Fifteen rabbis from the Golders Green area have signed a letter claiming that the proposed relocation of the local Ravenscroft Medical Centre to Finchley Memorial Hospital “discriminates against members of our Orthodox congregations”.
The letter to the Barnet Clinical Commissioning Group and other decision-making bodies reflects widespread concern over the potential 3.2 mile move of the GP practice, which has served the community for more than 70 years.
A few thousand of Ravenscroft’s 7,000 clients are Jewish, many of them elderly.
Among the letter’s signatories was Golders Green Synagogue’s senior rabbi, Harvey Belovski, who warned that relocating to the North Finchley site would preclude the religious and elderly from seeking urgent treatment on Shabbat and festivals.
