An arson attack leaves Britain's Jewish community feeling vulnerable

British police are hunting three suspects after an arson attack on ambulances that has left Britain's Jewish community feeling vulnerable

LONDON -- British police hunted three suspects on Tuesday over an arson attack on a Jewish charity’s ambulances and pledged to step up security around a community that feels increasingly at risk.

The blaze in Golders Green, a London neighborhood with a large Jewish population, consumed four ambulances belonging to the volunteer organization Hatzola Northwest. Oxygen cylinders on the vehicles exploded, breaking windows in an adjacent apartment block. Also shattered was the community’s shaky sense of security, already strained by wars in the Middle East and what many say is soaring hatred of Jews.

“We’re feeling vulnerable,” said Damon Hoff, president of the Machzike Hadath Synagogue, where the ambulances were parked. Some of the building’s stained-glass windows were damaged in the blast.

“We know what’s going on,” Hoff said. “Nobody’s eyes are closed. We’re living through wars. There’s multiple fronts, and Britain is a part of it, and our community is a tiny little part of a very, very big world.”

Britain’s Jewish community is long-established but tiny as a percentage of the population, numbering about 300,000. The northwest London suburb of Golders Green is one of its epicenters, home to kosher restaurants, multiple Jewish schools and several dozen synagogues.