Synagogues to get security boost for Rosh Hashanah
Synagogues across the country will receive extra police protection during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, security chiefs have revealed.
In a move to reassure British Jews worried about increased anti-Semitism in recent months, there will be more police based outside shuls than in previous years over the High Holy Day period.
Community Security Trust (CST) director Mark Gardner said: “A full security operation will be in place during the festivals and, although I can’t put a figure on how many police will be patrolling, there will be a significant increase.”
Extra measures include shatterproof glass at synagogues and adequate fencing around building perimeters, as the fallout from Gaza rumbles on.
“This is because of the threats we saw this summer and because the Home Office increased the general UK threat level to ‘severe,’” he said.
“We hope our community can conduct its life to the full over these chagim.” A spokeswoman for the Union of Jewish Students confirmed that security had been beefed up on campus, with extra student training for volunteers.
Community patrol group Shomrim revealed it was taking the unusual step of holding a meeting of representatives in Stamford Hill on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Counter- Terrorism Bureau of the Israeli National Security Council issued a specific threat warning to Jews and Israelis travelling in western Europe between 24 September and 17 October.
“There is an increasing potential threat as a result of Operation Protective Edge,” said the Israeli Prime Minister’s spokesman.
There have been several demonstrations at Israeli embassies and consulates around the world and an increase in anti-Semitic incidents.
“These trends are likely to continue during the holiday period,” he said.
“There is concern over additional attacks against Israeli and Jewish targets around the world, especially in Western Europe, by global jihad elements, specifically by fighters returning home from Syria and Iraq.”
French authorities say Mehdi Nemmouche, the man believed to have killed four people at the Jewish museum in Brussels in May, fought alongside Islamist terrorists in Syria in 2013 before later returning to the EU.
Security analysts now say that ‘soft’ targets, such as tourists, and Jewish ‘symbols’ such as rabbis, community leaders and Chabad houses, are most at risk.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
