Four Hatzola ambulances torched in London

Residents in a predominantly Jewish north London suburb were roused before dawn on Monday by explosions when four ambulances from a Jewish volunteer emergency service were deliberately set alight in an incident police are investigating as an antisemitic hate crime.

The four Hatzola (spelt ‘Hatzolah’ in Australia) Northwest vehicles were engulfed in flames shortly before 1:45am GMT in Golders Green, prompting a swift response from police and firefighters. Nearby homes were evacuated as a precaution while roads were closed. No one was injured, and the fires were extinguished.

Security footage captured three masked figures approaching one ambulance and igniting it, with the timestamp showing 1:36am near Machzikei Hadath synagogue.

Hatzola Northwest chairman Shloimie Richman confirmed the four ambulances, out of the organisation’s fleet of six, were deliberately targeted in an arson attack. “Obviously we have concerns that this is a direct attack on the Jewish community,” he told CNN.

A local resident, Charlie Richards, reported hearing explosions around 2am and captured video of a large orange fireball. The London Fire Brigade attributed the blasts to medical gas cylinders on board the vehicles, which also shattered windows in a nearby block of flats.

Hatzola Northwest delivers a free 24-hour emergency ambulance service to the local Jewish community every day of the year. Run entirely by trained volunteers and funded by donations, it has operated since 1979, handling incidents from minor ailments to critical emergencies. The organisation stressed it remains fully operational despite the vehicle losses.

Golders Green is renowned for its vibrant Jewish and Orthodox communities, which include numerous synagogues, schools, and kosher businesses. Barnet, the borough encompassing Golders Green, recorded the highest proportion of Jewish residents of any local authority in England in the 2021 census.

Metropolitan Police Superintendent Sarah Jackson, who oversees the area, said the attack would spark widespread concern. “We know this incident will cause a great deal of community concern and officers remain on scene to carry out urgent enquiries.

“We are in the process of examining CCTV and are aware of online footage. We believe we are looking for three suspects at this early stage. We will be engaging with faith leaders and carrying out additional patrols in the local area as we continue our investigation to provide reassurance and a highly visible presence.”

The Jewish neighbourhood watch group Shomrim condemned the incident on X.com as “not only a criminal act of arson but also a targeted and deeply concerning incident affecting a vital emergency service serving the Jewish community”.

Mark Reisner, a witness who lives in the neighbourhood, heard loud explosions and arrived at the scene “just as the third ambulance was blowing up”, he told Sky News.

“A very loud explosion, you sort of felt it go through your guts,” he said, adding,

“it’s just left us all reeling with confusion and shock.”

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry said the attack on four Hatzolah ambulances in London’s Jewish community underscored what it described as two “incontrovertible truths” already seen in Australia.

It said the incident demonstrated that “the Iranian regime has no compunction about committing terrorist atrocities and targeting innocent civilians across the globe”.

The ECAJ also rejected attempts to separate such attacks from antisemitism, stating that “these attacks have everything to do with Jews and antisemitism”.

Referring to incidents including the torching of the Adass synagogue in Melbourne and Lewis Continental Kitchen in Sydney, the organisation said claims to the contrary were “wholly disingenuous” and risked “perpetuat[ing] a myth that underpins the unprecedented number of attacks on Jews and Jewish institutions throughout the diaspora over the past two years”.

Mendy Litzman of Hatzolah Sydney said, “Our hearts go out to our Hatzolah colleagues in Golders Green after this horrendous incident.”

The arson occurs amid persistently elevated antisemitism in the United Kingdom. The Community Security Trust has documented thousands of incidents in recent years, with a sharp rise since October 2023. A Campaign Against Antisemitism study revealed that only one-third of British Jews see a long-term future in the country, while half have considered emigrating in the past two years due to antisemitism.