British Jews fear antisemitic extremists 'completely out of control' in UK and 'disappointed' in new Labour government

“The thought of being visibly Jewish in public today does worry me – and I am not alone.”

Jewish Chronicle journalist Elisa Bray described how it feels living in London and bringing up three young children in the current atmosphere in the British capital.

Bray wrote that her escapist dream of taking her family to safety in the countryside had all but subsided, until they were sent emergency safety instructions for a family event the Community’s Security Trust (CST),

According to a November 2023 poll conducted by the British charity, Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA), nearly 70% of British Jews hide their Jewish identity, with almost half of the community considering leaving the United Kingdom since the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack.

The CST revealed that antisemitism had risen markedly in the immediate aftermath of invasion and massacre of at least 1,200 civilians by Palestinian terrorists on the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah.

Out of 4,103 recorded incidents of antisemitism in the UK – the highest annual number ever recorded by the CST – the increase began on Oct. 7 and peaked on Oct. 11, notably, before the Israeli response to the unprecedented brutality.

“Being visibly Jewish does not appear to be the safest option given the surge in antisemitic incidents that have taken place since the Hamas attack,” Bray explained.

Fellow journalist Tom Gross said the British Jewish community is now feeling “big disappointment” with Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the actions of the new Labour government, since its election on July 4.

For example, within a month of taking office, the new government resumed UK funding to the controversial UNRWA agency, despite some of its employees being found complicit in the October 7 attacks. In addition, Labour made the decision to drop the previous government’s challenge to the ICC (International Criminal Court) arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, claiming they were committing war crimes against Palestinians in Gaza. The new UK Labour government also reported its decision to beginning reducing its arms sales to Israel as it continues to fight a multi-front defensive war against Iran and its terror proxies.

This government is “singling out Israel because it is obsessed with Israel,” said Gross, during a Q&A organized by the Menachem Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem last week.

The level of alarm over the rapid actions of Starmer’s government concerning Israel has led the UK’s Chief Rabbi to request an urgent meeting with the British premier.

Against the backdrop of recent global events, Gross noted that the only international visit made by the new British foreign secretary, David Lammy – just three weeks in office – “not to Ukraine or anywhere else” but rather "to berate and lecture Israel."

Lammy's mid-July visit brought hope for progress on a hostage deal, or for greater cooperation, but Labour appears to be acting in accordance with the wishes of a certain part of the UK electorate, and against the backdrop of hundreds of thousands calling for a ‘free Palestine’ on London’s streets almost every Saturday since Oct. 7, including just this weekend - more calls for a violent intifada.

Gross, formerly a Jerusalem correspondent for London’s Sunday Telegraph, explained that many British Jews – ranging from 250-300,000 by census but probably double that number, according to him – gave Labour and Starmer the “benefit of the doubt” this time around.

“One of the reasons that Labour failed to win [in 2019]… was [Jeremy] Corbyn’s positions on supporting Hamas and Hezbollah, and allowing antisemitism to fester within the left of his own Labour party, so Starmer made a big deal of ridding his party, supposedly, of antisemites ... and it was a big issue in the campaign,” Gross claimed.

He reminding listeners that Corbyn infamously referred to Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists as his ‘friends,’ befriended the Iranian regime’s state broadcaster and shared platforms with Holocaust deniers.

“Starmer ruthlessly purged and shifted the party in the public consciousness,” said Gross.

As a result, an estimated 45% of the Jewish community voted for Labour on July 4, a much greater percentage than the overall national 34% Labour share of the vote. Labour won in eight out of 10 of the most Jewish constituencies.

“Does Starmer share the obsession [with Israel] or is he just going with the flow?” Gross asked metaphorically. “In the end it doesn’t matter. He’s the leader. He needs to be responsible.”

While Starmer has played up the idea of respecting the Jewish Sabbath by keeping his Friday evenings free, Gross pointed out that the prime minister was at both the Olympic Games opening ceremony and at a large football match, both on an Erev (evening of) Shabbat.

That his wife is Jewish is “neither here nor there,” Gross commented. “It might make them a little more aware of antisemitism. On the other hand he was a member of Corbyn’s cabinet and when others spoke out or quit, Keir Starmer was very, very quiet all that time.”

Corbyn has now been elected as an Independent Member of Parliament, along with four other candidates who campaigned almost exclusively on the Gaza issue, despite a parliamentarian’s primary role being the well-being of constituents at a local level.

“Today, Palestine is on the ballot,” Corbyn declared on election day, promising he would “stand up for the people of Gaza” and fight for “an end to the occupation of Palestine.”

“It is difficult to think of another instance in modern times when a foreign policy issue in which Britain is not directly involved has captured so much attention at home as to bring our streets to a standstill week after week, undermine many of our major institutions, and bring more MPs to Parliament than even some long-established parties – with numerous more candidates only narrowly missing out,” wrote the Campaign Against Antisemitism.

The disappointment felt by the Jewish community is evidenced by the chief rabbi’s request to meet Starmer – even though Ephraim Mirvis is apparently not a Conservative voter – and also by an article in the Sunday Times written by Phil Rosenberg, the new head of Board of Deputies of British Jews, in which he expresses alarm.

Rosenberg, himself a former local Labour councillor under Starmer, said the government “should not take [the Jewish] community’s hard-won goodwill for granted,” and warned that the UK must “remain credible on national security.”

In addition, regarding the issue of ICC arrest warrants, and the “cumulative effect” of the three anti-Israel announcements in quick succession, the wider UK Jewish community has also issued a statement outlining its alarm and concern.

In early July, the CAA posted the following statement on its 𝕏 account:

“The Labour Party arrives in Government as levels of anti-Jewish racism have skyrocketed and rocked the Jewish community for months.

Our polling of British Jews is proof of the widespread fear that antisemitic extremists in our country are now completely out of control, with the effects of their hatred most visible on our streets and our campuses."

“So far, precious little has been done to tackle this outpouring of hatred and we are making urgent proposals to the new Government, seeking firm action to halt the surge of Jew-hatred in Britain.

“Labour has had to confront rampant antisemitism in its midst in recent years, and we hope that at this time of need it will do what is necessary to confront antisemitism in society, and defend this country’s Jewish community.”