Rabbi hides after extremist attack

An elderly rabbi who survived the Holocaust is behind locked doors today, shocked and terrified after his London synagogue was ransacked and daubed with a swastika.

Neo-Nazis are being blamed for the attack which the rabbi, who is not being named, had wanted to keep secret for fear of further violence.

He lived through Hitler's pre-war persecution of the Jews in Germany and survived the genocide that followed but, said a community leader today, the desecration of his synagogue has left him terrified. A swastika was painted under the Star of David on the rabbi's lectern in the synagogue in Finsbury Park. Green paint was poured over walls and the Ark, where sacred Biblical scrolls and scriptures were stored. At least 20 windows were smashed and the building was ransacked with a prayer shawl, scriptures and ancient books defaced.

The community spokesman said of the rabbi: "He didn't want to say anything about what happened but one of the congregation was so angry they wanted to have it reported."

The attack raised fears that the wave of anti-semitism sweeping Europe has arrived in Britain. It comes at a time of concern over the rise of Jean-Marie le Pen and his success in the French presidential elections. In this country, candidates from the British National Party are expected to do well in local elections in towns with a history of racial tension.

The synagogue is close to the Finsbury Park Mosque where militant Muslim cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri was banned from preaching last week. He has been accused of inciting hatred with his fundamentalist doctrine and there were fears that the attack on the synagogue may have been carried out by radical Muslims.

But the swastika and a Union flag placed prominently against the lectern have persuaded many among the mainly elderly congregation that far-Right extremists were involved. They apparently forced their way in on Saturday night and spent some time desecrating and spoiling the inside of the building. The vandals then defecated in the hall.

The Community Security Trust, which monitors anti-semitic attacks and intimidation, said: "The scale and sheer wantonness of the damage and the inclusion of the swastika shows the malicious intent of those who did this." Jeremy Newmark, the official spokesman for Chief Rabbi Dr Jonathan Sacks, said: "This is the first incident in the country that resembles what is happening on the Continent. It is one of the most disturbing acts we have seen."

In Europe, synagogues have been firebombed in Marseilles, Strasbourg and other French cities. In Belgium, Germany and Russia there have been reports of violent attacks on Jews and cemeteries vandalised.

British community leaders have recently warned Jews of the possibility of increased anti-semitic attacks in the wake of Israel's hardline stance against the Palestinians. Figures show a sevenfold increase in personal attacks on British Jews since the beginning of this year.

A 30-year-old sales executive who would give only his first name, Simon, said he narrowly avoided being run over when an angry driver shouting anti-Semitic abuse accelerated towards him in a north London street. He claimed that many of his friends had recently had similar experiences. He said: "A lot of people are taking off their skull caps and wearing baseball caps instead."

There was strong reaction today to the attack on the synagogue by all three main political parties. Shadow home secretary Oliver Letwin, whose Latvian Jewish grandparents fled the eastern European pogroms to come to Britain, said: "I deplore this attack, which appears to be symptomatic of a growing wave of antisemitism across Europe." He added: "All responsible politicians must unite to marginalise the extremists who are stoking up this mindless hatred."

Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy said: the attack was "frankly a shameful act. Britain is a tolerant society and and the overwhelming majority of people in this country will deplore what has happened". A Labour Party spokeswoman said the picture of the desecration was "shocking". She added: "Everyone should be able to worship in their place of religion without fear of assault."

Across Britain the BNP is fielding a record number of candidates in the council elections - 68. There are 23 in London, more than any other area, eight in the North-East, 21 in the North-West, six in the Midlands and seven in Yorkshire. There are three others in the South.

? Additional reporting by Justin Davenport and Jo Revill

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