‘We don’t feel safe’: British Jews fear rising anti-semitism after diplomat killings

Members of Britain’s Jewish community have called for “firm action” to crack down on anti-semitism in the UK after two Israeli embassy staff members were shot dead in Washington DC.

There has been a huge surge in anti-semitic incidents in the UK since the 7 October attack on Israel, with 2024 and 2023 seeing the two highest-ever annual numbers of reported hate crimes against British Jews.

On Wednesday, Israeli couple Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim were murdered outside the Jewish Museum in the US capital by a gunman who reportedly chanted “free Palestine”.

The killings come amid rising international condemnation of the Israeli government’s military campaign in Gaza, and the United Nations has warned of a humanitarian crisis there.

Israeli couple Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim were murdered outside the Jewish Museum in the US capital (Photo: Instagram)

Scotland Yard has urged the UK’s Jewish community to stay “vigilant” in light of the attack.

UK-based charities, schools and universities told The i Paper their security measures have increased significantly since the 7 October Hamas massacre.

Many are now concerned the Washington DC double killing will only fuel already rising anti-semitism, and in turn, force them to implement even more severe security measures.

The Community Security Trust (CST), a UK charity which issues security advice to the Jewish community, condemned the “terrorist murder of two Israel Embassy staff”.

“This kind of terrorism is a global threat to all Jewish communities…it is the reason why there is so much security across the Jewish community in the UK,” a CST spokesperson said.

“CST will continue working tirelessly with the police, government and other partners to enable a safe, proud Jewish way of life in this country.”

It is understood that the charity’s security measures have remained at a very high level ever since the 7 October Hamas massacre.

Earlier this year, a site for Jewish student university accommodation applied for planning permission to boost security.

In its request, the site asked for council approval for a fence and security gates after a “huge surge” in anti-semitism on university campuses.

A man draped in the Israeli flag gestures as police officers secure the area outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington DC (Photo: Alex Wroblewski/AFP)

Ruth Jacobs, chair of the Birmingham & West Midlands Jewish Community, said people were “shocked and distressed” by the murders in Washington DC.

“All our communal buildings have security measures already in place, so I guess they’ll just be heightened,” she said.

“The CST issues instructions or proposals of how we have to respond to make sure that people who are not known to us don’t get access into our communal buildings.”

She said the CST had been in touch after the Washington murders.

“I think Jewish people are very resilient. There is antisemitism around the students who are experiencing this thing on campus, but they’re dealing with it,” she added.

Sarah Lynn Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky were murdered outside the Jewish Museum in Washington DC (Photo: Instagram/LinkedIn)

“We lay on extra security. We do what we can, and it’s not going to stop us from carrying on our daily lives.”

A spokesperson for The Board of Deputies of British Jews said security has already been ramped up at community institutions, including synagogues, schools and cultural centres because of the high threat level.

Jewish children as young as three and four are being drilled on what to do in the event of a terror attack by practicing “invacuations”, where they hide in protected areas in their classroom, community leaders and teachers previously told The i Paper.

The Campaign Against Antisemitism said anyone surprised by the US killings “has had their head in the sand”.

“It’s long past time that our leaders and police chiefs woke up and took firm action,” they said in a statement.

A spokesperson for the organisation said: “The truth is that Britain and the authorities are failing the Jewish community.

“British Jews have lost trust in the criminal justice system in general, which they do not feel is protecting them, and in the Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley in particular after he has presided over the worst surge in antisemitism in living memory.”

The organisation, which is calling for a ban on anti-Israel marches, said: “The danger is already here and the authorities need to wake up.”

A senior rabbi at a north London synagogue, who wanted to remain anonymous, said Sir Keir Starmer, who has visited the synagogue, had always been “extremely supportive of our community”.

But he said: “I’d like them to shut down the hateful demonstrations and the language which is used and take a much firmer stand.

“I think people are increasingly unhappy about the situation in this country.”

Rabbi David Meyer, chief executive of the Partnerships for Jewish Schools which works with around 90 of the 130 Jewish schools in the UK, said the Washington DC murders serve as “a stark reminder of the dangers posed by hate speech and incitement, which are becoming alarmingly frequent”.

A Met Police spokesperson said: “There is nothing to indicate that events in Washington have specifically increased the risk or threat here in London, but they are a reminder of the ever-present need to be vigilant.

“Our message to Jewish Londoners remains the same – please be alert, but do not be alarmed.”