Archbishop Bernard Longley, Archbishop of Birmingham and Chairman of the Bishops’ Conference Department for Dialogue and Unity, has expressed his deep sadness and closeness with the Jewish community following an antisemitic attack on four Hatzola ambulances.
Lamenting the “deliberate destruction of emergency vehicles that serve people of every background”, Archbishop Longley called for solidarity with the Jewish community and condemned “any act that seeks to instil fear or undermine their sense of safety and belonging in our shared society.”
The Archbishop, who serves as a Consultor to the Holy See’s Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews called for a renewed commitment to understanding and fraternity across all communities, reaffirming that “such violence contradicts the values held dearly across our faith traditions: the safeguarding of life, mutual respect, and the building of peace.”
The full statement can be read below.
“It is with deep sadness that I express my closeness to the Jewish community following the shocking arson attack on Hatzola ambulances in Golders Green in the early hours of this morning.
“The deliberate destruction of emergency vehicles that serve people of every background is an assault on the dignity of human life itself. As we learn from police that this incident is being treated as an antisemitic hate crime, we join our Jewish brothers and sisters in condemning any act that seeks to instil fear or undermine their sense of safety and belonging in our shared society.
“As a Consultor to the Holy See’s Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews, I reaffirm that such violence contradicts the values held dearly across our faith traditions: the safeguarding of life, mutual respect, and the building of peace.
“At this painful moment, we stand together with all who reject hatred and work tirelessly for understanding and fraternity. I pray for healing for the community in Golders Green, for the swift identification of those responsible, and for renewed commitment to protect and strengthen the bonds that unite us.”
Archbishop Bernard Longley
Chairman of the Bishops’ Conference Department for Dialogue and Unity
Archbishop of Birmingham
