Antisemitism has taken "a turn for the worst", an MP declared at a Wizo panel debate in London's West End.
John Mann, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group against Antisemitism, said that "significant antisemitism is coming from the mosques and Muslim community in this country", as well as from the far-right.
"Politicians must take responsibility beyond their own boundaries to influence issues," he said. "If we show there are problems, perhaps people will listen."
Board of Deputies president Henry Grunwald said that he had never felt as uncomfortable as a Jew in Britain. "I worry about our future," he confided. "But I hope that when the economy has settled down again and Israel has resolved its problems, antisemitism will subside. We do not stand alone in our battle against it."
Yair Zivan from the Union of Jewish Students was among other speakers and the meeting was chaired by Holocaust Education Trust executive director Karen Pollock.
The event was staged in response to a request from World Wizo for its federations to each hold a meeting on antisemitism during 2009.
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