Worshippers at a London mosque
Worshippers at a London mosqueReuters

A London mosque has turned to a local group of Jewish volunteers in attempt to boost security, following a spike in anti-Muslim attacks.

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The Jewish Chronicle reported on a unique meeting which took place over the weekend between Muslim leaders and members of the "Shomrim", at the Cazenove Road Mosque and Community Centre in Stoke Newington.
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The Shomrim are a group of Jewish volunteers who work with local authorities to combat local crime, including anti-Semitism. Chapters also exist in the United States.

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There has been a rise in anti-Muslim hate crimes in Britain, following the brutal murder of an off-duty British soldier, Drummer Lee Rigby, by Muslim extremists in Woolwich, in south-east London.

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According to the Jewish Chronicle, it was a local Liberal Democrat councillor, Ian Sharer, who brought the two groups together, following a request by the local Muslim community who were concerned about a series of violent attacks in the area.

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"This seemed like a natural thing to do. This is a very serious situation, and so I thought, why not call my friends from Shomrim? We wanted to see if we could offer them protection and also security lessons.”

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According to Sharer, the meeting was "a great success."

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"The Shomrim patrols have agreed to include the local mosques and other buildings as part of their routine patrols. Both Shomrim and the North London Community Centre are great organisations and it’s nice to bring them together.”

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Chaim Hochhauser, supervisor of Shomrim patrol, hailed the meeting as "just the beginning of a long term partnership between the two communities."