"They tried to firebomb my synagogue": The rise in antisemitic attacks

This episode of The Story examines a surge in anti-Semitic attacks targeting Jewish communities in London, beginning with a 17-year-old's arson attempt on the Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow. The attack, part of a series of coordinated arson incidents over recent weeks—including the firebombing of four Jewish ambulances in Golders Green and attempted attacks on synagogues in Finchley and Hendon—has sparked alarm among British Jews and civil society. The episode features insights from journalist Josh Glancy and crime editor David Wood, who detail the escalating pattern of violence, the psychological toll on the community, and the chilling normalization of such attacks. Glancy reflects on how these acts, though often non-lethal, create a pervasive atmosphere of fear, eroding basic freedoms like the right to gather safely after services. He argues that the lack of strong, unified moral condemnation—especially from progressive and left-wing voices—has allowed a dangerous ambiguity to take root, where anti-Semitism is implicitly linked to geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, despite being entirely unjustifiable. The episode concludes with a broader warning: the targeting of Jewish life in Britain may signal a deeper societal unraveling, where tolerance for ethnic and religious difference is under threat, and the community’s experience serves as a canary in the coal mine for the future of pluralism in the UK.