Vandal tears off religious items from London synagogue, kosher restaurant

London restaurateur accuses vandal of antisemitism after CCTV footage shows man ripping Jewish religious markers off of doorways of his restaurant and a synagogue.

By World Israel News Staff

A London synagogue and a kosher restaurant were targeted by a vandal who tore off Jewish religious items from the entrances to both establishments in what the restaurant’s owner dubbed an antisemitic hate crime.

The incident occurred at around 7:00 a.m. Saturday in north London when a man wearing a hooded jacket and face mask approached the entrance to a kosher restaurant, which was closed at the time given that it was the Sabbath, and tore off the mezuzah from the doorpost.

Mezuzahs – or mezuzot – are small pieces of parchment with Torah passages written by a trained scribe and placed in a small box and fitted on the doorways of homes and businesses owned or rented by observant Jews.

The vandal then proceeded and tore the mezuzah off of a nearby synagogue entrance.

Both acts of vandalism were caught on security cameras positioned in the synagogue and the restaurant.

Restaurant staff discovered the vandalism early Sunday morning as they prepared the eatery for business, while synagogue-goers spotted the missing mezuzah during the Sabbath.

Criminal complaints have been filed with police over the vandalism.

A London Metropolitan Police spokesperson confirmed that the reports were received and that an investigation has been launched.

“Police were called at around 11:00 on Saturday, March 22 to reports of vandalism and anti-social behavior at a restaurant and synagogue,” the Metropolitan Police said. “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.”

The restaurant owner told the London-based Jewish Chronicle that the incident has made him consider immigrating to Israel.

“It makes me want to go to Israel. How can I feel safe here?” he said. “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 the Jewish people.”