The local authority will “redouble” work with partners to keep the Jewish community safe reports David Floyd

Hendon Town Hall with (inset left) council leader Barry Rawlings and (inset right) opposition group leader Peter Zinkin

Leaders of Barnet’s political parties have backed a pledge to “redouble the council’s efforts” to keep the Jewish community safe following the terrorist attack on a Manchester synagogue last month.

In a motion passed at the council meeting on Tuesday, 21st October, Labour council leader Barry Rawlings was joined by Conservative leader Peter Zinkin and Reform’s Mark Shooter in noting the horrific impact of the attack on Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation on Yom Kippur on Thursday, 2nd October.

The motion noted that: “the psychological effect on Jewish communities, including the Jewish community in Barnet, is profound” and that, as a result “many of our Jewish friends and neighbours are fearful that they cannot practice their faith or express their identity without risking their safety”.

In supporting the motion, councillors backed proposals to hold a minute’s silence for the victims of the attack at the next cabinet meeting and agreed “that the cabinet should redouble the council’s efforts in working with our government, law enforcement and community partners to keep the Jewish community safe, as we should keep all communities”.

In a statement following the meeting, Cllr Rawlings said: “I know for many in the Barnet Jewish community, nothing will ever feel the same after a fatal attack on a British synagogue on Yom Kippur – of all days. It is a horror for all of us who value and cherish our Jewish friends and colleagues and the wider community.

“I welcome the government’s £10 million package for security for the Jewish community and other key measures announced [last month]. But the government knows, and we know, there is much more to do to ensure our Jewish residents feel safe. We lead a strong and committed local community safety partnership and are dedicated to that mission.

“We know how important the issue of hostage posters and ribbons is for the Jewish community, and any decisions will only be made in dialogue with communal representatives.

“This is also a worrying time for other minority communities, with, for example, the recent burning down of a mosque in Sussex. So it is timely that we have underlined our commitment to countering extremism and supporting all of Barnet’s communities.”

The Manchester attack follows a series of hate crimes committed against the Jewish community in Barnet in recent months.

In September, a man was charged with offences including six counts of racially or religiously aggravated criminal damage and one count of racially or religiously aggravated harassment without violence after a police investigation into seven attacks on Jewish premises in the borough.

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