REPRISAL IN LONDON

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26349, 2 January 1947, Page 5

REPRISAL IN LONDON

SYNAGOGUE DAMAGED LONDON, Dec. 30. Scotland Yard detectives found the words “You whip, we burn,” chalked on the stone pillar of the main entrance of a synagogue at Willesden, a London suburb. Worshippers arriving for the morning service found part of the building on fire. The Holy. Ark was severely damaged, and 12 sacred scrolls in it were destroyed The synagogue was entered through a window. The rabbi said the scrolls were the most sacred things in the synagogue, and very expensive to replace. The board of deputies of British Jews issued a statement in reference to the fire saying: “ Those who watched with concern the re-emergence in the streets of East London of known prewar Fascist aeitators will be shocked but not surprised at the hooliganism which resulted in the desecration of the sacred scrolls, and evidence of mten--*on to set fire to the synagogue. This *vpe of hooliganism has recently been '•learlv indicated at street corner meetings organised bv former members of ib“ British Union of Fascists.” Sir Robert Walev Cohen, president of the United Synagogue Council, on t statement on the attempt to set fire to th° synagogue said: “It is mv dutv to express the feel in g 0 f every decent man in this country at the dastardly desecration perpetuated by some m•endiarv rascals—the enemies of civni=ed society.”