Council honours Jewish charity following attack

Barnet Council has given the Freedom of the Borough, its highest award, to five Jewish organisations, including an "outstanding" ambulance service targeted in a suspected arson attack earlier this year.

Four ambulances used by Hatzola Northwest were set on fire in Golders Green on 23 March, with the attack raising concerns about antisemitism.

The honorary freedom was awarded to three branches of the Hatzola organisation - Northwest, Edgware and HBS, which covers Southgate, Cockfosters, Hadley Wood and Barnet.

A report published ahead of the meeting at Hendon Town Hall on Tuesday said the award recognised the organisations' "extraordinary service to the borough".

The report said: "For many years, Hatzola volunteers have responded to thousands of medical emergencies, worked alongside statutory emergency services, promoted community health and helped save and enhance countless lives across the borough."

At the time of the attack, Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis described it as a "particularly sickening assault - not only on the Jewish community, but on the values we share as a society".

He called Hatzola's service "extraordinary", adding that its "sole mission is to protect life, Jewish and non-Jewish alike".

Three men and a teenager who are accused of arson over the attack are next due in court on 28 August.

Community Security Trust, an organisation which focuses on the safety and protection of Britain's Jewish community, and Shomrim NW London, also received the honour.

Shomrim NW London is a non-profit voluntary organisation operating within the Barnet borough. According to its website, the charity is "a mobile neighbourhood watch" that is made up of unpaid volunteers from the local community "regardless of ethnicity or religious affiliation".

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