“We had one incident a few years ago when somebody did a Nazi salute in our cafe. We called for help and security turned up literally a minute later. They were amazing. We were so grateful. They tried to buy drinks afterwards and I told them, ‘no, it is on us’.
“We then decided to make it our official policy – free drinks for those who keep us safe.”
Golders Green has seen a number of antisemitic incidents over the last few months, including the burning of the Hatzola ambulances in March and the stabbing attack in April, both of which are being investigated as antisemitic hate crimes.
Beit Cafe in Golders Green (Image: Emi Shamir)[Missing Credit]
“We see the CST and police on the streets now more than ever. We give away around 20 or 30 drinks a day. It isn’t much for us and it is nice to do a good deed – it is part of being Jewish.
“It is the right thing to do. We want to show them the appreciation that they deserve.”
Shamir said there is such a sense of community that customers sometimes try to pay for CST volunteers and she has to tell them that they do not need to, they will be getting their drinks free anyway.
The UK has seen the hottest week of the year this week and Shamir says that they “deserve a nice cold drink when they come in”.
The selfless policy has also ended up helping to make Beit’s other customers feel safer, as perhaps expectedly, the cafe has become quite a popular destination for security volunteers and police in the area.
“Many of my staff are youngsters from Israel, and their families over there are worried about them given what is going on giving the number of antisemitic attacks on our streets here. It helps them to feel safe at least in the cafe.”
