Credit: Leah Kofman via Facebook
Four ambulances from the Jewish volunteer service Hatzalah were set on fire in Golders Green, overnight. Police are treating the arson attack as an antisemitic hate crime and have launched an investigation.
The Shomrim, a neighbourhood watch group operating in the area said it was aware of "loud explosions" early this morning. They reported the fire at 1.40am. Six fire engines and around 40 firefighters have been at the scene, with
A manhunt for three suspects is under way. Surveillance footage shared on social media appears to show several hooded or masked men pouring gasoline on the vehicles before fleeing the scenes.
The president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, Phil Rosenberg, said in a statement: “We shall not be moved. Ambulances, like those of the wonderful Hatzalah organisation, point to the Jewish obligation to ‘choose life’. By contrast, the despicable individuals who committed an arson attack on ambulances in Golders Green this morning show the emptiness of their cause.”
British Jews recorded 3,700 antisemitic incidents in 2025, constituting a slight increase over the previous year and the second-highest tally on record, the Community Security Trust (CST) watchdog group said last month.
Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis stated that "the deliberate arson attacks against Hatzalah ambulances in London are a particularly sickening assault - not only on the Jewish community, but on the values we share as a society. Our Hatzalah volunteer ambulance corps is an extraordinary service, whose sole mission is to protect life, Jewish and non-Jewish alike. The targeting of Hatzalah by people so committed to terror, hatred and the desecration of life is a most painful illustration of the ongoing battle between those who sanctify life and those who seek to destroy it. At a time when Jewish communities around the world are facing a growing pattern of these violent attacks, we will meet this moment with shared resolve and stand together against hatred and intimidation."
The Jewish community in Golders Green - a kind of European Brooklyn - is home to a notable Jewish community that promotes Jewish life not only in London but in many other countries, including Portugal.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemns ‘deeply shocking antisemitic attack’ after ambulances torched. Starmer says that the torching of London Jewish community ambulances overnight at a synagogue in Golders Green was a “deeply shocking antisemitic attack. My thoughts are with the Jewish community who are waking up this morning to this horrific news. Antisemitism has no place in our society”, he stated.
