The news this week that two people had tried to burn down Finchley Reform Synagogue in London wasn’t even surprising. Just a few weeks ago, ambulances operated by a Jewish volunteer organisation were firebombed and destroyed. In Manchester, a synagogue was attacked on Yom Kippur, leaving two people dead. Over the last couple of years, there have been around 20 documented cases of arson or firebombing attacks targeting synagogues across the world, from North Africa to Europe, North America and Australia. A synagogue in London is simply the latest in what has become a global pattern.

But this is not only about Jews. In the same period, churches have also been targeted. Across Europe, 94 church arson attacks were reported in 2024, nearly double the previous year. That amounts to almost two churches every week. And yes, there have been some attacks on mosques as well, though far, far fewer. None of these arson attacks should be tolerable or acceptable. 

There clearly is a place in our society for Jew-hatred to grow and thrive

There clearly is a place in our society for Jew-hatred to grow and thrive

In August 2024, an attacker in France, wrapped in a PLO flag, set multiple fires at a synagogue using gas canisters. In December, a historic synagogue in Melbourne was gutted by arson after accelerants were........

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