Jewish community told ‘this country belongs to you as much as any of us’

Antisemitism is “a problem for all of us to fix”, religious leaders from across the country have said in an open letter published ahead of a rally in support of Britain’s Jewish community outside Downing Street on Sunday.

The open letter – co-ordinated by the Together Coalition – has also been signed by leading figures from business, sport and media.

Its publication comes after a number of attacks on the Jewish community, including the stabbing of two men in Golders Green on April 29.

The letter states: “The spectre of Jewish people being stabbed at random in the street, killed defending their synagogues and Jewish infrastructure being firebombed feel like a nightmare from another time.

A throwback to grainy images of somewhere else, not delivered in technicolour from the streets of London in 2026.

“This is not a problem for Jewish people to have to respond to.

This is a problem for all of us to fix.

“As leaders of British organisations – with different views on faith, politics, foreign policy and pretty much everything else – we come together today to send a message to our Jewish brothers and sisters.

This country belongs to you as much as any of us.

Signatories of the letter include the Football Association, the Premier League, faith leaders from the Church of England, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh and Zoroastrian communities, the National Lottery Community Fund, the Women’s Institute and many more across media, sport and charities.

Brendan Cox , co-founder of the Together Coalition, said: “This is an incredibly powerful statement of solidarity with the British Jewish community from every section of our society.

But it’s more than that, it’s a commitment to action to fight antisemitism together.

That’s what we urgently need.

“Too often antisemitism is seen as a problem just for the Jewish community.

It’s not.

It’s a cancer in our society that undermines the kind of inclusive country that we all want to build.

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“Extremists are trying to divide us, to target minorities on the basis of their race or religion and to turn community against community.

We won’t let them.”
Julie Siddiqi, co-chair of the UK Muslim Network and one of the signatories, said: “Antisemitism is real, it’s growing and it’s totally unacceptable.

We have a duty not just to condemn it – but to take it on wherever we find it, including in our own communities.

Organisers of the protest against antisemitism outside Downing Street on Sunday expect thousands of people to attend.

Speakers, including the chief rabbi, will feature at the rally organised by the Jewish Leadership Council and the Board of Deputies of British Jews.

Responding to the letter, Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said: “This letter is a powerful riposte to the hateful extremists who have targeted the Jewish community in recent weeks.

“It is heartening to see some of Britain’s best-known institutions from the world of business, sport, faith and civil society standing together against anti-Jewish hatred.

“My hope is that where these institutions have led, others will follow, in workplaces, boardrooms, classrooms and on social media, so that we can finally begin to tackle this scourge together.”
Organisers of the rally, which starts at 1pm on Sunday, have called on the British public to “face down extremists” following multiple alleged antisemitic attacks in recent months.

Keith Black, chairman of the Jewish Leadership Council, said: “For two and a half years we have warned about the staggering rise in antisemitism in this country.

Yet, antisemitism in Britain is not just rising, it is escalating into deadly acts of violence and terror.

“This Sunday at 1pm, people will gather outside Downing Street to stand against this hatred and face down extremists.

It should not just be Jews who turn up.

British values are being challenged by antisemites, and we have to stand against it together.”
The Metropolitan Police announced this week a community protection team of 100 extra officers to help safeguard the Jewish community, despite Sir Mark Rowley’s previous call for 300 extra police officers.

The Metropolitan Police Commissioner warned of a growing “pandemic” of antisemitism in the UK and said he is “very concerned” about the sustainability of the force’s current approach to protecting Jewish communities in the capital.

Following the attack, the UK terrorism threat level was raised to “severe” by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre, meaning a terror attack is “highly likely”.