Shomrim
 Shomrim  (Vigilante)   | |
|---|---|
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| Shomrim are IDF-trained Jewish vigilantes |
Shomrim or Shmira are organisations of proactive volunteer Jewish civilian patrols which have been set up in Haredi communities in neighbourhoods across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Israel, Belgium, and Australia (among other countries) to combat burglary, vandalism, mugging, assault, domestic violence, nuisance crimes and antisemitic attacks, and to help and support victims of crime.
Shmira and Shomrim volunteers are generally unarmed and do not have the authority to make arrests, other than citizen's arrest. Many Shomrim organisations run patrol vehicles decked in livery similar to that of police vehicles, giving them the appearance of an authority which they do not possess.[1]
Background
The forerunner of the Shomrim was the Maccabees, a Jewish vigilante group founded by Samuel Schrage in 1964 in the Crown Heights neighbourhood of Brooklyn. While initially successful, it was disbanded at the end of the decade due to political pressure amid allegations of lack of oversight and tense relations with the African American community.
Code of conduct
The founding of Shomrim organisations in North West London and Stamford Hill in 2008 initially met with disapproval by the Metropolitan Police, which questioned the existence of a community patrol working in tandem with trained police officers and claimed they were endangering themselves. In 2009, a new borough commander in Hackney, Chief Superintendent Steve Bending, consulted with the NYPD to draw up a list of expectations for the volunteer patrol. The Stamford Hill Shomrim and the North West London Shomrim agreed to have its members undergo background checks and sign a code of conduct, and pledged to implement disciplinary measures for members who "act inappropriately".
Golders Green incident
On 30 April 2026, two Jewish men were stabbed in London's Golders Green district by Essa Suleiman, a Somalian-born man who was mentally ill and had been a patient at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.[5] The initial arrest having been done by the Shomrim North West London.[6]
A video of the later arrest by police [7] went viral on social media. It shows that Suleiman is approaching police officers on a street, having the knife in his hand, then getting tasered and falling to the ground. After one police officer is not able to get the knife away from him, the other is starting to kick his head and a struggle ensues between Suleiman, the two police officers and a third person that apparently wants to aid the arrest.
Related Document
| Title | Type | Publication date | Author(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Document:Israel's International Conspiracy | Article | 9 February 2016 | Philip Giraldi | Wherever one goes – Western Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United States – there is a well-organised and funded lobby ready, willing and able to go to war to protect Israel. |
References
- ↑ https://www.times-series.co.uk/news/9440507.Police_inspector_rewarded_during_Chanukah_event_in_Hendon/
- ↑ https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/golders-green-suspect-essa-suleiman-37093557
- ↑ https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/golders-green-terror-suspect-is-named-as-somalia-born-essa-suleiman/ar-AA226trp
- ↑ https://newscord.org/article/essa-suleiman-stabs-two-jewish-men-in-golders-green-london-police-arrest-suspect--Story_20260429_LondonPoliceSayGolde2c130923
- ↑ "Golders Green stabbing suspect in court on three charges of attempted murder"
- ↑ https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/two-stabbed-in-golders-green-as-knife-suspect-arrested-after-street-attack/
- ↑ Man arrested after stabbing two Jewish people in Golders Green - Guardian News YT channel (Apr 29, 2026)
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