We Believe Alliance notes the comments made by the Health Secretary following the arson attack on Hatzolah ambulances, including his recognition that “the answer cannot simply be higher walls, thicker doors, more CCTV” and that we must “deal with this hatred at its source.”
While any offer of support is welcome in principle, the extraordinary response today, with close to one million pounds raised within hours, demonstrates that the community is more than capable of restoring what was lost. Replacing vehicles does nothing to address the conditions that allowed this attack to happen, nor does it confront the rise in antisemitism, the tolerance of extremist rhetoric on Britain’s streets, or the ideologies and networks that continue to fuel hatred.
What cannot be so easily restored is a sense of safety.
The Health Secretary has acknowledged that the real issue lies deeper. That recognition must now be matched by action. Words about tackling hatred at its source carry weight only if they are followed by a clear and serious strategy to confront it.
This was not simply an attack on property. It was an attack on a community and on those who dedicate themselves to saving lives.
If the government is serious about standing with the Jewish community, it must now act on its own stated position. It will be judged not on gestures, but on whether it is prepared to once and for all confront antisemitism at its source and take the decisive steps required to stop it.