Chain
06-22-2004, 06:38 PM
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1244223,00.html
...destroyed prayer books rescued from the Holocaust have raised new fears of an upsurge in anti-semitic violence.
The books, smuggled out of Germany and Poland just before the second world war, were destroyed after vandals pushed burning material into the South Tottenham United Synagogue on Thursday. A day later, a suspicious fire caused more than £250,000 of damage to the synagogue and headquarters of a Jewish educational group in Hendon.
Police said the two incidents were not linked, but members of the Jewish community said they were increasingly apprehensive after the attacks, as a steady rise in anti-semitic violence against people and property continues.
More than 100 synagogues in Britain have been desecrated since September 2000.
...including signed editions smuggled out of mainland Europe by refugees fleeing Kristallnacht in 1938.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1087891964729&p=1008596975996
Jun. 22, 2004 22:53
London synagogue arsons called 'racist'
LONDON
London police are treating two recent arson attacks on London synagogues as racially motivated, a senior source in the Jewish community said Tuesday. But, he said, it is considered unlikely that the two incidents were linked.
In the first attack, fire damaged the library and study hall at the South Tottenham Synagogue last Wednesday. Two nights later, the second attack gutted the administrative offices of the Aish Hatorah religious organization in Hendon, about five kilometers away.
Two Torah scrolls were desecrated during the Hendon attack. Parchment from one of the scrolls is believed to have been used as kindling in setting the blaze. In neither incident were the synagogues themselves damaged, said the source.
"Seeing Scrolls of the Law torn and strewn on the floor of my own synagogue was devastating," said Rabbi Naftali Schiff, an executive director of Aish Hatorah in London.
In both cases, the fire services were summoned quickly by people in the neighborhood, saving far more extensive damage. In the attack on Aish Hatorah, prompt action prevented possible loss of life, as the attack occurred at night on a building that adjoins an apartment block.
Henry Grunwald, president of the Board of Deputies, which represents British Jews, said he was "shocked at the news of this incident and appalled by the actions of these individuals who have threatened the safety of the Jewish community.
"These attacks on places of religious worship are deplorable. We will not allow ourselves to be terrorized by these people." He added that, "while there is no evidence of a systematic attack on the Jewish community, it is important that the community remains vigilant at all times."
Meanwhile, a senior official at the Community Security Trust, which assesses threat levels and provides defenses for the Jewish community, had high praise for the police. Their response to the incidents, he said, had been "fantastic."
Trust director Mike Whine said the double attacks, attributed to anti-Semitic motives, were regarded as both separate from each other and separate from the international Islamist terrorist threat, which, he said, is "higher than ever."
The Aish Hatorah organization has been active in London, mainly among young people, for the past 12 years, but only recently moved to its site in Hendon. The South Tottenham Synagogue, which is close to the ultra-religious neighborhood of Stamford Hill, was established some 80 years ago.
...destroyed prayer books rescued from the Holocaust have raised new fears of an upsurge in anti-semitic violence.
The books, smuggled out of Germany and Poland just before the second world war, were destroyed after vandals pushed burning material into the South Tottenham United Synagogue on Thursday. A day later, a suspicious fire caused more than £250,000 of damage to the synagogue and headquarters of a Jewish educational group in Hendon.
Police said the two incidents were not linked, but members of the Jewish community said they were increasingly apprehensive after the attacks, as a steady rise in anti-semitic violence against people and property continues.
More than 100 synagogues in Britain have been desecrated since September 2000.
...including signed editions smuggled out of mainland Europe by refugees fleeing Kristallnacht in 1938.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1087891964729&p=1008596975996
Jun. 22, 2004 22:53
London synagogue arsons called 'racist'
LONDON
London police are treating two recent arson attacks on London synagogues as racially motivated, a senior source in the Jewish community said Tuesday. But, he said, it is considered unlikely that the two incidents were linked.
In the first attack, fire damaged the library and study hall at the South Tottenham Synagogue last Wednesday. Two nights later, the second attack gutted the administrative offices of the Aish Hatorah religious organization in Hendon, about five kilometers away.
Two Torah scrolls were desecrated during the Hendon attack. Parchment from one of the scrolls is believed to have been used as kindling in setting the blaze. In neither incident were the synagogues themselves damaged, said the source.
"Seeing Scrolls of the Law torn and strewn on the floor of my own synagogue was devastating," said Rabbi Naftali Schiff, an executive director of Aish Hatorah in London.
In both cases, the fire services were summoned quickly by people in the neighborhood, saving far more extensive damage. In the attack on Aish Hatorah, prompt action prevented possible loss of life, as the attack occurred at night on a building that adjoins an apartment block.
Henry Grunwald, president of the Board of Deputies, which represents British Jews, said he was "shocked at the news of this incident and appalled by the actions of these individuals who have threatened the safety of the Jewish community.
"These attacks on places of religious worship are deplorable. We will not allow ourselves to be terrorized by these people." He added that, "while there is no evidence of a systematic attack on the Jewish community, it is important that the community remains vigilant at all times."
Meanwhile, a senior official at the Community Security Trust, which assesses threat levels and provides defenses for the Jewish community, had high praise for the police. Their response to the incidents, he said, had been "fantastic."
Trust director Mike Whine said the double attacks, attributed to anti-Semitic motives, were regarded as both separate from each other and separate from the international Islamist terrorist threat, which, he said, is "higher than ever."
The Aish Hatorah organization has been active in London, mainly among young people, for the past 12 years, but only recently moved to its site in Hendon. The South Tottenham Synagogue, which is close to the ultra-religious neighborhood of Stamford Hill, was established some 80 years ago.