A body which monitors anti-Semitism in Britain says a record of more than 924 reports of violence and abuse were received in 2009, an increase of 55 per cent from the previous worst year on record, 2006.

The figures in the organization’s annual report marked also the worst year since records began in 1984, the Community Security Trust (CST) said, stressing that almost a quarter of the incidents – involving violent street attacks, arson, egg-throwing, racist graffiti, website hacking and hate mail – included some form of reference to Israel’s operation against Hamas in Gaza in January 2009.

The Gaza war was marked by violent protests outside the Israeli Embassy in London.

The majority of incidents recorded took place in London, followed by Manchester, Hertfordshire and Leeds, CST said.

Mark Gardner, CST’s director of communication said: “These record figures show that anti-Semitism is an increasingly significant problem for British Jews.”

“We have to insist that anti-Jewish racism be as readily condemned as any other type of racism within British society. Anything less and we risk fostering the notion, seductive for some, that anti-Semitism in the name of anti-Israel hatred is somehow a legitimate form of political protest.”

“The trend must be reversed and we call upon decent people to speak out against anti-Semitism in all its forms.”

“This fightback begins by opposing anti-Semitism when it occurs, whilst consciously appreciating and seizing the vast range of religious, cultural, charitable and political options for expressing your Jewish life and identity in Britain today,” he said in the Jewish Chronicle.

“Do this, and you will see that not only is anti-Semitism well worth opposing wherever it rears its ugly head, but also, it most certainly does not define the average day in the life of British Jews.”

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown condemned the attacks and said he was “deeply troubled”. In a statement he stressed that “more must be done towards making Israel safe and creating a Palestinian state.”

“I am a proud friend of Israel and welcome a robust debate about how we ensure both a secure Israel and a viable Palestinian state existing side by side,” he said.

“The debate is welcome, but no strength of feeling can ever justify violent extremism or attacks and we will stand firm against all those who would use anti-Israeli feeling as an excuse or disguise for anti-Semitism and attacks on the Jewish community.”

Of the 924 incidents recorded, 124 were violent assaults, three of which involved what the CST classified as an “extreme threat to life”.

Physical assaults tended to be most common within areas where members of the Orthodox Jewish communities are most visible, such as Salford and Bury in Greater Manchester and Hendon and Stamford Hill in north London.

The Community Security Trust (CST) is a British charity established in 1994 to ensure the safety and security of the Jewish community in the UK.

(Source: http://ejpress.org/article/42276#)