Yonathan Elkouby “didn’t think twice” and dropped everything to tackle the knifeman in Golders Green when his radio alerted him to the incident. The 33-year-old has volunteered for Shomrim, a Jewish organisation that helps protect people from crime, for five years, and said it isn’t the first time he has had a “knife in his face” amid a growing number of anti-semitic incidents.
Heroic Intervention
The father-of-five, who was born and raised in Golders Green, always has his on-call radio with him so he can be there for his community. A terrorist incident was declared on Wednesday after two Jewish men were stabbed in Golders Green - the latest incident following a string of arson attacks targeting Jewish sites in North London. Mr Elkouby recounted the incident to the Telegraph and said he leapt into his car as soon as the alert came through, but at the time he wasn’t aware the attacker had stabbed people.
When he arrived and saw the Metropolitan Police were there at the same time, he used his car to block the road in an attempt to stop the attacker from running off. “We surrounded him, but it took some time for us to physically get on to him because he was running around with his knife, waving it at people, myself included,” he told the newspaper. “He was making eye contact with me, and he was coming closer to me – I knew I had to act. I wasn’t thinking too much when I tackled him. I wouldn’t say I was scared,” he added.
Suspect and Victims
The Metropolitan Police force confirmed that the 45-year-old suspect, who was arrested at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder, is a British national who was born in Somalia. The two victims, who have been named as Nachman Moshe ben Chaya Sarah and Moshe Ben Baila, were taken to hospital with knife wounds following the incident on Highfield Avenue.
National Security Emergency
The government’s independent terror and state threats legislation watchdog has said attacks against Jewish people in the UK have become the “biggest national security emergency” since 2017. Speaking to the BBC, Jonathan Hall KC said the attacks have become the most pressing national emergency since the Manchester arena attack in 2017, which killed 22 people.
Recalling the attack, Mr Elkouby said he was left “shaken” but admitted he was “so lucky” not to be injured and just glad to be safe. Mr Elkouby explained the community is “worried” about the rise of antisemitism. “It’s really difficult to live with that thought all day long,” he added. Although he was pleased to see police arrive in Golders Green within two or three minutes of him getting an alert to the attacker, he would like to see more done to protect the Jewish community stressing that “actions speak louder than words.”
Chief Rabbi's Concerns
The UK’s chief Rabbi said Jewish communities are “not safe all the time” on British streets. Sir Ephraim Mirvis said: “On this very road, close to this very point, two people who are visibly Jewish were attacked because they were visibly Jewish.” “What that means is Jewish people are not safe all the time,” he added speaking to the Jewish Chronicle.
