Britain’s Chief Rabbi has warned that violence directed at the Jewish community is escalating, following the latest in a string of suspected arson attacks on synagogues and other Jewish sites across north-west London.
The warning came after Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow was targeted overnight, becoming the third Jewish location in the capital to be attacked in under a week. According to the Community Security Trust (CST), which coordinates security for Jewish institutions, no one was hurt in the incident and damage was limited to minor smoke marks inside a single room.
Sir Ephraim Mirvis condemned the attack as “cowardly” and said the pattern of incidents pointed to something more organised than isolated crime. Writing on social media, he said: “A sustained campaign of violence and intimidation against the Jewish community of the UK is gathering momentum.” He added that while no lives had so far been lost, the country “cannot, and must not, wait for that to change before we understand just how dangerous this moment is for all of our society.”
The Chief Rabbi listed a sequence of recent incidents, noting that the Kenton attack followed one in Finchley on Wednesday and an attempted attack on Friday night at what was formerly the Jewish Futures building in Hendon. Counter-terrorism officers are treating the Hendon case as an antisemitic hate crime.
Sir Keir Starmer said he was appalled by the escalation. “This is abhorrent and it will not be tolerated,” the Prime Minister wrote online. “Attacks on our Jewish community are attacks on Britain.” He said visible policing would be stepped up, adding that officers “will not rest in the pursuit of perpetrators”.
Details of the Kenton attack emerged through the Metropolitan Police, which said officers on reassurance patrols had spotted damage to one of the synagogue’s windows in the early hours. On closer inspection, they found smoke drifting inside and evidence that a bottle containing an accelerant had been thrown through the glass. The London Fire Brigade was called and firefighters checked the building for any remaining fire risk.
The synagogue sits close to a school and a children’s playground. By Sunday morning a large police cordon had been set up, with forensic officers, fire investigation dogs and several plainclothes detectives working at the scene. One marked police car and roughly five unmarked vehicles were positioned outside the building, and officers were seen searching a black SUV nearby.
A CST spokesperson thanked the Met and the fire brigade for their response and said the trust was supporting those affected while working alongside investigators. “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,” the spokesperson said.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism described the recent incidents as “terrifyingly becoming a spate of daily arson attacks on the Jewish community”.
Counter-terrorism detectives are also investigating earlier incidents last month, including an arson attack on a Persian-language media organisation and a fire that destroyed ambulances belonging to a Jewish charity in Golders Green. On Saturday evening, the Met announced that patrols across north-west London were being reinforced, with additional officers, expanded stop-and-search powers and armed and counter-terrorism units deployed in an effort to deter further incidents.
