British Jews gather for annual celebration in shadow of recent attacks

LONDON, May 6 (Reuters) - Thousands of ​British ⁠Jews gathered in north London on ​Tuesday to mark the Lag B'Omer festival, a celebratory event in ​the ‌Jewish calendar, after weeks of heightened tension and fear following ⁠a string of antisemitic attacks.

At one ⁠event in the area, ​men in ultra-Orthodox Jewish dress packed out a school playground to dance and pray together around bonfires as hundreds of ​women ‌and children watched from nearby streets and some crowded onto the balconies of residential buildings.

The annual festival is traditionally celebrated as a joyful pause in a solemn ​period of the Jewish calendar. Bright yellow high-visibility police vests ‌stood out in sharp contrast to the traditional black coats and hats of those ‌taking part.

Tuesday's festival took place days after two Jewish men were stabbed in the street - the most violent ​incident this year in a series of attacks that have put the ‌security of Britain's 290,000 Jews into the spotlight.

Community leader Levi Shapiro said the event was slightly different this year, ⁠referring to ⁠antisemitic incidents across the area.

"There will ‌be that extra element of prayers, a moment of unity and reflection ​for the ​Jewish community, and of course, a community ‌that stays strong together in the most challenging times," he said. (Reporting by Marissa Davison and Toby Shepheard, writing by William James, Editing by William Maclean)