Over 75 women’s groups unite to oppose rising antisemitism in UK

The campaign draws particular attention to the heightened impact on women and children experiencing domestic abuse, for whom these harms can be especially acute.

By Ailin Vilches Arguello, The Algemeiner

More than 75 organizations working to end violence against women and girls (VAWG) have signed a call to action against antisemitism in the United Kingdom, expressing solidarity with Jewish communities amid a growing wave of hatred, intimidation, and targeted attacks.

Put forward by Jewish Women’s Aid (JWA), the letter condemns mounting antisemitism and underscores its impact on Jewish victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence, warning that rising hostility is deepening fear, isolation, and barriers to accessing support services.

Among the organizations supporting the statement are Women’s Aid, Refuge, and Rape Crisis England & Wales, alongside a range of faith-based organizations representing Christian, Sikh, and Muslim communities.

JWA chief executive Sam Clifford said the show of solidarity reflects growing concern over the climate many Jewish people are navigating, with anxiety and unease increasingly present in schools, synagogues, professional environments, and public spaces.

“The recent attacks on Jewish spaces have left many questioning their safety and sense of belonging in this country. What this campaign has shown is that there are allies across every faith, background, and community who are prepared to stand up and be counted,” the letter reads.

“Antisemitism is not an abstract issue, but rather it has profound emotional, psychological, and physical consequences for those targeted by it. It isolates communities, fuels hatred, and undermines the safety and belonging that every person deserves,” it continues.

The campaign draws particular attention to the heightened impact on women and children experiencing domestic abuse, for whom these harms can be especially acute.

“Survivors who are already living with abuse and trauma should never have to navigate fear because of their Jewish identity as well,” the letter says.

“Jewish women and children must be able to seek support and move through public life without intimidation, hostility, or threat.”

“A world free from violence against women and girls must also be a world where Jewish people, and all communities targeted by racism and hatred, are able to live openly, safely and without fear,” it adds.

In the United Kingdom, the Jewish community has faced a mounting wave of antisemitic violence, intimidation, and street-level harassment over the past two years following the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, with the escalation deepening concerns over public safety.

However, there has been a marked escalation in both the frequency and severity of incidents in recent months, including arson attacks, stabbings, and other violent acts.

On Tuesday morning, an unknown individual attempted to set fire to a residential building housing young Jewish families in the Golders Green area of London.

According to local media reports, a suspect was seen deliberately igniting a fire in a communal stairwell before fleeing the scene.

Fortunately, one resident was able to quickly locate the flames and extinguish the fire before it spread, preventing injuries and significant damage.

Local law enforcement has now launched an investigation into the incident, with efforts ongoing to determine a clear motive and reconstruct the full sequence of events.

This latest attempted attack comes less than a month after two Orthodox Jewish men were stabbed in the same north London neighborhood – an incident that prompted authorities to raise the UK’s national terrorism threat level from “substantial” to “severe” for the first time in over four years.

Just weeks earlier, a Jewish man was also assaulted in the area after being overheard speaking Hebrew on the phone.

In late March, four emergency vehicles belonging to the Jewish charity Hatzolah medical service were set on fire in Golders Green, with nine suspects so far arrested in connection with the attack.

As incidents continue to escalate, London Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley warned that Britain’s Jewish community is facing “the greatest threat in its history.”

In an interview with the British outlet Times Radio, Rowley said the Jewish community had become the focal point of what he described as a “chilling hate diagram,” with threats converging from far-right and far-left extremists, terrorist organizations, and hostile state actors.

He added that policing can only tackle the “symptoms,” while successive governments have failed to address the “disease” at its root.

In another disturbing incident, a Jewish British doctor — who is emigrating to Israel due to what he describes as an increasingly hostile environment — said he encountered colleagues who expressed a refusal to treat Jewish patients, even in emergency, life-threatening situations.

“I find it deeply alarming that I have encountered doctors who have said they would refuse, outright, to treat someone arriving from certain parts of the world,” the doctor told ITV News in an interview.

“I’ve been told that even if a patient from Israel is dying in the emergency room, they would not be treated. To me, that is utterly disgraceful,” he continued.

He also reported witnessing cases in which Jewish patients were reportedly not provided with kosher meals during treatment.