UK allocates record $335 million to protect Jewish communities amid rising antisemitism

The United Kingdom is planning to allocate more than $335 million over the next three years to strengthen security for the country's Jewish communities, funding hundreds of additional police officers, expanded patrols around Jewish institutions and enhanced counterterrorism measures amid a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents.

The record investment comes as Britain has experienced a sustained increase in antisemitic attacks since the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in Israel, prompting calls for stronger protections for Jewish communities and institutions.

The funding will pay for an additional 500 police officers and expanded patrols to protect synagogues, Jewish schools and community centers across the UK.

Some of the funding will also strengthen Britain's counterterrorism efforts.

Around 60% of the new officers will patrol Jewish-populated areas of London, home to approximately 54% of the Jewish population in England and Wales. An additional 80 officers will be deployed in Manchester, which also has a significant Jewish community.

British Minister of State for Policing and Crime Sarah Jones vowed to combat antisemitism and protect the country's Jewish minority.

“After a series of appalling attacks against Jewish communities, the difficult decision was made to raise the threat level to severe. My thoughts remain with the victims of these vile attacks. Today we are going further and providing record funding to help keep Jewish people safe, supporting visible policing and protection around synagogues, schools and community centres. We will do everything in our power to rid society of the evil of antisemitism,” Jones stated.

Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said the new funding would help improve security for Jewish communities:

“The poison of antisemitism has no place in our country, and we stand side by side with our Jewish communities. This money will see more officers on the streets and stronger protection at community sites to ensure they have the protection they need to live their lives peacefully.”

The British Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government had already approved £1 million ($1.3 million) earlier this year to support communities at risk of antisemitism through its Community Security Trust program. The government has also invested £7 million ($9.4 million) to combat antisemitism in schools and universities.

The number of antisemitic incidents in the UK has increased sharply since the Hamas Oct. 7 massacre. The Community Security Trust (CST), which provides security for Britain's Jewish communities, reported a record 3,700 antisemitic incidents in 2025. More than half of the incidents involved antisemitic language linked to Israel and the ongoing war in the Middle East.

A 2025 Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) poll found that 92% of British Jews believed media bias against Israel had fueled antisemitism in the UK.

The funding announcement follows several recent antisemitic attacks targeting Britain's Jewish community.

In April, the Iran-linked terror group HAYI claimed responsibility for a stabbing attack in London's Golders Green neighborhood, which has a large Jewish population. Two Jews were injured in the attack.

Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Amichai Chikli criticized the British government after the attack.

“The handwriting is on the wall, written in blood. We have warned in recent weeks that this is an emerging organization with characteristics of decentralized terrorism, and today we see the realization of this threat in the heart of London. The British government must wake up, do much more, and ensure the security of the Jewish communities,” Chikli warned at the time.

In March, London police arrested two suspects following an arson attack on Jewish community ambulances in Golders Green.

In October 2025, an Islamist of Syrian origin murdered two Jews in a terrorist attack on a synagogue in Manchester during the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur.