Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis has warned that the rise of antisemitism could lead to wider hatred and intolerance in society.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph on Thursday, he said Jews were "the canaries in the coal mine" and other groups should take note when they began to suffer from "poisons in the political atmosphere".
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict had been the trigger for a new and sinister antisemitism", Rabbi Mirvis claimed.
Attacks had once originated from extreme right-wing nationalists but the conflict had led to "Jews being hit from all sides".
The rise of hatred had caused deep anxiety for Jews across the world. But he stressed that "antisemitism does not define us as Jews, nor determine our relationship with others".
Rabbi Mirvis is to address a rally demanding a zero-tolerance approach to anti-Jewish hatred. The protest, organised by the Campaign Against Antisemitism UK, will take place in central London on Sunday.
Rabbi Mirvis told the JC that the commitment shown by Jewish grassroots activists in combating hatred was to be commended.
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