Communal leaders and Chief Rabbi demand action after Golders Green stabbing
JLC and Board 'sickened by yet another terrorist attack'
Communal organisations and Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis have issued strong statements in response to the latest stabbing attack in Golders Green.
In a joint statement, the Jewish Leadership Council and Board of Deputies said:“We are sickened by yet another terrorist attack on our community, this time targeting two visibly Jewish men on the streets of London.
“This follows weeks of arson attacks against Jewish premises and comes just seven months after two Jews were murdered in Manchester on Yom Kippur. For many in our community, this feels relentless.
“Our thoughts are with the victims and we pray for their swift recovery. We also thank the police, Shomrim, Hatzola, and CST for their rapid response. We cannot ignore the context: a wave of antisemitic hatred driven by extremists at home and abroad, including Islamist extremism that motivated the Heaton Park attack, and attempts by the Iranian regime to orchestrate violence against British Jews.
“These attacks are not just on the Jewish community, but on our country and its values. They are attacks on the right to live freely, to celebrate one’s identity without fear, and to walk our streets in safety. The government, justice system, and leaders at every level must recognise the seriousness of this moment. We will continue to demand that all relevant authorities respond with the urgency and resolve this challenge requires.
“This hatred cannot be contained with words. It must be confronted, punished, and deterred with the full force of the state. Antisemites are attempting to raise the cost of being Jewish in the UK.
“We must work as a society to ensure the cost of being antisemitic is far higher. Security measures are essential, but they alone are not the answer. The government must deliver on its commitments to tackle sources of antisemitic extremism at home and abroad. We will not allow Jewish life to be forced behind barriers. British Jews will not be intimidated. But we should not face this threat alone. A silent majority offers little reassurance. This is a moment for the whole of society to speak up loudly and stand together against this hatred.”
Chief Rabbi Mirvis, who visited the scene in Golders Green after Wednesday’s attack, called for “meaningful action”, stating that “words of condemnation are no longer sufficient”.
He praised the police and recent financial support to bolster security for the Jewish community, but emphasised the need to tackle the “root causes” of antisemitism, not just its symptoms.
Sir Ephraim told the Press Association: “We had hoped, in response to previous incidents, that something meaningful would be done. Now, after yet another attack, we want to see not just words and not just financial support for security—which we enormously appreciate—and not just the excellent work of our police forces, but real efforts to address the root causes of antisemitism.”
He described a “sustained effort to terrorise the Jewish people”, and while he noted the community’s strength and resilience, he stressed that such attacks “have to be stopped”.
The Chief Rabbi added that it is time for the “silent majority in the UK to raise their voices” against antisemitism.
Asked what meaningful action might look like, he said: “The silent majority needs to stop being silent—we need to hear their voices. We also need to see zero tolerance of antisemitism: in hate marches, on university campuses, within the NHS, and in the purposeful anti-Israel demonisation which sometimes contributes to a tone of antisemitism in our country.
“When you have hate speech, it’s only one step away from hate action, as we saw today.”
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