‘He wouldn’t let go of my hand’ – King meets Golders Green stabbing victims
During walkabout outside a Jewish Care charity centre, the King stopped to greet crowds who had gathered to see him, with well-wishers shouting: “Long live the King"
King Charles today met the two victims of last month’s Golders Green stabbing attack during a solidarity visit with the Jewish community.
Hosted by Jewish Care at its Maurice and Vivienne Wohl Campus, the visit also saw the King meet senior religious and civic leaders from across the Jewish community before departing with a freshly baked challah from a local Jewish deli.
The visit to Golders Green came two weeks after two Jewish people were stabbed in the area — the latest antisemitic incident amid a surge in hate crimes targeting Jewish people, sites and synagogues in recent weeks.
The King spent several minutes speaking with each victim and their partners. Holding the hand of one of the victims, 76-year-old Michael (Moshe) Shine, throughout their conversation, and with his other hand placed on his heart, the King expressed his “heartfelt condolences”.
Afterwards, Shine said the King “genuinely cared about how I was getting on and my recovery. He wouldn’t let go of my hand. It was so special he came today,” he said.
Accompanied by Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis, the King also met emergency first responders from Hatzola — the Jewish community’s volunteer ambulance service — including volunteer responder and chairman Laurence Blitz, dispatcher Etty Hager, volunteer responders Stuart Richman and Avrumi Weisenfeld, and clinical lead Kevin Cuddon.
The King asked the Hatzola volunteers about their training, backgrounds and operational jurisdiction, including whether they were all trained paramedics. “The demand unfortunately never stops” for emergency responders, the King remarked, as he thanked them for their “extraordinary service”.
Four Hatzola ambulances were targeted in an arson attack in late March, an incident followed by a series of escalating attacks throughout April, including attempted synagogue firebombings and vandalism.
His Majesty also met members of Shomrim, the Jewish community’s volunteer security organisation operating in north London. Representing Shomrim were CEO Gary Ost and volunteer trustees Sheldon Bodner and Steven Bak. Also present to meet the King were the two emergency response volunteers who first responded to the Golders Green stabbing, Yonathan Elkouby and Yitzi Lipszyc. The King asked about their training, the equipment they wear while on duty, and whether they are trained to “disarm” adversaries.
On Thursday, the King also met leaders of CST, including deputy chair Sir Lloyd Dorfman, chair Sir Gerald Ronson and CEO Mark Gardner. On March 23, CST announced that King Charles had become the organisation’s first-ever royal patron.
The King also met senior representatives of the Jewish community, including Board of Deputies president Phil Rosenberg; Jewish Leadership Council chair Keith Black; and Jewish Care CEO Daniel Carmel-Brown, chairman Marcus Sperber and life president Lord Levy.
Rosenberg, holding a “Jewish Culture Month” tote bag, explained to the King that the initiative aimed to bring about “more joy and less oy”.
Also present were Union of Jewish Students president Louis Danker and sabbatical officers Samantha Cass and Naomi Bernstein.
Danker told the King about the work of UJS, which supports around 10,000 Jewish students across the country. The King asked about antisemitism on campus, to which Danker replied that it had become “unfortunately normalised”. They also discussed the role of social media in sowing division and spreading hate, before the King thanked them for their “marvellous work”.
The Chief Rabbi told the King that Jewish students in Britain had maintained an “amazing community”, through which the Jewish community “has fantastic future leaders”.
Alongside senior civic and religious figures from the Jewish community, the King also met local MP Sarah Sackman, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, Mayor of Barnet Danny Rich and local council leaders.
Speaking with the King, Rowley said the Jewish community was facing threats from multiple fronts, including Iranian-backed state-sponsored terrorism.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ben Russel told the King that Jewish police officers, while small in number, play a “crucial” role within the force and that it is important for the Metropolitan Police to include officers familiar with Jewish neighbourhoods and the wider community.
Also present were Jewish denominational leaders, including Progressive Judaism co-leads Rabbis Josh Levy and Charley Baginsky, and Masorti senior rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg. The Chief Rabbi told the King that the entire Jewish community “enormously appreciated” his solidarity visit to Golders Green.
Following his visit to Jewish Care, King Charles stepped outside to greet members of the public before entering Grodz kosher deli next door, where he met the owner and was presented with a challah.
Upon stepping outside, he was greeted with rapturous applause from Golders Green residents lining the streets, alongside shouts of “long live the King” and renditions of the national anthem.
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