Afterwards, Shine said the King “genuinely cared about how I was getting on and my recovery. He wouldn’t let go of my hand. It was so special he came today”.
King Charles meets Golders Green stabbing victim, Michael Shine (Credit: grainge photography ltd)[Missing Credit]
Accompanied by Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis, the King also met emergency first responders from Hatzola – the Jewish community’s volunteer ambulance service – including chairman Laurence Blitz, Etty Hager, Stuart Richman and Avrumi Weisenfeld, and clinical lead Kevin Cuddon.
The King asked the Hatzola volunteers about their training, backgrounds and operational jurisdiction, including whether they were all trained paramedics. “The demand unfortunately never stops,” the King remarked, as he thanked them for their “extraordinary service”.
King Charles meets a Hatzola volunteer (Image: Grainge Photography)[Missing Credit]
Four Hatzola ambulances were targeted in an arson attack in Golders Green in late March. The incident was followed by a series of attacks throughout April, including attempted synagogue firebombings and vandalism.
His Majesty also met members of Shomrim, the Jewish community’s volunteer security organisation operating in north London. He asked about their trtaining, the equipment they wear while on duty, and whether they were trained to “disarm” adversaries.
King Charles meets Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis (Credit: grainge photography ltd)[Missing Credit]
Representing Shomrim was CEO Gary Ost and volunteer trustees Sheldon Bodner and Steven Bak. Also present to meet the King were the two emergency response volunteers who first responded to the Golders Green stabbing, Yonathan Elkouby and Yitzi Lipszyc.
His Majesty saw a Shomrim volunteer recite the Baruch Shechalak prayer, said for a meeting with a king.
King Charles meets members of Hatzola (Credit: grainge photography ltd)[Missing Credit]
The King also met leaders of CST, including deputy chair Sir Lloyd Dorfman, chair Sir Gerald Ronson and CEO Mark Gardner. In March, CST announced that King Charles had become the organisation’s first-ever royal patron.
Other senior representatives of the Jewish community who met His Majesty included Board of Deputies president Phil Rosenberg; Jewish Leadership Council chair Keith Black; and Jewish Care CEO Daniel Carmel-Brown, chairman Marcus Sperber and life president Lord Levy.
Rosenberg, holding a “Jewish Culture Month” tote bag, explained to the King that the initiative aimed to bring about “more joy and less oy”.
Board of Deputies President Phil Rosenberg shows King Charles a 'Jewish Culture Month' tote bag[Missing Credit]
Also present were Union of Jewish Students president Louis Danker and sabbatical officers Samantha Cass and Naomi Bernstein.
Danker told the King about the work of UJS, which supports around 10,000 Jewish students across the country. The King asked about antisemitism on campus, to which Danker replied that it had become “unfortunately normalised”. They also discussed the role of social media in sowing division and spreading hate, before the King thanked them for their “marvellous work”.
The Chief Rabbi told the King that Jewish students in Britain had maintained an “amazing community”, through which the Jewish community “has fantastic future leaders”.
Alongside senior civic and religious figures from the Jewish community, the King also met local MP Sarah Sackman, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, Mayor of Barnet Danny Rich and local council leaders.
King Charles with Police Chief Mark Rowley (centre) (Image: Grainge Photography)[Missing Credit]
Speaking to the King, Rowley said the Jewish community was facing threats from multiple fronts, including Iran in the form of state-sponsored terrorism.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ben Russell – Britain’s highest-ranking Jewish police officer – told the King that Jewish police officers, while small in number, played a “crucial” role within the force and that it was important for the Metropolitan Police to include officers familiar with Jewish neighbourhoods and the wider community.
Also present were Jewish denominational leaders, including Progressive Judaism co-leads Rabbis Josh Levy and Charley Baginsky, and Masorti senior rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg. The Chief Rabbi told the King that the entire Jewish community “enormously appreciated” his solidarity visit to Golders Green.
Following his visit to Jewish Care, King Charles stepped outside to greet members of the public before entering Grodz kosher deli next door, where he met the owner and was presented with a challah.
Upon stepping outside, he was greeted with rapturous applause from Golders Green residents lining the streets, alongside shouts of “long live the King” and renditions of the national anthem.
His Majesty told those waiting: “I hope I haven’t disrupted your normal activities too much.”
