London ambulance attack reverberates at home

Hatzolah Melbourne has increased security measures after four ambulances belonging to the Jewish volunteer emergency service in the UK were firebombed in London on Monday, in what police are treating as an antisemitic hate crime.

Victoria Police moved swiftly to reassure Melbourne’s Jewish community, dispatching officers to Hatzolah’s North Caulfield headquarters within hours of news breaking of the attack.

Superintendent Marty Burke, local commander for Glen Eira and Bayside, revealed the deployment at a Jewish community meeting on Monday night.

“We know there was an incident this afternoon involving Hatzola in London,” Burke told the Jewish Community Council of Victoria (JCCV) plenum.

“So our members were straight to Hatzolah in North Caulfield, engaging with them, working out some strategies on how they deal with that situation.”