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British Jewish Leaders Call for Comprehensive Gov’t Strategy on Antisemitism Following Deadly Yom Kippur Attack

Ailin Vilches Arguello

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People react near the scene, after an attack in which a car was driven at pedestrians and stabbings were reported at a synagogue in north Manchester, Britain, on Yom Kippur, Oct. 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Phil Noble

Following the deadly Yom Kippur terrorist attack in Manchester earlier this month, Jewish leaders in Britain are calling on the government to crack down on rising antisemitism, demanding a comprehensive national strategy to protect the community amid an increasingly hostile environment.

On Tuesday, the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the Jewish Leadership Council, and the Union of Jewish Students issued a joint statement proposing a set of guidelines and policy recommendations for the government to tackle anti-Jewish hatred.

Together with other communal organizations, including the Community Security Trust, the document sets out policy priorities in four key areas: policing and security, extremism, civil society, and schools and universities.

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Amid a persistent surge in antisemitic incidents, Jewish leaders said this document should serve as a foundation for continued efforts, while calling on the government, experts, and community partners to deepen discussion and collaboration to root out antisemitism in British society.

“Following the awful Yom Kippur attack at Heaton Park Synagogue we have seen a series of welcome announcements from the government,” Phil Rosenberg, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said in a statement.

“However, these measures on their own will not be sufficient to meet the long-term society-wide challenge of confronting antisemitic hatred. We need to see a Comprehensive Government Strategy on Antisemitism,” he continued.

On Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement and holiest day of the year in Judaism, a man identified by police as Jihad al-Shamie, 35, drove a car onto the grounds of the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Manchester, northern England, and went on a stabbing spree, leaving two Jewish men dead and at least three others critically injured.

The attack occurred as the congregation gathered to observe Yom Kippur and ended seven minutes later, when police shot the assailant dead.

Shortly after the attack, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced an emergency £10 million boost to Jewish communities to strengthen security at synagogues and schools, marking a record high in funding to safeguard religious institutions.

The Jewish community in Britain has faced a troubling surge in antisemitic incidents and anti-Israel sentiment since the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Last month, the British nongovernmental organization Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) released research conducted by YouGov which showed that those characterized as embracing “entrenched” antisemitic attitudes in the UK had grown to 21 percent, the highest figure on record, showing a jump from 16 percent in 2024 and 11 percent in 2021.

The survey came after the Community Security Trust (CST), a nonprofit charity that advises Britain’s Jewish community on security matters, published a report in August showing there were 1,521 antisemitic incidents in the UK from January to June of this year. It marked the second-highest total of incidents ever recorded by CST in the first six months of any year, following the first half of 2024 in which 2,019 antisemitic incidents were recorded.

In total last year, CST recorded 3,528 antisemitic incidents for 2024, the country’s second worst year for antisemitism and an 18 percent drop from 2023’s record of 4,296.

Jewish leaders have consistently called on authorities to take swift action against the rising wave of targeted attacks and anti-Jewish hate crimes they continue to face.

According to government statistics, religious hate crime has reached record levels, with Jewish people targeted more than any other group.

Among the proposed measures and policy guidelines, the joint document unveiled this week calls for sustained visible policing at synagogues and schools, tougher enforcement against violent rhetoric at protests, greater powers for authorities to shut down extremist organizations, and stricter rules to tackle harassment and incitement on university campuses.

Louis Danker, president of the Union of Jewish Students, called for stronger and more coordinated government action to tackle antisemitism and extremism on campuses.

“Extreme student groups have never been so emboldened to glorify terrorism and incite hate,” he said in a statement. “The government must act with urgency to break the culture of impunity, clarify universities’ obligations, and root out antisemitism from our campuses.”

Keith Black, chair of the Jewish Leadership Council, stressed that protecting Jewish life must go beyond physical security measures.

“We need sustained action to combat the root causes of antisemitism and extremism,” Black said in a statement.

“The murder of Melvin Cravitz and Adrian Daulby on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year, was a devastating blow to our community’s sense of safety and belonging in this country,” he continued.

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