President Herzog warns King Charles III of rising antisemitism across the Commonwealth
President Isaac Herzog has spoken with Jewish community leaders in Manchester following the Yom Kippur terror attack that left the city’s Jewish community shaken.
In his call with Mark Adlestone, Chair of the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester, the President offered condolences to the victims’ families and expressed deep sorrow over the attack.
Herzog also revealed that earlier this week he had written to King Charles III, voicing alarm over the sharp rise in antisemitism in the United Kingdom and across the Commonwealth. He urged urgent steps to confront the growing threat.
The letter, prepared after consultations with Jewish representatives, detailed unprecedented incidents in the UK, Australia, and Canada. Synagogues, schools, and Jewish-owned businesses have been targeted in arson, shootings, and vandalism, while individuals have faced physical assaults and intimidation.
Warning that antisemitism often signals wider intolerance, Herzog quoted the late Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks: “Antisemitism is the world’s most reliable early warning sign of a major threat to freedom.”
He acknowledged that tensions in the Middle East have fueled hostility but stressed that “the free world cannot and must not allow the conflict to become a political tool against the Jewish people.”
Expressing confidence in King Charles III’s moral leadership, Herzog said it would provide comfort and encouragement to Jewish communities across the Commonwealth and beyond.
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