Former British Jewish leader makes aliyah because of anti-government forces

Jeremy Jacobs, the former head of the umbrella body for the Orthodox Jewish community in Britain, announced his decision to leave Britain and emigrate to Israel amid a surge in anti-Semitism. In a letter to the Telegraph, Jacobs said he had put his family home up for sale last week and that “we are preparing to start our lives in Israel.” Jacobs was previously chief executive of the United Synagogue, an affiliate of the Orthodox community in England. Jacobs told the Telegraph after sending the letter to the newspaper: “I have lost faith in British society. “I no longer trust people to protect us. Of course not the majority. When I walk around London in a kippah, I’m always afraid if someone attacks me because I’m not sure if anyone will come to my defense.”Jacobs’ ancestors arrived in Britain in the 1850s. Anti-Semitism is no stranger to him. “When I was a child in the 1960s, one of my best friends was a non-Jewish boy. I was 7 or 8 years old and he was 10. We were playing soccer in the park and suddenly this guy turned on me and called me a dirty Jew. I remember running home to my mom and crying,” he recalled. “That was the first time I encountered hatred towards Jews just because they were Jewish. That was the beginning.”

But he was able to lead a normal life for a long time. “I went to Jewish school and everything was fine. We learned about Jewish history and understood the situation, but we got along pretty well with all our neighbors,” he said. “Later, I went to the London School of Economics, which has always been a hotbed of radicalism, and it was fine. I didn’t think there would be any problems.”

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The site of an anti-Semitic attack that occurred in Golders Green, London, in April.

(Photo: Hannah McKay/Reuters)

“It’s hard not to make historical comparisons,” Jacobs added. “I’m reluctant to say what happened in the 1920s and 1930s, but in Germany hatred really started to develop in academia before it was captured by the political class. That’s what’s happening in Britain today. Friends and families at university are suffering. Any relationship with Israel is seen as unacceptable.”

“This is not just a British problem. I was walking on a trail with a friend in the south of France last year when a woman approached me. She spoke very quietly and said, ‘I’m really not going to wear your kippah. It’s dangerous out here.'” It’s really sad. “This was a Jewish woman from Paris on vacation, but she was worried about the safety of the Jews in her country.”

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London rally in support of British Jews signs

(Photo: Alicia Abodunde / Getty Images)

But sometimes he still encounters moments that give him hope. “My wife and I were standing in line at Luton Airport and the gentleman behind me tapped me on the shoulder and said, ‘We’re with you. We’re sorry to hear what’s going on.’ The government can’t do it, only individuals can. One to one support – I can’t express how helpful it is.”

‘I feel at home in Israel’

Video of a stabbing incident that occurred in London last April

For Jacobs, the reality of Jews having to hide their identity is unbearable. “My grandchildren are suffering because they go to Jewish schools. They have to hide their badges in their blazers,” he said. “Pupils at a Jewish primary school near me were recently told they would not be allowed to wear uniforms until the end of the summer term. That’s just not the way we should live our lives in Western society.”

“None of us want to see people hurt or killed,” Jacobs said. “We desperately want the violence to end. But every time we see these marches, or see ‘Free Palestine’ stickers everywhere, we realize that we have passed the point of no return. People who are not Jewish don’t seem to understand how painful it is. I consider myself British, a proud British person, but Britain is no longer the country it used to be.”

In his view, the rise of anti-Semitism is a predictable symptom of state failure. “When a country is in financial trouble, like the UK, the establishment looks for someone to blame. This is what’s happening here. Jews will always be blamed for the anti-Semitic trope that we control the money.”

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Pro-Palestinian protests in London

(Photo: Kin Cheung/AP)

For him, Israel offers him a sense of solidarity that he no longer finds in Britain. He recalled, “I was in Israel with my wife when the first Iran war broke out in June 2025, and we had to visit a bomb shelter two to three times a night for a week. The atmosphere was so intense and the camaraderie was strong.” “I was so happy to see everyone working together and looking after each other. The idea of ​​people coming together in war – that’s the spirit of the airstrikes – that’s what it felt like. When you walk through Israel, even in a war zone, you feel at home. That feeling has been lost in London, where we live.”

Leaving the UK will take him further away from his children and grandchildren, but his family said they understand the decision. “They’ve been incredibly supportive,” he said. “They are tied to their businesses, their jobs, their schools and they will not move unless they are forced to do so. Right now we have the freedom to choose, but I wonder how long that will last.”

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