Council honours Jewish charity following attack

1 hour ago

News image — Four ambulances used by a Jewish non-profit volunteer organisation were set on fire in Golders Green earlier this year

PA Media An ambulance damaged by fire in a car park. More than half of the vehicle has come apart and there is soot all over. The floor nearby is black and there is clutter everywhere. There is another damaged vehicle on the right of it covered in soot. The ambulance on the left-hand of the image looks untouched by the fire and has Hatzola Northwest on the back door. — Four ambulances used by a Jewish non-profit volunteer organisation were set on fire in Golders Green earlier this year

Barnet Council has given the Freedom of the Borough, its highest award, to five Jewish organisations, including an "outstanding" ambulance service targeted in a suspected arson attack earlier this year.

Four ambulances used by Hatzola Northwest were set on fire in Golders Green on 23 March, with the attack raising concerns about antisemitism.

The honorary freedom was awarded to three branches of the Hatzola organisation - Northwest, Edgware and HBS, which covers Southgate, Cockfosters, Hadley Wood and Barnet.

A report published ahead of the meeting at Hendon Town Hall on Tuesday said the award recognised the organisations' "extraordinary service to the borough".

'Particularly sickening'

The report said: "For many years, Hatzola volunteers have responded to thousands of medical emergencies, worked alongside statutory emergency services, promoted community health and helped save and enhance countless lives across the borough."

At the time of the attack, Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis described it as a "particularly sickening assault - not only on the Jewish community, but on the values we share as a society".

He called Hatzola's service "extraordinary", adding that its "sole mission is to protect life, Jewish and non-Jewish alike".

Three men and a teenager who are accused of arson over the attack are next due in court on 28 August.

Community Security Trust, an organisation which focuses on the safety and protection of Britain's Jewish community, and Shomrim NW London, also received the honour.

Shomrim NW London is a non-profit voluntary organisation operating within the Barnet borough. According to its website, the charity is "a mobile neighbourhood watch" that is made up of unpaid volunteers from the local community "regardless of ethnicity or religious affiliation".

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