They Burned Our Ambulances, Not Our Resolve
A thought for Shabbat Hagadol - Tzav
On Monday morning, we woke to images that turn the stomach. Four ambulances, vehicles whose absolute sole purpose is to save lives, were reduced to charred, twisted metal in Golders Green. The shattered glass and the blackened frames speak of a profound, targeted hatred. To attack a Jewish volunteer emergency service is not simply an act of vandalism. It is an assault on the very principle of preserving human life. It is entirely natural to feel outrage, vulnerability and a deep, aching exhaustion when confronted with such blatant antisemitism on our streets. We are allowed to be angry. We are allowed to be horrified by this violation of our community's safety.
Yet, as we confront this darkness, our tradition offers us a vital counter-narrative. In this week's Torah portion, Parashat Tzav, we are given a starkly contrasting image of fire. The text commands us: “A perpetual fire shall be kept burning on the altar, it shall not go out” [1]. The priests are instructed to tend this eish tamid, this eternal flame, with meticulous care. They must add fresh wood and clear away the suffocating ashes every single morning.
The arsonists in North London used fire as a weapon of terror, a crude tool designed to intimidate, to silence and to erase. The fire of our Jewish tradition is entirely different. Our fire is the warmth of community, the light of Torah and the burning, uncompromising passion for justice and compassion.
When those who hate us try to define our Jewish presence in the UK through acts of violence, they drastically underestimate the stubborn resilience of our flame. We absolutely refuse to let our identity or our future be dictated by those who wish us harm.
The burnt shells of those ambulances are a devastating sight. But look at what happened next. The community did not retreat into the shadows. The volunteers did not walk away from their calling to heal the sick, regardless of who needs help. If anything, the resolve to care for others, to fiercely protect our democratic values and to live proudly and openly as Jews has only deepened.
This is the true meaning of the perpetual fire. It does not burn on miracles alone. It burns because ordinary, courageous people make the conscious, daily choice to add fuel to the flames of solidarity and hope.
Keeping this fire alive in the face of such raw hatred is demanding work. If we try to carry the weight of this outrage alone, we risk being consumed by the very anger we are fighting. We must share the vigil. We must stand firm together, helping each other clear away the ashes of despair, so that the embers of our shared values have the oxygen to breathe. Let those who seek to frighten us see that our light is not diminished. Let them see that our commitment to life, to democracy and to one another burns brighter than ever.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Adrian M. Schell
[1] Leviticus 6:6.
