Antisemitism is no longer reacting to events. It is becoming part of the backdrop. When CST published its Antisemitic Incidents Report for 2025, we warned that the unprecedented levels of antisemitism seen since October 7 had not disappeared. The first six months of 2026 show that concern was justified.
CST recorded 1,926 antisemitic incidents between January and June this year, the second-highest six-month total ever reported. That is a 21 per cent increase on the same period last year and what’s concerning is that more incidents were recorded in the first six months of 2026 than the entirety of 2022, the last full year before October 7. Every month of 2026 has seen more than 200 incidents, while March, April and May each exceeded 350 reports.
These figures tell us something important. The pattern has changed. Antisemitism is no longer a temporary spike that flares up in response to major events before receding. Instead, it has settled at a level that would have seemed unimaginable only a few years ago. For many British Jews, this is no longer an occasional concern. It has become part of everyday life.
The first half of this year was marked by several deeply troubling incidents. Conflict involving Israel, Iran and the United States fuelled renewed hostility towards Jews in Britain. At the same time, the Jewish community itself became the target of a succession of attacks, including arson attacks against Jewish communal organisations and synagogues, and the stabbing of two visibly Jewish men in Golders Green.
Each of these incidents was followed by a noticeable increase in antisemitic activity. We have seen this pattern repeatedly. When Jews are attacked, there are people who respond not with solidarity but with celebration, justification or further abuse. The days following the Golders Green stabbing saw some of the highest daily antisemitic incident totals of the year, demonstrating once again how quickly anti-Jewish hatred can feed on moments of Jewish vulnerability.
Particularly concerning is the growth in physical violence. CST recorded 135 assaults in the first six months of 2026, the highest six-month assault total ever recorded. There was also a record number of incidents affecting schools, pupils and staff, with children disproportionately represented both as victims and, alarmingly, as perpetrators.
Much of the antisemitism we record continues to be linked in some way to events in the Middle East (41 per cent of all incidents). But that does not mean British Jews are being targeted because of their political views. The victims in these incidents are often people with no involvement in politics at all. They are targeted because they are Jewish, or because they are perceived to be Jewish. The language may reference Israel, Zionism or Gaza, but the target is often someone travelling home from school, walking to synagogue or simply going about their daily life.
The 1,926 incidents recorded in this report are more than statistics. Each represents a real person who experienced antisemitism, and each report reflects a decision not to accept that hatred in silence. At a time when antisemitism has become an increasingly persistent feature of Jewish life, that determination to speak out matters more than ever. It enables CST to protect and support our community, and it sends a clear message that antisemitism will be confronted, recorded and challenged wherever it occurs. The figures are troubling, but the resilience behind them remains one of the Jewish community's greatest strengths.
Yoni Gordon-Teller is an incidents data analyst for CST
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