The Northwood United Synagogue (NUS) chairman said the shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh last month “came as a shock” to the whole Jewish community.
An American gunman shot 11 worshippers dead in a massacre at a Pittsburgh synagogue on Saturday, October 27.
NUS chairman, Alan Moss, said the news impacted Shul-goers in Northwood and Pinner.
He commented: “It is incredibly concerning. The rise of antisemitism worldwide is of great concern to the Jewish community and it came as a shock. To have an event like this happen in America has shaken the whole UK community, because America is meant to be one of the most accepting and tolerant places.”
The chairman suggested that the shooting is only the latest addition to recent anti-Semitism.
“The Jewish community is more aware than it has been in the past of antisemitism. It hadn’t reared its head for many years here, but the last two years, we’ve seen more and more incidents across Europe.”
As a precaution, NUS put up a fence along its premises several months ago, which ensures that people can only enter the Synagogue through a coded electronic gate.
But Alan says the NUS will further increase surveillance after the shooting.
He said: “There’s no other religion that needs security outside its schools and places of worship. It’s telling that they need security.
“Anti-Semitism died at the end of the Second World War, but the last couple of years it feels like it’s becoming ingrained in society again.
“As far as I’m concerned, there should be tolerance from all religions. There isn’t one bad religion out there, we should all be tolerant of each other.”
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