'Shocking but not unexpected': Jewish community reacts to Golders Green ambulance attack

In Golders Green the smell of smoke still lingers in the air. The source - the smell of the remains of burnt out ambulances, which lie blackened in a car park next to a synagogue in the north-west London suburb. In the early hours of Monday, four Jewish charity-run ambulances were set alight at the site, leading to explosions that caused the windows of nearby buildings to shatter and the evacuation of some residents. While no-one was hurt, the incident - which is being treated as an antisemitic hate crime and investigated by counter-terror police officers - has left members of the Jewish community feeling increasingly unsettled and fearful. "It's a shock," said Jack Taub, who is on the leadership team of the Machzike Hadath Synagogue, where the incident took place. But he adds: "I can't say no-one was expecting it". Taub's words have been echoed by other members of the Jewish community who have spoken to the BBC since the attack. "It's very shocking, [but] it's not unexpected," said Shimon Ryde, local resident and councillor of Golders Green. "The Jewish community is very aware of the danger we live in." Ben, who only gave the BBC his first name, added: "I think I can speak for the