Haredi (ultra-orthodox) Jews in London’s Stamford Hill district are facing a surge of violent attacks.
Last Saturday afternoon, as Jews were leaving synagogue, there were reports of a hired bus driving through the area with speakers blaring “go home yiddos”. The details are not entirely clear as no audio recordings of the incident have emerged. However, this represents a serious escalation as it suggests a degree of organisation and pre-mediation in the attacks.
In the run-up to this incident there were several other attacks. For example, two haredi men were violently assaulted in an unprovoked attack. And there are several reports of local gangs terrorising Jews in the area.
Priti Patel, the home secretary, has condemned the attacks as has Diane Abbot, the local MP. Whether these are just empty words remains to be seen.
According to a report in The Jewish Chronicle local community leaders have accused the police of failing them. The police have responded by saying they treat anti-Semitic hate crime seriously.
Naturally haredim are not the only section of the Jewish community to suffer violent assaults but they are particularly vulnerable because of their distinctive garb.
There are several sources readers can use to follow such incidents. The Shomrim (Stamford Hill) twitter feed is often the first to report on them. Shomrim (meaning “guards” in Hebrew) is a local neighbourhood watch group.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism collates information about anti-Semitic incidents in Britain more broadly.
There are also Jewish community publications such as the Jewish Chronicle (the JC) and Jewish News.
Photo: "Brooklyn Satmar" by johnwilliamsphd