Three-quarters of UK Jews more fearful for their safety since 7/10
Exclusive Jewish News/JLC survey reveals the chilling impact of October 7th Hamas terror attacks on the UK community
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
Security concerns among British Jews and the erosion of confidence in key institutions are laid bare today in an exclusive poll for this newspaper and the Jewish Leadership Council.
A staggering 77 percent of respondents to a survey conducted by the firm Survation for Jewish News and the Jewish Leadership Council, said they now felt “much less safe” (46.4 per cent) or “somewhat less safe” ( 30.7 percent) living in this country following the murder and hostage taking of Jews in Israel.
The growing insecurity of the community in the UK is shown to have been compounded by a growing distrust of institutions such as the BBC, the UK university authorities and with the police.
Responding to the poll results Jonathan Boyd, director of the Institute of Jewish Policy Research, said:”Perhaps the most striking result is that 77% report feeling less safe as Jews living in the UK since the October 7 attacks, and only 4% feel more so.
“Quite clearly, there has been a very large and significant shift in how Jews feel about their security in this country. Time will tell whether this is a lasting change, or whether it is an immediate reaction to current realities that will calm down in due course.”
In response to a question about the BBC and how it was perceived 64% said they trusted the corporation “less” than they did before the Hamas terror attacks.
This result would assem to confirm the widespread belief within the community that the BBC’s coverage of the current war by Israel on Hamas in Gaza has not been fair and does not reflect the Israel that the community know.
Similarly in response to their attitude to British university authorities 58 per cent said they trust them less than they did prior to October 7th, a result which would seem to confirm that Jewish families feel not enough is being done to stem rising antisemitic sentiment on campuses.
According to the results of the poll undertaken in November, 50% of British Jews say that following the Hamas attacks they trust the police less than they did.
This would appear to be a response to the sight of inflammatory placards and chants going unpunished by police at pro-Palestine protests across the country since October 7th.
Claudia Mendoza, CEO of the Jewish Leadership Council, said: “The aftermath of the October 7th Hamas terrorist attack on Israel continues to have an effect on the Jewish community here in the UK.
“In the wake of the record rising levels of antisemitism, this poll shows that many in our community are losing trust in the institutions they should be able to rely on.”
JPR director Boyd added:”Similar shifts in trust for some of the country’s key institutions help to explain why Jews feel less safe.
“Beyond the most obvious cause – the spike in antisemitic incidents that has taken place – the fact that 62% of British Jews trust the BBC less than they did prior to October 7 partly reflects views about the BBC itself, but also points to a wider sense that the Israel being portrayed in the media in general simply doesn’t reflect the Israel Jews know, trust and love.
“The media’s often critical and suspicious narrative about Israel fuels Jewish feelings of vulnerability, and helps to contribute to an overarching climate in the country that feels unsettling, even threatening.”
Quizzed about the impact on them of antisemitism, the polls suggests 89% of British Jews think it has grown in the last five years, with two thirds (71%) of those surveyed suggest it has increased a lot in this period.
The poll also revealed that many British Jews have personally experienced or witnessed antisemitic attacks in the last year. The survey revealed 15% said they have personally experienced a verbal attack, while 14% had experienced online attack, with the majority of these coming post-October 7th.
The poll also underlined the huge significance of Israel for the UK’s Jewish population, with 9 in 10 respondents (89%) saying the state of Israel is important for the security of Jewish people around the world.
Polling firm Survation carried out their survey, speaking to a scientifically selected sample of 790 UK Jews, between November 6th up until November 27th.
Asked to what extent they considered antisemitism a problem in the UK today nearly 57 per cent of respondents said they considered it to be a “very big problem.”
Under seven per cent suggested it was “not a problem at all.”
Over the past five years nearly 71 percent said they believed antisemitism had “increased a lot” in the UK.
On the question of safety in the UK, on a scale of one to 10, just over six per cent said they “strongly agree” they felt “safe as a Jewish person living in the UK today.”
While nearly 13 per cent said they would “strongly disagree” with the same statement.
But most significantly, 49 per cent said that post-October 7th they felt “must less safe” living in this country, while a further 31 per cent agreed they were left feeling “somewhat less safe” as a result of the Hamas attack.
Just 16 per cent of British Jews agreed they felt “about the same” living in the UK in the aftermath of the atrocity.
On the question of when members of the community had “experienced at least one antisemitic incident” since the start of 2023, over 60 percent said these had taken place after October 7th, while 14 per cent said they had happened before the Hamas horror occurred.
On the BBC, 47 per cent of British Jews said they trusted it “much less” than before October 7th, while 17 per cent said “somewhat less.”
In response to the growing distrust of the police shown in the poll Boyd said:”Trust levels in the police have also fallen – 48% of all UK Jews now say they trust the police less than they did.
“The surface concern here is about policing of anti-Israel demonstrations in the UK, but at a deeper level it is about the country’s ability to stand up to those expressing sympathy or support for Islamist terrorism.
“There is a sense among many Jews that Islamist extremism is being tolerated at demonstrations about Israel and the Palestinians – perhaps out of ignorance and perhaps fear – and there is significant anxiety that a climate that doesn’t sufficiently clamp down on extremist ideas simply allows them to further take root.”
Meanwhile Dave Rich, director of policy at the Community Security Trust said the police were making “significant progress” in tackling antisemitism at pro-Palestine demos, but he added the it was difficult shifting the “perception” that officers were “not doing enough.”
The new poll also shed light on the community’s view of our major political party’s response to the terror attacks. Over 52 per cent said their trust level in the Conservative government “had not changed” while “19 per cent” said they trusted the government “more” now.
For Labour 44 per cent said their view “had not changed” after October 7th, while 16 per cent said they trusted Keir Starmer’s party “more.”
It was a sign that the Labour leader’s drive to eradicate antisemitism from the party is winning back some support in the community, although the Conservatives still command more backing.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
