Jewish Leader Flees UK After Losing Faith in Britain

Jeremy Jacobs, who previously led the United Synagogue charity, explained his decision in a letter published by The Daily Telegraph, as Breitbart News reports. Jacobs, whose ancestors arrived in Britain in the 1850s, said he has already put his house on the market and is making arrangements to start a new life in Israel with his wife.

“I lost my faith in British society. I no longer believe that people would protect us. Certainly not the majority,” Jacobs stated in his letter, warning that “Britain is no longer the country it was.”

October 7 aftermath fuels anti-Jewish hostility

According to Jacobs, the climate for British Jews deteriorated sharply following the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. He recounted multiple episodes of harassment he and his family have experienced since then, culminating in his decision to leave the country of his birth.

In November 2023, just one month after the massacre, Jacobs was verbally harassed by students at University College London while walking with three of his young grandchildren. The students were protesting British arms sales to Israel at the time.

“They shouted at me because I was wearing a kippah. It was so uncomfortable, having to push my three young granddaughters forward, hoping that they weren’t fully aware of what was going on,” he recalled.

Jacobs drew a disturbing historical parallel, noting that in 1920s and 1930s Germany, hatred of Jews began in academia before being adopted by the political classes. He warned the same pattern is now visible in the UK today, adding that friends and family members at university are experiencing similar hostility.

“Any connection with Israel is seen as unacceptable,” he said.

Children and grandchildren remain — for now

While Jacobs and his wife are leaving, their children and grandchildren will remain in Britain for the time being due to school, work, and business commitments. However, Jacobs expressed serious concern about how long that choice will remain viable given the current antisemitic climate.

Wave of antisemitic attacks across Britain

Jacobs’ departure comes amid a series of violent antisemitic incidents targeting Britain’s Jewish community in recent weeks. In late April, a Somali migrant stabbed two Jewish men in the Golders Green area of London. That attack followed the March arson of Jewish community service ambulances in the same neighbourhood, an attack for which the Iranian-backed group Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya claimed responsibility.

Additionally, British authorities recently thwarted a planned terrorist attack against the Israeli embassy in London by 34-year-old Kuwaiti migrant Abdullah Sabah Albadri.

Not just a British problem

Jacobs noted that rising antisemitism is not confined to the United Kingdom. During a visit to France last year, a Jewish woman from Paris approached him while he was wearing his kippah and warned him it was dangerous to do so.

“It’s extraordinarily sad. This was a Jewish lady from Paris, on holiday, yet fearful for the safety of Jews in her own country,” Jacobs said.

Individual kindness amid institutional failure

Despite the harassment, Jacobs acknowledged moments of hope when ordinary people expressed support. He noted that such individual acts of solidarity meant a great deal, adding that no government can replicate that kind of person-to-person support.

Yet he remains deeply pessimistic about the broader trajectory. “Every time we come across these marches, or find Free Palestine stickers plastered everywhere, it suggests to me that we’ve passed the point of no return,” he said.

“I don’t think non-Jews quite understand how distressing it is. I see myself as British — a proud Brit — but Britain is no longer the country it was.”

With information from Breitbart News