Thursday marked a dark day for Manchester, England, as it tragically joined the growing list of cities, including Boulder, Colorado, and Washington, that have experienced anti-Jewish violence. This latest incident sent shockwaves through British Jewish communities, who are now grappling with the terrifying reality that antisemitism in their country has become even more lethal.
Similar to many other nations across Europe and the United States, Britain has seen a significant increase in antisemitic acts over the past two years, a period marked by the Hamas attack on Israeli civilians and Israel’s subsequent military actions in Gaza.
While there haven’t been recent targeted attacks on synagogues in Britain, police have, in the past decade, successfully disrupted several terrorist plots that aimed to harm Jewish individuals and places of worship.
David Feldman, co-director of the Birkbeck Institute for the Study of Antisemitism in London, expressed profound concern, stating, “We haven’t had an incident like this here. This is, in the most literal sense, extraordinary.”
This attack is expected to intensify the already heated debate in Britain surrounding the conflict in Gaza, a conflict that has fueled a worldwide surge in antisemitism and a broad international backlash against Israel.
The news of a man ramming his vehicle into worshipers and then stabbing them outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation was profoundly disturbing. It drew stark parallels to recent tragedies, including the June attack in Boulder during a rally for Hamas-held hostages and the fatal shooting of two Israeli Embassy staff members in Washington just two months prior.
Professor Feldman, speaking on Thursday afternoon, cautiously noted that without knowing the assailant’s identity or motive – the attacker was killed by police – he was hesitant to directly connect this incident, which left two dead and four injured, to the general rise in antisemitic incidents. However, he emphasized that the attack would undoubtedly send unpredictable ripples through the Jewish community.
“This event fundamentally alters what we perceive as possible,” Professor Feldman stated. “How the Jewish community will come to terms with this remains uncertain. What is clear, however, is that individual responses will vary, as the British Jewish population is currently experiencing unprecedented divisions.”
Immediately after the attack, a profound sense of fear and sorrow enveloped synagogues and Jewish community centers nationwide. Police were quickly deployed to protect these locations, with a noticeable presence at the entrance of JW3, a well-known Jewish center in North London, where officers were observed conversing with a rabbi.
The Community Security Trust, a British charity dedicated to monitoring antisemitism and collaborating with the government and police on security for Jewish institutions, issued a warning against congregating outside communal buildings and advised synagogues to remain closed at all times.
The trust has consistently raised alarms about increasing antisemitism. Between January and June of this year, they documented 1,521 antisemitic acts, encompassing physical assaults, property damage, graffiti, online harassment, and three instances categorized as ‘extreme violence.’ This figure represents the second-highest number of anti-Jewish incidents the organization has ever recorded in Britain.
The peak number of incidents, 2,019 cases, occurred in the first half of 2024, directly following the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, which resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths. Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza has since claimed tens of thousands of lives, including a significant number of civilians.
Following an emergency cabinet meeting on Thursday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer addressed the surge in antisemitism, declaring, ‘We must be clear: this is a hatred that is rising once again, and Britain must defeat it once again.’
Even before this latest attack, many observers noted that the tense climate in Britain had already instilled a pervasive fear of everyday violence among Jewish individuals.
Eric Pickles, a Conservative member of the House of Lords and Britain’s former special envoy for post-Holocaust issues, shared his observations with Times Radio: ‘In the past few years, I’ve seen Jewish friends genuinely worried about their personal safety, about their children using the Underground, and about their elderly parents on public transport. I believe this reflects a society that has grown increasingly visceral and corrupt.’
London, much like other major European cities, has been the backdrop for substantial, largely peaceful weekly demonstrations against Israel’s military actions in Gaza, which have exacerbated an already dire humanitarian situation. Alongside these, smaller, sporadic pro-Israel marches have also taken place.
However, the landscape of protest has become increasingly contentious. The British government recently designated Palestine Action, a prominent pro-Palestinian group, as a terrorist organization. This decision followed incidents where activists allegedly breached a Royal Air Force base, vandalized aircraft engines with red paint, and damaged planes using crowbars.
In September, London police arrested over 800 individuals demonstrating in solidarity with Palestine Action. The majority were apprehended for displaying placards supporting the group, while a small number faced charges of assaulting police officers.
Prime Minister Starmer recently declared Britain’s recognition of a Palestinian state, aligning with France, Canada, Australia, and Portugal. He stated that this decision was a direct response to the ‘utterly intolerable’ humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and expressed hope that it would aid in reviving the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Britain has taken action against two far-right ministers in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet, Itamar Ben-Gvir (Security Minister) and Bezalel Smotrich (Finance Minister), by adding them to a blacklist. Additionally, the UK has partially halted weapon exports to Israel.
Despite these actions, Starmer has faced pressure from within his own Labour Party to adopt even tougher stances against Israel. Critics have pointed out that his commitment to recognizing a Palestinian state is conditional, unlike France’s approach, and have also faulted him for not implementing a complete ban on arms sales. Notably, Britain continues to provide components for F-35 fighter jets, which the Israeli Air Force deploys in its operations in Gaza.
While accusations of ‘Genocide!’ have been vociferously raised by Labour backbenchers in Parliament, the government has refrained from officially condemning the Israeli government for such actions in its Gaza campaign.
The distressing visuals of suffering in Gaza have also created divisions within Britain’s Jewish community, as noted by Mr. Feldman. Recent surveys indicate a potential decline in the popularity of the ‘Zionist idea’ among British Jews, especially among younger generations.
A recent report by the Runnymede Trust, a British think tank dedicated to social justice, suggests that the current strategies for safeguarding Jews from hate crimes in Britain are proving ineffective. Furthermore, these strategies might inadvertently worsen tensions by fostering a belief among other communities that they do not receive the same level of protection.
In a direct message to British Jews, Starmer affirmed, ‘I promise you that over the coming days, you will see the other Britain, the Britain of compassion, of decency, of love. And I promise you that this Britain will come together to wrap our arms around your community and show you that Britain is a place where you and your family are safe, secure and belong.’
The Prime Minister, whose wife is Jewish, undoubtedly hopes his heartfelt words will bring solace. However, as the attacker’s background is scrutinized and motives uncovered in the days ahead, the Manchester synagogue attack threatens to further intensify the heated global debate surrounding the Middle East conflict and its far-reaching consequences.