OPINION: The link between anti-Israel hate and antisemitism is demonstrably closer today than ever

CST’s latest report shows what most Jews in this country instinctively know: antisemitism is not going anywhere.

It remains at an unacceptably high level, just as it has been ever since the October 7 atrocities occurred. Whether you think of this as a ‘new normal’, or as a sign that the golden age for British Jews came to and end on that awful October morning: this is no longer just a temporary blip.

It comes at a time when there is no sign of the remaining Israeli hostages being released, the images coming out of Gaza are worse than ever, and the link between anti-Israel hatred and antisemitism is demonstrably closer than it has ever been. It is no coincidence that the worst day for antisemitic incidents in the first half of this

year came the day after Bob Vylan led a Glastonbury crowd in chants of “Death, Death to the IDF”. Since then, two Jewish comedians had their shows cancelled at the Edinburgh Festival, even though their shows had nothing to do with Israel (not that there would be anything wrong if they did). The impact that this painfully enduring conflict has had on British Jews is unrelenting in its intensity and ubiquity.

It can feel like there is no space to breathe sometimes. But this is when our community is most tested, and in the past, we have shown we have the resilience

and fortitude to get through the most difficult of moments. CST now protects double the number of Jewish community events than we did before October 7: this is partly due to a greater need, and desire, for security, but it is also because more communal events are happening. For all the worry, our community is not hiding away.

The same goes for the amount of work CST does supporting Jewish students and schoolchildren, protecting synagogues, and arguing our community’s case in Westminster and with police forces across the country. CST’s research repeatedly exposes and disrupts the activities of our community’s worst enemies, with several of those who would cause us harm now behind bars. All this work goes on every day, sometimes in public and at other times away from the glare of publicity.

We do all of this not because we are scared to be Jewish, but because we are proud to be Jewish: proud of our community, of our Jewish way of life, and of the Jewish contribution to wider society. It has been heartening to see how many people have stepped forward to join this fight, whether they have been trained as CST volunteer security officers, helped with donations to fund our work, or reported antisemitism to CST so that we can take action against it. Everything counts in this fight.

None of us can predict how long this will go on for, but it is unlikely that this wave of antisemitism will suddenly disappear if the conflict in Israel and Gaza comes to an end. More likely is that it will leave deep scars, both on our community and in wider society, that will require years of effort to overturn. But whatever happens, CST, working with our Jewish community, will be ready.