A brazen vandal tore a mezuzah from the doorway of a synagogue and a kosher restaurant in north-west London on Saturday morning.
CCTV footage shows the suspect, dressed in a hooded jacket and clutching a drink, tearing the fixture from a kosher restaurant in north London just before 7am on Saturday.
Moments later, without hesitation and in broad daylight, he approached the entrance of a synagogue, forcefully wrenching the mezuzah from the doorpost and pocketing it while walking away.
The two shocking acts were caught on the shul’s security cameras and a camera inside the restaurant itself.
The suspect pocketed the mezuzah as he walked away on the quiet street[Missing Credit]
Staff at the kosher restaurant discovered the damage the following morning and immediately informed the owner, who did not want to be named.
The restaurateur has lived in the UK for 12 years and was left shaken by the incident. “It makes me want to go to Israel,” he told the JC. “How can I feel safe here?”
His concerns go beyond the stolen mezuzah. “If I had been inside, who knows what could have happened? He could have had a knife and come into my restaurant. You never know.”
Fearing further attacks, he added: “This is a serious crime. It was the mezuzah today – tomorrow, it could be a rock through the window. I’m very worried.”
The restaurant opened just two months ago, and the owner said he has never experienced an attack like this in London before. He has vowed to stay at the restaurant around the clock to protect it and said that he would be affixing a new mezuzah very soon.
The restaurateur added that he believes the act was a clear-cut hate crime. “When someone does this, they’re saying they hate Jews. He didn’t target anything to do with Hamas, Israel, or the IDF – he took the one thing that means the most to Jewish people: the mezuzah.
“This is what happened during the Holocaust. The Nazis tore mezuzahs from Jewish homes – this is exactly the same. It’s antisemitic, plain and simple.”
In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said: “Police were called at around 11:00hrs on Saturday, March 22 to reports of vandalism and anti-social behaviour at a restaurant and synagogue.
“Early reports indicate a mezuzah was taken off the restaurant door before the suspects fled the scene.
“An investigation is underway and enquiries are ongoing.”
