Police have praised Stamford Hill’s Orthodox Jewish community for their adherence to Covid restrictions during last week’s Purim festival.
Inspector Jim Melton, head of Hackney’s neighbourhood policing, wrote in a letter to Stamford Hill’s Jewish community that the occasion on 25 and 26 February passed “without incident”.
“There was a significant reduction in people out celebrating and those that were, complied with the Covid regulations ensuring a safe and enjoyable Purim for all,” Melton wrote.
“No police enforcement action was taken and no breaches of the law identified.”
Before the festival, Orthodox leaders issued a statement urging people to avoid taking to the streets. Police worked with the local council, Jewish community leaders and the neighbourhood watch group Shomrim to ensure guidelines were followed.
Stamford Hill drew worldwide attention last month when a study by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine found that it was one of the world’s biggest Covid-19 hotspots. More than 60 per cent of the Orthodox community there contracted Covid in 2020, compared with just 7 per cent nationwide.
In January, police broke up a wedding in the area with over 150 attendees. The gathering was condemned by community leaders including Rabbi Herschel Gluck, president of Shomrim.
Currently, Stamford Hill’s infection rate is below the national average. Fewer than three positive tests were recorded in the N17 postcode in the past week, and 350 people attended a vaccination drive in the area last week run by the Jewish medical charity Hatzola.
Passover, one of the Jewish calendar’s most important events, begins on March 27. Families usually gather for a Seder dinner, but the government will only end its stay at home order from March 29. At that point six people or two households will be allowed to meet outdoors.
