More than half of British Jews say the government is not doing enough to combat antisemitism in Britain.
Asked whether the government was doing “all it can” to combat antisemitism in the UK, 33 per cent said it was.
But according to this week’s JC Survation poll, 55 per cent say the coalition “should be doing more”. The remaining 12 per cent said they did not know.
David Cameron told community leaders last week that his government had an “open door” for British Jews to raise concerns. Cabinet ministers have repeatedly made statements and public appearances to address security issues since the attacks in Paris a fortnight ago.
Home Secretary Theresa May, whose department has led efforts to tackle anti-Jewish activity in recent years, spoke at a Board of Deputies meeting on Sunday and pledged to “redouble our efforts to wipe out antisemitism”.
The poll was carried out for the JC by Survation on Tuesday and Wednesday, with a representative sample of 939 British Jews.
Respondents to the poll were also asked about a letter sent by Communities Secretary Eric Pickles to mosque leaders this week.
Mr Pickles had urged them to use their roles to “explain and demonstrate how faith in Islam can be part of British identity”.
The letter sparked a backlash from some sections of the Muslim community. The Muslim Council of Britain said it was concerned by the implication that mosques were being used by Islamist extremists, or the idea that Islam was “inherently apart from British society”.
But 60 per cent of British Jews said the government was right to send such a letter. Only 18 per cent thought it was wrong. The remaining 22 per cent said they did not know whether the government had made the right decision.
In a separate poll conducted by Survation for the European Jewish Congress, one in four British 18 to 35 year olds said they believed another Holocaust could happen in Europe in their lifetime.
Almost 60 per cent of those asked also said they did not know six million Jews had been killed in the Shoah.
