It was not a normal Kabbalat Shabbat last Friday at Finchley Reform Synagogue, the shul hit by the firebomb attack on April 14.
The entire local community – Jewish and non-Jewish – had turned up to show support for an institution that opens its doors to the homeless every Christmas.
As well as the dignitaries you would expect – mayor, local MP, senior Met policeman – there were Christian and Muslim neighbours and members of the Somali Bravanese community, who had brought their children to hold up sweet signs of support.
There was the support from the outside, but there was also huge strength inside. Everyone I talked to spoke of resilience.
Speaking before the service, co-lead of Progressive Judaism Rabbi Josh Levy said: “We are constantly struck by the resilience of our communities, their commitment to carrying on, to continuing to be open, warm, engaging spaces that reach out and are part of their local communities… We should be very proud of ourselves as communities that we carry on with the work of Jewish life and the joy of Jewish life, and that’s what we see here right now.”
During the hour before the service, the foyer filled not just with hundreds of community members, but local MP Sarah Sackman, deputy commissioner of the Met Police Matt Jukes, deputy lieutenant for Barnet Martin Russell, and Barnet mayor Rabbi Danny Rich.
Everyone was there to stand together with the Jewish community – but also to share a little sweetness.
The Somali community – who themselves were supported by the synagogue when their centre was wrecked in an arson attack 13 years ago and the shul welcomed them for evening Ramadan prayers – had baked doughnuts.
Citizens UK, made up of hundreds of social justice organisations, had brought a daisy chain with each flower bearing a message of support written by children.
“We’re family,” said Noelle Doona, assistant headteacher at Hendon School, pointing to messages on the daisy chain such as “ignore the bad times and focus on the good”.
There was singing in the foyer, soothing a room full of battered and anxious community members.
Everyone I talked to spoke of resilience. “I feel deeply upset,” said Sarah Sackman, praising an area “characterised by good neighbours”. “The people who did this don’t share our values. They try to intimidate this community, and instead what you see is the resilience.”
Strength and resilience were also watch-words at Kenton Synagogue, which was targeted by a firebomb attack on Saturday night.
Roy Block, 79, a member of the shul for 50 years and a former vice-chair, said: “People are shaken up but we are not going to be beaten by any hatred. The community are really resilient.”
He made a point of going to the shacharit service on Sunday morning which had been moved to the rabbi’s home, where more attended than usual.
“We are optimistic going forward and we have got a celebration for Yom Ha’atzmaut tonight,” he said on Tuesday. “I’m guessing there will be more people than normal.”
Kenton’s minister, Rabbi Yehuda Black, in a video message recorded at Sunday’s service, said he had initially thought he would go to another synagogue to pray in the morning after the attack. But his wife Yehudit told him, “You can’t do that… We must stand together and we must make a minyan in our home and that’s what we have done.”
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