In a disturbing incident that has prompted a police investigation into a potential antisemitic hate crime, four ambulances owned by a Jewish volunteer organization were set ablaze outside a synagogue in the UK. The vehicles, belonging to Hatzola, a Jewish volunteer emergency medical service, were parked in Golders Green, London, when the attack occurred.
A shocking video captured three masked individuals igniting a fire near one of the ambulances early Monday morning. The neighborhood, known for being one of London’s largest Jewish communities, was rocked by explosions that local police believe were caused by gas canisters inside the vehicles.
Jenny Rodin, a witness to the event, recounted to Sky News how the ambulances, parked near the Machzike Hadath Orthodox Jewish synagogue, erupted “one after the other.” The scene was one of chaos and devastation as the emergency vehicles were engulfed in flames.
Max Reisner, another witness, arrived at the site just in time to witness one of the ambulances explode. He described the intense impact of the explosion, saying, “You sort of felt it go through your guts,” conveying the visceral experience of the blast.
Max Reisner arrived at the scene just as one ambulance exploded.
“You sort of felt it go through your guts,” he told Sky as he described the moment.
“Very terrifying moment to actually see an ambulance go up in flames. We’re all still reeling from the shock.”
All that was left once the fires were extinguished were the burned-out shells of the ambulances.
Shloimie Richman, the chair of Hatzalah Northwest, said four of the group’s six ambulances were “deliberately targeted in an arson attack,” as reported by CNN.
A manhunt for the arsonists is underway and Sir Ephraim Mirvis, Britain’s Chief Rabbi, described the attacks as a “particularly sickening assault.”
“Our Hatzola volunteer ambulance corps is an extraordinary service, whose sole mission is to protect life, Jewish and non-Jewish alike,” he said.
Hatzola Northwest is made up of 61 medics and paramedic volunteers and services are provided free of charge, responding to cases within a 2.5 mile radius.
Security fears for the Jewish community have been heightened since Hamas’ cowardly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which saw more than 1,200 people killed and 254 others taken hostage.
The ambulances were set alight – just five months after two people were killed in a Manchester synagogue terror attack on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
“This is a deeply shocking antisemitic arson attack,” Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said Monday as he condemned what unfolded overnight.
“My thoughts are with the Jewish community who are waking up this morning to this horrific news. Antisemitism has no place in our society.”
