Shomrim offers to guard mosque
Neighbourhood watch group Shomrin has offered “unprecedented” help in protecting a Hackney mosque and community centre following a meeting with Muslim leaders, writes Zak Bentley.
The scheme, orchestrated by Jewish Liberal Democrat councillor Ian Sharer, was put forward in a meeting with community elders at the Cazenove Road mosque.
It will see the Jewish volunteers commit to patrol mosques in Stoke Newington and train members of the Muslim community in security matters.
“There is quite a bit of concern in the area regarding possible random attacks on Muslim properties,” said Sharer. Commenting on the initiative, he added: “We have been friends for years and it seemed like the natural thing to do.”
Amid ethnic tensions following the brutal killing of a British soldier near his Woolwich barracks, Sharer said: “This is a very serious situation. We wanted to see if we could offer them protection and security lessons.”
At the meeting – attended by Councillors Dawood Akhoon and Abraham Jacobson – Sharer revealed that “everyone got on like a house on fire”.
He added: “They agreed to co-operate. So when Shomrin go out on patrol, they will now go past several mosques to check they are fine. We have also given out our number so people can call us if they need to.”
Shomrin is a uniformed Jewish patrol set up in Stamford Hill in 2008 following concerns regarding slow police response times.
Volunteers are trained to track and detain suspects until police arrive and the group runs a 24-hour hotline for people to report incidents, such as anti-Semitic abuse.
At a follow-up meeting, Shomrin discussed the details of how they could train members of the Muslim community in security matters.
Chaim Hochauser, one of two Shomrim community leaders, called the cooperation “unprecedented” and said he hoped it would be the beginning of a long-term partnership between the two communities.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
