Values that are not guaranteed, but are earned. Every single day.
In the long and troubled history of antisemitism, Britain now finds itself confronting a moment it cannot look away from. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called leaders from policing, health, education, culture, and business to Downing Street to address a sharp rise in violent attacks on Jewish communities — stabbings, arson, and a deadly synagogue ramming among them. The government's response, framed as a 'whole of society' reckoning, reflects a recognition that hatred of this kind does not live in one corner of public life, and cannot be answered by any single institution alone. At stake is not only the safety of Jewish Britons, but the question of what kind of country Britain chooses to be.
- A wave of antisemitic violence — including the stabbing of two Jewish men in Golders Green, a deadly Manchester synagogue attack, and arson against Jewish charity vehicles — has left communities frightened and the government under pressure to act decisively.
- The UK terrorism threat level has been raised to 'severe' for the first time in four years, signalling that authorities no longer regard these incidents as isolated but as part of a coordinated and escalating pattern.
- A £25 million funding injection for police patrols and security at synagogues, schools, and community centres has been announced, with 30 arrests and nine charges already secured in connection with northwest London incidents.
- Starmer's summit brings together five cabinet secretaries, police commissioners, university leaders, NHS bosses, and Jewish community groups in parallel roundtables — an attempt to move from emergency response to systemic, institution-by-institution accountability.
- The government is simultaneously convening a Middle East Response Committee, framing domestic antisemitic violence as partly linked to international tensions — a claim that will face scrutiny as the day's commitments are tested against the longer work ahead.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer is convening a summit at Downing Street, gathering senior figures from policing, business, culture, health, and education to confront a sharp and disturbing rise in antisemitic violence across Britain.
The recent incidents have been severe. On April 29, two Jewish men — Shloime Rand, 34, and Norman Shine, 76 — were stabbed in Golders Green, a north London neighbourhood with a large Jewish population. Police have classified the attack as a terrorist incident, and the suspect faces three counts of attempted murder. Before that, in October, two Jewish people were killed and three seriously injured in a car ramming and stabbing outside a Manchester synagogue. In the months since, arson attacks have targeted Jewish community facilities, including the burning of four ambulances belonging to the charity Hatzola. Counter Terrorism Policing London has made 30 arrests and secured nine charges in connection with a series of northwest London incidents.
The government's response has been swift and substantive. The UK terrorism threat level was raised to 'severe' on April 30 — the first such elevation in four years. An additional £25 million has been committed to police patrols and enhanced security at synagogues, schools, and community centres.
Starmer has been explicit that he sees this as more than a policing problem. The summit is structured so that five cabinet secretaries each chair separate roundtables with leaders from their sectors — including Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, university vice-chancellors, Arts Council England, NHS leadership, and trade union representatives. Jewish community groups will be present throughout. Participants will be asked to examine how antisemitism operates within their own institutions and where gaps in their response remain.
In his opening remarks, Starmer is expected to describe the Golders Green attack as part of a pattern that has left Jewish communities 'frightened, angry, and asking whether this country, their home, is safe for them.' He will frame the crisis as a test of national values — ones that must be demonstrated through sustained action rather than declared in words. A separate afternoon session will address the domestic security implications of the Middle East conflict. Whether a single day of summits can generate the lasting, coordinated effort this moment demands remains an open question.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer is convening a summit at Downing Street on Tuesday that will bring together senior figures from policing, business, culture, health, education, and the NHS to confront what has become an urgent national crisis: a sharp rise in antisemitic violence and intimidation across Britain.
The decision to host what officials are calling a "whole of society" response reflects the gravity of recent months. On April 29, two men—Shloime Rand, 34, and Norman Shine, 76—were stabbed in Golders Green, a north London neighborhood with a significant Jewish population. A third man, Ishmail Hussein, was attacked earlier that same day by the same assailant. The suspect, Essa Suleiman, 45, has been charged with three counts of attempted murder, and police have classified the attack as a terrorist incident. But Golders Green is not an isolated case. In October, two Jewish people were killed and three others seriously wounded in a car ramming and stabbing attack outside a synagogue in Manchester. In the weeks since, there have been multiple arson attacks targeting Jewish community facilities—including one in March when four ambulances belonging to the Jewish charity Hatzola were set alight. Counter Terrorism Policing London has made 30 arrests and secured nine charges in connection with a series of incidents in northwest London.
The spike in violence has prompted a visible shift in the government's threat assessment. On April 30, the UK's terrorism threat level was raised from "substantial" to "severe" for the first time in four years. Last week, the government announced an additional £25 million in funding for increased police patrols in areas with large Jewish populations and enhanced security at synagogues, schools, and community centers. These are not symbolic gestures; they are concrete acknowledgments that Jewish communities in Britain are afraid.
Starmer's language in advance of Tuesday's summit makes clear he views this as more than a law enforcement problem. "It is not enough to simply say we stand with Jewish communities," he said in announcing the gathering. The summit will be structured so that five cabinet secretaries—those responsible for communities, home affairs, health, education, and culture—each chair separate roundtable discussions with leaders from their sectors. Attendees will include Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, the chief constable of Greater Manchester Police, university vice-chancellors, Arts Council England, NHS leadership, and representatives from major trade unions. Jewish community groups will participate in all sessions.
The format signals an attempt to move beyond emergency response toward systemic change. Participants will be asked to examine how antisemitism manifests within their own institutions, what work is already underway to counter it, and where gaps remain. In his opening remarks, Starmer is expected to describe the Golders Green attack as "part of a pattern of rising antisemitism that has left our Jewish communities feeling frightened, angry, and asking whether this country, their home, is safe for them." He will frame the crisis not as a problem for Jewish Britons alone but as a test of the nation's values—values, he will say, that must be earned through action, not merely declared.
In the afternoon, Starmer will convene a separate Middle East Response Committee meeting focused specifically on the domestic security implications of the Middle East conflict and the heightened threat it has created for Jewish communities in Britain. The government's framing suggests it sees the recent attacks not as isolated incidents but as part of a broader pattern linked to international tensions. Whether that analysis will hold up under scrutiny, and whether a single day of summits can generate the sustained, coordinated effort required to reverse the trend, remains to be seen. What is clear is that the government has moved from acknowledging the problem to treating it as a national security priority.
Citações Notáveis
It is not enough to simply say we stand with Jewish communities. Effort is needed across sectors to eradicate antisemitism from every corner of society.— Prime Minister Keir Starmer
These attacks are being made against British Jews. But this crisis is a crisis for all of us. It is a test of our values.— Prime Minister Keir Starmer (expected remarks)
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does the prime minister need to convene a summit? Isn't this a job for police and prosecutors?
It is, partly. But the government is saying that antisemitism isn't just a law enforcement problem—it's embedded in institutions. Universities, hospitals, workplaces, cultural organizations. You can arrest people for violent attacks, but you can't arrest a culture of prejudice. That requires everyone to look inward.
So what's actually supposed to happen in these roundtables?
Each sector leader will be asked to think about how antisemitism shows up in their world. A university might have to reckon with student groups or campus speech. A hospital might need to examine whether Jewish staff or patients feel safe. An arts organization might look at who gets hired, whose stories get told. Then they're supposed to figure out what they're not doing yet.
Is this reactive or proactive?
Both. The attacks—Golders Green, Manchester, the arson attacks—those are the immediate crisis. But the government is also saying this is a moment to examine deeper patterns. The terrorism threat level went to "severe" for the first time in four years. That's not just about one stabbing. It's about a sustained pattern.
What does "whole of society" actually mean in practice?
It means you can't solve this by just putting more police on the street, though they're doing that too with the £25 million. You need business leaders thinking about it, educators thinking about it, health leaders thinking about it. You need cultural institutions asking hard questions. It's an acknowledgment that this is bigger than any one sector can fix alone.
Are Jewish communities optimistic about this?
That's the real question, isn't it? A summit is a signal of seriousness. But whether it translates into actual change—whether universities actually change their policies, whether workplaces actually examine their cultures—that's what people will be watching for in the months ahead.