The Archbishop of Canterbury has said that the “virus” of antisemitism is “deeply entrenched” in British society.

Justin Welby said hatred of Jews had been “burrowing into European and British culture for as long as we can remember”.

It was “shocking” that even in the 21st century antisemitic slurs, such as “the perverted and absurd argument” that Jews controlled society, were still spread.

In an essay written for the Holocaust Educational Trust and Community Security Trust, the archbishop said it was "a shameful truth" that the Church had “compounded the spread of this virus”.

Antisemitism “has infected the body of the Church” which was something “of which Christians must be deeply repentant”.

He added: “Antisemitism is at the heart of racism. Yet, because it is so deeply entrenched in our thought and culture, it is often ignored and dismissed. This tendency must be vigorously resisted.”

His words were welcomed by the Board of Deputies.

In a statement, Jonathan Arkush, the president of the Board, described the archbishop’s essay as “powerful and timely.

“Millennia of theological antisemitism against Jews - including the canard that Jews killed Jesus - permeate European thought. We now see that idea being imported into the Israel-Palestine debate, where you have such incidents as anti-Israel Christians appropriating Jesus as a Palestinian and saying that Israel [or the collective Jew] is crucifying Jesus anew.

“Such language is inflammatory and untrue. It's not for nothing that antisemitism is called 'the longest hatred' and perpetuating themes like killing God will only perpetuate it further. We need to fight back against this new antisemitism. The Archbishop of Canterbury's leadership is a very helpful place to start."

The Archbishop's essay is one of a series in the booklet 'Lessons learned? Antisemitism and the Holocaust' published by HET and CST