Jewish leader fears his community will ‘shrink’ as he is made an MBE
Michael Mail warns arson attack risks driving British Jews inward as he urges openness after MBE honour
The founder of a charity supporting Jewish heritage in Britain said he did not want his community to “shrink” as a result of an arson attack on four ambulances parked next to a synagogue in north-west London.
Michael Mail, chief executive of the Foundation for Jewish Heritage, said he was concerned British Jews could “start to look inwards” after the attack, which is being investigated by counter-terror police.
Mr Mail spoke out as the Prince of Wales made him a Member of the British Empire (MBE) at Windsor Castle for his work restoring and preserving important Jewish architectural sites across the UK.
He said: “We have to make sure that appropriate security is in place, but we don’t want security concerns to stop what we do.
“There will be voices within the Jewish community who are concerned and start to look inwards, but we want a Jewish community that is confident and engaged in wider society.
“We don’t want to shrink as a result of what is going on.
“It makes our work all the more important. When people don’t meet Jewish people, sometimes mythic ideas start to percolate, but our work should promote social cohesion and help different communities understand each other.”
His comments came after four Jewish community ambulances, parked next to the Machzike Hadath Synagogue in Golders Green, were set on fire in the early hours of Monday morning.
Mr Mail said that Jewish heritage in the UK is often “hidden”.
He said: “People don’t know about the story of the Jewish community and so we talk about this hidden heritage.
“We want people to know, experience, understand and therefore empathise with the community and confront any prejudices or anti-Jewish attitudes. So it has made us all the more determined to proceed.”
He said the team are currently working on restoring synagogues in London, Brighton and their flagship site in South Wales, which they plan to turn into a cultural centre.
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