Spate of anti-Semitic attacks makes the Sabbath a day of fear in Stamford Hill

The bustling scene on the streets of Stamford Hill, north London, yesterday gave the impression there was nothing unusual about the Orthodox Jewish community's preparation for the Sabbath.

The bustling scene on the streets of Stamford Hill, north London, yesterday gave the impression there was nothing unusual about the Orthodox Jewish community's preparation for the Sabbath.

But the Charedi Jewish community was going about its normal business surrounded by a heavy police presence, both uniformed and undercover, after suffering eight anti-Semitic attacks in six weeks.

The perpetrators of this abuse, believed to be Asian and black, have taunted their victims with Nazi salutes and have repeatedly used violence, which Jewish groups say is getting worse with every attack. One victim told police he had been attacked with an iron bar.

Often, the attackers have taunted their victims before lashing out, shouting "Shalom" and "Jacob, Jacob, I want to talk to you". The assaults began two days before the Jewish festival of Hanukkah on 8 December when a 24-year-old was punched in the face. The next day a 15-year-old boy was kicked to the ground and his hat knocked off.

On 11 December, a 14-year-old was attacked as he tried to make a call in a telephone kiosk. A Nazi salute was made to a 19-year-old in a restaurant ion 5 January, and on the same day, a 49-year-old required hospital treatment after being butted. The gang also attacked a 21-year-old and tried to steal his jacket. Two days later, an 18-year-old was punched in the face.

Some of the victims have been tended to by the Jewish charity ambulance service Hatzola. Local safety groups believe the victims were picked upon because they had beards and curls and were wearing skull-caps and the Star of David.

Stamford Hill is home to the largest community of Charedi Jews in Britain, most of whom are descendants of Holocaust survivors.

The Metropolitan Police believe the gang of attackers could come from outside the area. Stamford Hill has a large number of Jews and Muslims who have lived side by side peacefully for decades. Officers have ruled out an Islamic extremist group.

Det Chief Insp Ian Chiverton, from Hackney police, who is leading the investigation said: "We have been working closely with the local community... to identify those responsible."

The community has enlisted trained "volunteers" to stand outside synagogues and Jewish schools to warn of any trouble. A local initiative has been set up in which people in danger can contact the wider Jewish community with a text message.

Hackney Council, which covers Stamford Hill, says there is a relatively low level of racially motivated attacks among its residents. Almost half of the residents in some parts of Stamford Hill are of Jewish origin.

Angel Zatorski, 29, who has lived in the area for a year and a half, said she was surprised by the incidents. "I have not heard of anything like this happening before in all the time I've been here," she said. "The Jewish community is very private and peaceful here, as is the Muslim community. I live on a street in which everybody is Jewish and it is unsettling to think this group exists because they are visible, easy targets."

Another resident said: "People are worried and insecure. No one wants to live like this."

Rabbi Abraham Pinter, who practises in the area, said the large Muslim community got on well with their Jewish neighbours. "The evidence is that the perpetrators are coming from outside the borough. They would like to create divisions between us but are very unlikely to succeed," he said.

The Community Safety Trust (CST), a charity that records anti-Semitic attacks, warned that the assaults reflected a growing trend of violence against Jews in Britain.

Michael Whine, CST's communications director, said anti-Semitic violence had "risen substantially" in the past few years, and there was evidence to suggest that the majority of such crimes were committed by Islamic extremist groups.

The rise usually reflected tensions in the Middle East and rose discernibly during the Iraq war, he said.

"We have seen a worrying rise over the past few years on people who are easily identifiable as Jewish. "People are worried and feel insecure," he said, adding: "I have got teenage daughters who are concerned about going out. No one wants to live like this."