Barnet is proudly home to the largest Jewish population in the UK. Sadly, Since October 7, 2023, the imported impact of international conflict on the daily lives of our Jewish communities has been immense and unacceptable. Before the local elections, the Leader of Barnet Council, Barry Rawlings, spoke at the London Jewish Community Hustings about how antisemitism had become normalised and pledged to never allow international conflict to be imported into the running of the Council.
Following the local elections, I attended a council-organised roundtable of Barnet head teachers to gather evidence on the specific and collective impact of antisemitism on Barnet’s school communities, particularly Jewish schools, to feed into the government’s review. The testimony we heard was harrowing and it will shape our action going forward.
Standing up to antisemitism and all other forms of hate – as well as promoting community cohesion – is fundamental to this council. Following his re-election as Leader of Barnet Council in May, Cllr Barry Rawlings made clear that this will remain a priority for his administration. And collaboration is also key: Labour and Conservative councillors will work together, as we have always done, with the police as part of our local community safety partnership to tackle antisemitism and strengthen the cohesion that has always been part of Barnet.
Recent local incidents have underlined the urgency to Cllr Rawlings’ pledge. Since the arson attack on Hatzola’s ambulances, residents have witnessed a spate of arson and attempted arson attacks targeting properties connected to the Jewish community, as well as the horrific stabbings of two Jewish men in Golders Green, which rightly drew national condemnation.
These events, and the daily hate crimes which are reported to the police, are not only crimes against individuals but also are attacks on the sense of safety and belonging that underpins community life for Barnet as a whole. They demand a strong, coordinated and visible response.
Barnet Council continues to work in strong partnership with the Metropolitan Police, the Community Security Trust, Shomrim, and local faith and community leaders. We are listening to community concerns and recommendations, and we are acting on them. For example, in immediate response to the recent spate of attacks, and at the request of community leaders, we used our network of street-level digital display screens to provide information and reassurance about the police action being taken during the Passover period.
Alongside safety and reassurance measures, we are also investing in better ways to work with local communities. We have brought together grassroots organisations, faith leaders and residents in an unprecedented programme of engagement. Through roundtables with 58 organisations, a “Leader Listens” programme reaching nearly 400 residents, including marginalised voices, and campaigns shaped directly by communities, we are opening dialogue and building resilience from the ground up. For the Jewish communities this has included roundtables and community learning for council staff. As well as events aimed at helping frontline professionals working with children, young people, and families feel confident, informed, and culturally competent in their practice.
But talk alone is not enough. Tackling antisemitism and all forms of hate must include better education, understanding and prevention, as well as active enforcement. The government’s recent allocation of £500,000 over two years to support Barnet’s community cohesion work is a vital investment in turning listening into wider and deeper action. This funding, which is in addition to and separate from the multi-million-pound funding that has been allocated by the government to the Community Security Trust for safety, will allow us to expand this work further. It will focus on addressing key issues and concerns raised by community representatives including on allyship; tackling antisemitism and disinformation; education; and healthcare. We will be developing this programme with wider and deeper community engagement and co-production.
We are always encouraged by the way our communities build resilience and support each other during difficult times.
In Finchley, only a few days after suffering an attempted firebomb attack, the Finchley Reform Synagogue held its Shabbat service which was attended by community members of many faiths. This included members of the Somali Bravenese community whose own centre was destroyed in an arson attack 13 years ago. On that occasion, realising their Muslim neighbours would be without anywhere to pray as Ramadan approached, FRS offered them the use of the synagogue for evening prayers.
These acts of support and kindness demonstrate Barnet’s inherent way of community life. We will continue to confront antisemitism head-on and strengthen community ties, so that Barnet is a secure and welcoming home for the UK’s Jewish heartland.
Our thanks, as always, go to the local faith and community leaders and all those residents who have stepped in to provide support wherever they can. And to the Community Security Trust and Shomrim, as well as the Metropolitan Police for all our partnership and care as we respond to these ongoing challenges together.
Cllr Sara Conway is a cabinet member for Community Safety, Community Cohesion and Ending Violence Against Women & Girls at Barnet Council
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