A Jewish man seriously wounded in the Golders Green stabbing attack in north London said he survived by “a very big miracle” and warned that fear among British Jews had reached a new level.
Speaking to the BBC from his hospital bed, Shloime Rand, 34, said: “I feel like God's given me back my life.” He was one of two Jewish men stabbed in Wednesday’s attack, alongside Moshe Shine, 76, who was stabbed in the neck at a bus stop and remains hospitalized.
The Golders Green stabbing attack
Rand did not want his face shown publicly, but asked a friend to film him in the hospital to convey the severity of the attack. He said he was grateful his injuries had not been worse.
“I would have been even happier if nothing would have happened, but you know, in this situation I'm very happy that I survived and I can talk,” he said.
“I've had a stab to my chest, and yes, my lungs have to recover.
“The oxygen was now reduced, and I hope I'll be better soon.”
Rand said he had been walking down the street when the attacker approached him and “just stabbed me in the chest.”
“I managed to jump back, so thank God he didn't manage to take my life.”
According to a friend who filmed Rand in the hospital and spoke to British broadcaster ITV, Rand’s Hasidic clothing may have helped save him from even more serious injury because the knife failed to penetrate the thick layers of fabric.
The arrest of the attacker after he stabbed two Jews outside London synagogue
Police Tasered and arrested the suspect, Essa Suleiman, 45, a British citizen who arrived in the UK from Somalia in the early 1990s. He remains in police custody after being arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
The Metropolitan Police said Suleiman had a “history of serious violence and mental health issues” and had been referred to the government’s counterterrorism Prevent program in 2020. Police said the case was closed that same year.
Asked whether enough had been done to combat antisemitism, Rand told the BBC “definitely not,” saying statements from Downing Street were “not enough.”
“It's terrible, and it can no longer be ignored by the government. You know, when it's come to a point that people's lives are in danger.
“I have friends and people telling me they're scared to walk in the street, and they look all around them, they don't know what's going on.
“People are now afraid and it's been taken to a new level.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Thursday that his government was doing “everything in our power to stamp this hatred out” and promised to strengthen security. But his visit to the scene of the attack drew anger from protesters, some of whom shouted “traitor” and “Keir Starmer, Jew harmer.”
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UK's Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the scene met with cries of 'traitor'
(Photo: Stefan Rousseau/ AFP)
London Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley was also heckled at the scene on the day of the attack, with protesters shouting “resign” and “shame on you.” Similar chants were directed at London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
UK Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis called for “meaningful action” to address the roots of antisemitism, while the Board of Deputies of British Jews said antisemitism must be “confronted, punished and deterred with the full force of the state.”
The British government on Thursday announced an additional £25 million in security funding for Jewish communities. The money will be used to increase police patrols and protection around synagogues, schools and community centers, bringing the total commitment this year to £58 million.
The Golders Green attack and the new security package follow weeks of antisemitic violence targeting Jewish communities in Britain, including arson and vandalism attacks against synagogues, cultural centers and community ambulances.