Police in the United Kingdom have opened an investigation after two suspects threw Molotov cocktails at the Finchley Reform Synagogue on Fallow Court in London shortly after midnight between Tuesday and Wednesday. The devices did not ignite, and no damage was caused.
No injuries were reported in the incident, which is being investigated as an antisemitic hate crime.
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Police cars outside Finchley Reform Synagogue after firebomb attack
(Photo: Leon Neal/Getty Images)
The Campaign Against Antisemitism warned that the attack is part of a troubling trend of escalating assaults on Jewish communities across Britain and called on authorities to take more decisive action against extremism.
“Attacks on Jews and community institutions in this country are only getting worse," a spokesman for the organization said. "In the past, ambulances were set on fire — and now attempts are being made to burn down synagogues. Fortunately, no one was harmed this time, but the question is what the next target will be.” The spokesperson added that the group thanks police for their response and urges the public to assist in the investigation.
Anna Kislanski, CEO of the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism, called the attack a "shocking incident."
"It illustrates how antisemitism is not a phenomenon of the past, but a real and immediate threat," she said. "When a Reform synagogue becomes a target, this is not only an attack on a specific community — it is an attack on freedom of religion, on pluralism and on the very right of Jews to live their Judaism openly and safely.”
According to police, an urgent investigation has been launched to locate the suspects, who were described as wearing dark clothing and ski caps. No arrests have been made so far.
The incident comes just weeks after an antisemitic arson attack in which ambulances belonging to a Jewish emergency organization were set on fire outside a synagogue in Golders Green. Detective Chief Inspector Luke Williams said police are aware of the concern caused by the incident and stressed it is being treated “with the utmost seriousness.”
Russia: Jewish graves vandalized
Unknown individuals vandalized graves at a cemetery in the city of Dzerzhinsk, Russia, knocking over and damaging multiple headstones, local media reported Tuesday.
Initial reports indicated that at least 10 Jewish gravestones were affected, raising suspicions of an antisemitic motive.
Images shared on social media by a local blogger showed a row of toppled headstones, some located in the Jewish section of the cemetery.
However, police later updated that a preliminary inspection found a total of 16 fallen headstones in different parts of the cemetery, and said it is not yet possible to determine definitively that Jewish graves were specifically targeted. Authorities noted that intentional vandalism is being investigated, but other possibilities have not been ruled out.
Police said that if deliberate damage is confirmed, legal action will be taken. Investigators are continuing to collect evidence at the scene in an effort to determine the circumstances of the incident.