The Board of Deputies of British Jews advised London synagogue officials today to make arrangements for volunteer patrols to guard their buildings from vandals at night, particularly during the coming High Holy Days.
The Board’s action indicated that Jewish authorities had come to the conclusion that British Jewry could not rely solely on the police to protect synagogues from hooliganism. During the first seven months of 1965, it was noted, 11 synagogues have been the targets of arson attacks and, in only one case, has there been an arrest.
The Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen asked its members to volunteer for such guard duty. Such patrols have been set up for some synagogues since the rash of arson and vandalism began 11 months ago, but the arrangements have been only on an individual synagogue basis.
Some experts were reported as believing that the attacks on synagogues and a reported 55 instances of anti-Semitic poster placements and swastika daubing did not stem from a central organization.
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