City's Jewish community left 'terrified' by antisemitic threats

"People started screaming at us in their car and chasing us. We ran home and got safe, but they sort of persisted outside our house."

Jewish students in Birmingham say they are facing a surge in antisemitic abuse, describing recent incidents as "terrifying".

"Don't go here, dirty Jews" was shouted outside their home, they said.

Both students, who asked to remain anonymous, said incidents occurred almost weekly and described being challenged, intimidated and shouted at.

"I'd much rather be [in Israel] in a bomb shelter, as I have been, than here in Birmingham," one said.

Figures obtained under Freedom of Information reveal recorded hate crimes against Jewish people in the West Midlands force area have almost doubled since 2022 - from 27 to 53.

Members of a synagogue were threatened with having their heads blown off in one incident.

The main driver for the rise is an increase in public order offences, the figures show, although arson and criminal damage and violence against the person is also up.

The figures are published after two gunmen targeted Jewish people at a Hanukkah event in Sydney - with 15 people killed.

Academic Prof Elliot Ludvig, who lives in Birmingham, said he had reported more than a dozen examples of anti-Jewish graffiti and imagery but no action had been taken by the police or city council.

West Midlands Police said it would investigate any reports of hate crime and criminal damage it received.

"We know from our ongoing engagement with local Jewish communities that they are genuinely fearful following the horrific terrorist attacks in Australia and Manchester," said the force.

"This engagement has already informed our deployment and patrol plans."

Birmingham recently became the epicentre of a national antisemitism row after a decision to ban fans of Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv from attending a Europa League cup fixture at Villa Park last month.

Some feel that has increased tensions.

Recent examples of antisemitic abuse in the Birmingham area described to the BBC include:

• A synagogue answerphone message in which the caller threatened to hunt members of the community and warned any members seen outside would "get his head blown off". One man has been prosecuted and received a suspended prison sentence for two counts of sending communication threatening death or serious harm

• A verbal assault on a student shopping in a city supermarket in which he was told he should be ashamed for wearing a kippah and that the Germans should have finished them off. This has not been reported to police

• Two students who were followed home and shouted at by a group of men in a car. After getting home and shutting the door, the students said the abuse continued with the men ringing the doorbell, shouting "dirty Jew" and telling neighbours "Jews live here" before returning to shout more abuse the following day. West Midlands Police said it was investigating and treating it as a religiously aggravated incident

One of the students who were followed home described it as "terrifying" and said: "The only thing we did was be visibly Jewish."

The student said he was now reluctant to go out at night or wear Jewish clothing.

He said police did investigate but could not make progress and the case was dropped.

Both students said they would rather be in Israel than Birmingham and that they would leave the city after completing their courses.

"Being in England, there's a lot of having to defend myself," one said.

"When I'm in Israel I don't have to defend myself."

The other added: "It feels less intimidating and less to bear. I would much rather be there - even in a bomb shelter, as I have been - than here in Birmingham."

The Community Security Trust (CST), a charity which supports Jewish people who have faced abuse, recorded 1,521 antisemitic incidents across the UK between January and June this year.

It said there had been 39 in the West Midlands during the same period, the fifth highest of any area in England and Wales.

The CST added these were "fuelled by ongoing reactions to the conflict in the Middle East".

A report earlier this year, commissioned by the Board of Deputies of British Jews, found widespread failures to address anti-Jewish discrimination.

Prof Ludvig, from the University of Warwick, said he had moved to Birmingham from the US because he thought it was an inclusive city. But he said now wanted to leave.

He said: "Since the [7 October] terrorist attacks, there has been an outbreak across the country, but particularly here in Birmingham, of graffiti everywhere; posters, protests of the flavour that make us feel unwelcome."

Prof Ludvig said there were many examples of anti-Jewish imagery in Birmingham, including banners, graffiti and stickers on lampposts.

He said: "I have reported at least a dozen examples of violent slogans. I have seen no evidence of any action taken. A lot of the graffiti still sits there."

One example, he said, involved a poster of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"It's meant to talk about the International Criminal Court judgement against him. But instead of putting the Scales of Justice, it's actually Hamas paragliders.

"So they have literally, from a terrorist attack... the iconography on the image is sitting there," he added.

"On occasion I will get responses but it will always be 'no action' and I find that very disconcerting."

According to the 2021 census, 0.1% of Birmingham residents classed themselves as Jewish compared with 34% Christian and 29.9% Muslim.

Ruth Jacobs, chair of Birmingham and West Midlands Jewish Community, said increased security was now necessary at synagogues in the city.

"You don't go past a church and see a security guard outside wearing a stab vest.

"This has come as a very big shock to all the Jewish community," she added.

"The thought that this has all raised its ugly head has been very difficult to accept and to understand."

West Midlands Police said it had sought advice from the Crown Prosecution Service in relation to the wording on a banner at a recent protest.

However, it was informed it did not meet the threshold for prosecution.

"We have also underlined our intention with the local Jewish community to take positive action in circumstances where any protester appears to be calling for a violent uprising," it said in a message to communities.

"We will always support and facilitate peaceful protest. We respect the right of people to express different views. However, words have meanings and consequences."

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