Police are being deployed to synagogues nationwide following the fatal Manchester attack that a rabbi described as "every Jewish person's worst nightmare". The incident occurred on the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, prompting immediate security concerns across Britain's Jewish community.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he was "absolutely shocked" by the attack and confirmed that "additional police assets" are being rolled out to synagogues. The Government has vowed to "do everything to keep our Jewish community safe".
Starmer is returning early from a summit in Copenhagen to chair an emergency Cobra meeting. He said: "I am on my way back to London. When I arrive, I will chair an emergency Cobra meeting. I'm already able to say that additional police assets are being deployed to synagogues across the country, and we will do everything to keep our Jewish community safe."
Security response
The Community Security Trust (CST) confirmed it is working with police "to ensure security at synagogues, and in the wider Jewish community, is as strong as it can be over the coming days and weeks". The organisation has urged people not to congregate outside communal premises and advised synagogues to keep their doors closed at all times.
The Israeli embassy in London said it was in contact with the CST and British authorities "to monitor developments, and ensure that the necessary support is provided". Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan announced that police will step up patrols around synagogues in the capital to reassure Jewish worshippers.
Community fears
Rabbi Jonathan Romain, emeritus rabbi of Maidenhead Synagogue, told PA he felt "appalled" by the attack. He said: "This is every Rabbi's or every Jewish person's worst nightmare. Not only is this a sacred day, the most sacred in the Jewish calendar, but it's also a time of mass gathering, and the time when the Jewish community, however religious or irreligious, gathers together."
Romain said tensions over the war in Gaza appeared to have "spilled over" to the UK, despite efforts to prevent this. He told PA: "The real tragedy is, of course that the war in Gaza, which is tragic in itself, has sort of spilled over into the United Kingdom. For the last two years, we were desperately trying to make sure that whatever was going on in the Middle East was not imported here. This has shown that our worst fears have been realised."
A Jewish man among shocked onlookers at the cordon outside the synagogue told PA: "It is the holiest day of the year and we get this. There is no place for Jews in Britain anymore. It's over." A rabbi and head of the Rabbinic Court of Great Britain said fears already existing in the Jewish community due to heightened tensions will now be further increased.
Rising antisemitism
The CST, which monitors antisemitism in the UK, said earlier this year that Jews were facing "more hatred and pressure" than they have for decades. The organisation recorded more than 3,500 incidents in 2024.
Reports of antisemitism reached a record high in 2023 at 4,296 incidents - the year that saw the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel and the subsequent military action in the region. A recent CST report showed there were 1,521 antisemitic incidents across the UK in the first half of 2025, the second highest total ever reported for the first six months of any year.
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
