Antisemitism in the UK
The frightening, but all too predictable, attack on the Jews of north west London was another nail in the coffin of Anglo Jewry, a proud community of which I was an active member for over 60 years.
Blowing up Hatzola ambulances, a wicked and cowardly act, is meant to send a message from those who hate us, that we know where you are and we can hurt you when we want. Based on our long history of persecution and exile, you would think the Jews had learnt when it’s time to move on, but it seems Anglo Jewry remains partially deaf, despite shootings in Manchester and now bombings of Jewish targets.
Instead of making plans to leave, the UK Jews double down and seem more proud that they raised £1 million in a couple of days for new ambulances than realising that this is not the end of the intimidation, but the start of a new deadly phase of Jew hatred.
The tide has turned and the weekly anti-Israel hate marches, no go areas at universities and appeasement of those who want Israel’s destruction are building up a head of steam that cannot be contained. Sadly, the next attack is around the corner and who knows if it will be more deadly than the last.
The answer? Make aliyah and come to a country that wants you and will protect you.
Is it safe here? Do we have enemies? Of course we do, but in Israel, Jews are at home and not in somebody else’s, waiting and hoping that they will protect them.
Daniel Baum
Zichron Yaakov, Israel
Mazel tov to King Charles, following the arson of four Jewish-run ambulances in Golders Green, on his becoming Patron of the CST which protects Jewish schools and synagogues from attack.
He shows true leadership, when others are failing.
Andrew Rosemarine
Salford
As antisemitism in Britain reaches levels unseen in decades, the most troubling silence is not coming from Westminster but from within the Anglo‑Jewish community itself. At a moment that demands clarity, courage, and unapologetic advocacy, our communal leadership has responded with caution, euphemism and an almost paralysing timidity.
Statements are issued, committees convened, and expressions of “deep concern” repeated with wearying regularity – yet none of this amounts to the decisive, public, and confident leadership that this crisis requires. The gap between the severity of the threat and the softness of the response has become impossible to ignore. Talk in some quarters of Jews “leaving the country” only compounds the problem: such defeatism plays directly into the hands of those who wish us harm, who would no doubt delight in claiming that a fleeing community had rendered the UK Judenfrei.
Meanwhile, parliament offers the Jewish community little more than platitudes. Expressions of sympathy are plentiful, but effective action is conspicuously absent. Measures that would genuinely protect Jewish citizens – such as curbing hate marches that routinely intimidate Jewish neighbourhoods, or holding non‑UK students accountable when they make campus life intolerable for Jewish peers – are repeatedly sidestepped. The result is a widening gulf between the rhetoric of concern and the reality of inaction.
In this landscape, one figure stands out. Gideon Falter, chief executive of the Campaign Against Antisemitism, has shown a level of resolve and moral purpose that should be the norm rather than the exception. While others hesitate, he has spoken plainly about the scale of the problem and pursued action with a determination that reflects the gravity of the moment.
It is a sobering indictment of our communal institutions that such forthright leadership is so rare.
Antisemitism does not recede when met with polite appeals or carefully modulated language. It recedes when confronted boldly, consistently, and without fear of causing discomfort. Britain’s Jews deserve leaders who will rise to that challenge – not merely comment on it.
Jeffrey Leader
Loughton
I was very saddened but not surprised at the awful stories shared by members of NHS staff in a recent meeting in Westminster attended by the Secretary of State for Health, Wes Streeting. (Jewish NHS staff reveal antisemitism ordeal to Wes Streeting in emotional meeting, thejc.com March 18).
He is well aware of and sympathetic to the difficulties being faced by Jewish healthcare workers and the enormous escalation of expressions of Jew hate since October 7 2023.
The Jewish Medical Association, along with several other national Jewish organisations, engages with policy makers to ensure they are informed, that they understand the issues facing our communities and the actions needed to address them.
In October 2025, both the Department of Health and NHS England expressed formally zero tolerance for antisemitism and adopted the IHRA definition: it is imperative that these good intentions are implemented throughout the NHS, professional bodies and regulators if Jewish staff are to feel confident once again that there is a rightful place for them in our health system. Clearly, that still remains some way off.
JMA also provides support and advice to UK healthcare professionals facing hostility or discrimination. We can be contacted at info@jewishmedicalassociationuk.org
Dr Fiona Sim OBE
Chair
Jewish Medical Association UK
Never a shul
Alma Green in her article about synagogues in Morocco (Ner Yisroel congregant breathe the life back into two historic Morocco synagogues) says that Roben Ben Sadoun Synagogue is a shul. It’s definitely a synagogue not a shul! Never was and never will be.
Sharon Hassan
Cambridge
New role?
Is there any chance that Hatzola could replace the NHS ambulance services in England and Wales?
Llewellyn Gaba
Cardiff
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