Parents of children at a north London Jewish primary school are appealing to the community to help raise funds for additional security measures after a man was spotted reportedly taking photos and videos of the building.
According to the Telegraph, last Friday, a man was seen walking up and down the pavement in front of Alma Primary in Whetstone. When confronted by the school’s security guard, he shouted: “I don’t give a f--- about Jews”, before running off.
Now parents are hoping the wider community will help them meet their target of £50,000 by Sunday to implement tighter security measures.
Sam Bianco, co-chair of Friends of Alma, told the JC: “Everyone is really shaken by this incident. I am also a member of Finchley Reform Synagogue [where there was recently an attempted arson attack], so then to have this at the school where my children are is really disturbing. We just want to keep our children safe.”
While stressing that the current security measures were “robust and the children are safe”, Sam said the additional security was about “future-proofing the school”.
The 130 school families of the state school have already raised £40,000 since the fundraiser was set up on Monday evening, but Sam said she was hoping that the wider Jewish community would now help them “get over the line”.
Shimrit Sivan Peleg, her co-chair, said: "What we are seeing is not only urgency - it is the strength of a community that has been built with care, trust and open communication over time."
Sam added: “I feel so proud that we have managed to get to where we are with just 130 families, but none of us should have to be spending our time raising money for security – we should just be focusing on education."
The Met Police have been contacted for comment.
To donate, go to: https://justgiving.com/page/friends-of-alma-50k or click here
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