Britain’s synagogues have never been fuller

It has been just over a month since the Hamas massacres on 7 October. For British Jews, these past few weeks have been a month of prayer gatherings and vigils; desperate longing for the hostages’ return and an end to the torturous conflict. A month of pain, loss, confusion and worry.

Our lives have changed forever. We have had to change not just the way we think of Israel but how we think of Britain. The past month has exposed an ugly underside. We once thought we lived in a tolerant society. Now we are asking: ‘Can we safely share our Jewishness here?’, and ‘do we belong?’.

As Jews we are familiar with tragedy, threat and betrayal. ‘Always make sure you have your passport in date’, my mother used to tell me. Fortunately, today we are still very far from escape. But the recent rise in anti-Semitism makes us feel like we have moved another step closer.