office formerly used by the business "Jewish futures" in Hendon, north London on April 18, 2026.
Picture:
JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP via Getty Images
“The Government and local police forces have responded well to the recent appalling attacks including Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation and Hatzola ambulances, but it is clear that more must be done to prevent these attacks occurring at all”, Mr Taylor said.He added: “The Kenton community and the wider United Synagogue will not be deterred.“Despite their shul being closed, just this morning, led by Rabbi Yehuda Black, the community held a busy morning service together in a different location. They look forward to being back in their synagogue home very soon.“We will not be intimidated, and we will remain strong and united in the face of hatred.”Rabbi Black said the Jewish community have “got to continue”.He said: “I was very upset to hear about what happened. Our synagogue is a beautiful synagogue.“It’s so unfortunate that it has been damaged in such a way.”He added: “We’ve suffered thousands of years of antisemitism, and this is just another blip and I just want to say, as usual, we just continue as being Jews, I think that’s the most important thing.”The synagogue is closed following the attack but hopes to reopen in a few days.A spokesperson for the Community Security Trust, the charity which monitors antisemitism and provides protection for Jewish communities in the UK, said: “We want to thank the Met Police and London Fire Brigade for responding quickly and for all they are doing to protect the Jewish community during this unprecedented period.“We are supporting the affected location and are working closely with the police as they investigate and seek to identify those responsible.”A spokesperson for the Campaign Against Antisemitism said this “is now terrifyingly becoming a spate of daily arson attacks on the Jewish community”.
