The anonymous letter that landed on the desk of a headteacher of a Jewish school in Hertfordshire in November did not pull its punches.
“Beware,” it began. “Jihadi is being fought and you are going to have your throat slit by us.” Among the reasons it listed were “we see you like music which is unIslamic”; “you wear a tie and are western” and “you are a Jew lover”. It ended with the words: “From the river to the see [sic] we shall be free, you Zionist.”
The letter was sent a few weeks after Hamas’s attack on Israel on 7 October that left about 1,200 dead, triggered the war in Gaza – and unleashed a surge of anti-Jewish hatred in the UK. Incidents of antisemitism rose sharply after 7 October, the Community Security Trust (CST) reported this week – up by 589% compared with the same period in 2022.
Jewish pupils and teachers were among those targeted. The CST recorded 325 incidents in the schools sector in 2023, an increase of 232% on the year before. The vast majority of incidents, 70%, took place after 7 October.
Most involved abusive behaviour, but there were also 32 cases of assault and 10 of damage or desecration to property. Twenty-four of the incidents took place in mainstream (non-Jewish) primary schools.
“It’s awfully sad to see children being targeted,” said John Dalziel, the head of King David High, a Jewish school in Manchester. “It’s constantly on our minds.”
Since coming to the school three years ago, Dalziel – who is not Jewish – has been aware of a “background of antisemitic comments and gestures” directed at children, for example at sporting fixtures with other schools. It got significantly worse after 7 October, he said.
In the immediate aftermath of Hamas’s atrocity and Israel’s military response, attendance at many Jewish schools dropped dramatically as parents kept their children at home for fear of attacks. Jewish children were advised to remove yarmulkes and Star of David jewellery on their way to and from school. Security stepped up, with increased patrols and reinforced barriers. Some schools received death threats, or threats to bomb their buildings.
“Among all the staggering statistics about the rise in anti-Jewish hatred last year, the fact that incidents in schools tripled to a record high is perhaps the most alarming,” said a CST spokesperson.
“It is profoundly troubling that some Jewish children are being bullied and socially ostracised, often in the context of simplistic and divisive political activism related to the Middle East that should have no place in schools.”
The King David campus consists of a nursery, a junior school of 400 pupils and a high school of 800, served by about 200 staff. Ninety-five per cent of the school community is Jewish. “That makes us a target,” said Dalziel.
His priority has been to make the school a safe place for children and staff, and to continue to advocate for tolerance and understanding within the wider community.
“We tell the children to be proud of who they are, of their beliefs and values,” he said. “But we’ve also installed CCTV, put up 8ft-high security screens, employed six full-time security guards and stepped up patrols by parent-volunteers in hi-vis jackets. The police and the CST also do regular patrols around the school.
“For the children this is their normality, to be surrounded by fences and guards.”
Children at Jewish schools are at least less exposed to antisemitism during the school day, whereas Jewish children at non-faith schools are more vulnerable. Of 214 antisemitic incidents in schools that were reported to the CST in 2023, about 40% involved Jewish schools and 60% non-Jewish schools.
Teaching unions are alarmed at the rise in abuse. Jane Peckham, the deputy general secretary of the teachers’ union NASUWT, said: “We deplore the escalation in both antisemitism and anti-Muslim racism. Every child, young person, teacher or staff member in our schools should be able to learn and work in an environment free from racism, intimidation and hatred.”
Geoff Barton, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said the rise in antisemitism was “extremely worrying and abhorrent”. “Schools and colleges strive to teach respect and understanding as an essential part of a harmonious and diverse society, and are very good at preventing and dealing with any incidents within their setting,” he said.
Maccabi GB, a Jewish charity, runs two education projects: Streetwise, which advises on personal safety; and Stand Up! Education Against Discrimination, which runs workshops on anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim hate.
“The CST informs us of incidents in schools, and we proactively go and engage with those schools,” said Nathan Servi, Maccabi GB’s chief operating officer. “It’s difficult for a young Jewish person to be openly and proudly Jewish in mainstream schools. We’ve done some teacher training that equips teachers on how to deal with antisemitism.
“We teach young people what constitutes antisemitism and anti-Muslim hate, and how they can have honest conversations about human rights without reverting to hate crime.”
The education minister Robert Halfon said he was deeply concerned about the rise of antisemitism since 7 October. “To see this form of hatred also take place in education is unacceptable. We continue to engage with schools, colleges and universities to ensure they have the tools they need to act swiftly to tackle any antisemitic abuse and discriminatory rhetoric.”
