Jewish pupils in Greater Manchester are facing a 'crisis' of antisemitism, with a government adviser finding that they experience harassment and abuse unlike that of other communities. Jewish leaders in the region say children are being subjected to abuse linked to the ongoing conflict in Israel and Palestine.
Review finds 'shocking' levels of antisemitism
Sir David Bell, who is leading a government-commissioned review, said the levels of antisemitism in England's schools and colleges were 'shocking'. He told the BBC that many leaders of Jewish faith schools had told him security was their main concern – and 'sometimes education takes second place to that'.
In his report, due this autumn, Sir David found that pupils were 'subject to regular harassment and abuse'. He told the Today programme that Jewish children and young people 'are facing a pressure – and indeed one might say even a crisis – that is not the experience of other communities in this country'.
Sir David, a former Ofsted chief inspector and senior civil servant at the Department for Education, has heard evidence from pupils, teachers, governors and parents across both the state and independent sectors as well as community organisations.
Parents and teachers 'under siege'
Marc Levy, chief executive of the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester & Region, said some Jewish parents are choosing faith schools because they feel mainstream education is no longer safe for their children.
“It’s not just students, but teachers as well – they feel like they’re under siege and they feel anxious,” he told the Manchester Evening News. “If you see the levels of security around Jewish schools, it’s a matter of national shame that it’s needed.”
Recent figures from the Community Security Trust showed that antisemitism in schools reached the highest level ever recorded for the first six months of any year. It jumped by 59 pc, from 112 reported incidents in the first half of 2025, to 178 recorded over the same period in 2026.
A Jewish mother in south Manchester, who wished not to be named, told the Manchester Evening News that her 15-year-old son was experiencing antisemitic comments on a monthly basis.
“A few years ago one of the [white] boys at school did a ‘Heil Hitler’ salute behind his back,” she said. “This summer some Muslim boys were making some comments.” She admitted the school was usually proactive and would give the other children detention or bring in their parents for a chat. But she said there were so many small incidents that her son has stopped reporting them on a regular basis.
“I only find out if the school tells me,” she continued. “When I ask my son he just rolls his eyes and says ‘can I just get through my GCSEs?’. He said it’s a part and parcel of life, and fortunately he’s got a thick skin and doesn’t let it bother him too much.”
Calls for better religious literacy
Jeremy Michelson, who chairs the community and education division of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said children were being told not to wear a kippah to school or to hide their uniforms for fear of being attacked. Jewish children were also being called ‘baby killers’ in the playground, he said.
He said: “Obviously it’s extremely worrying. What’s more worrying is that Jewish children of school age have been singled out for persecution and often it’s about what’s going on in the Middle East, which is something they have nothing to do with and no way of doing anything about it. When a Jewish child aged eight years is called a ‘baby killer’ that’s just absurd. And it seems to have become normalised.
“Whatever people’s views are on the Middle East, it cannot be used to take it out on the children. For example if an Islamic terrorist group committed a crime in another part of the world… it would be totally wrong to pick on a Muslim child in school and accuse them of a crime.”
Earlier this year, the government announced that police forces across England would be getting a £251m funding boost to help protect Jewish communities following a rise in antisemitic attacks. Greater Manchester Police is set to receive £22m to sustain the increase in policing presence following the attack at the Heaton Park synagogue last October, in which two Jewish men – Adrian Daulby and Melvin Cravitz – were killed. The government also confirmed £32.4m for protective security at Jewish sites such as synagogues, schools and community centres.
Mr Michelson added: “In some schools you’ve got to go through a security check and they have barbed wire fencing. This should not be necessary. Children should not have to go to school effectively under siege.” He suggested antisemitism wasn’t taken as seriously as other forms of racism and too many people are unable to separate the actions of the Israeli government with the Jewish diaspora. He believes more education is needed.
“I’m strongly of the belief that teaching about other faiths undermines the crops of ignorance and incomprehension,” said Mr Michelson. “Religious literacy is very important. Improving the quality of religious literacy, I think, will certainly have quite some impact in combatting racism and antisemitism generally.
Community dialogue 'gone underground'
The October 7 atrocities and the subsequent war in Gaza has deepened divisions across Muslim and Jewish communities in Greater Manchester. The Manchester Evening News has previously reported that communication between the two communities is at ‘an all time low’.
Dovid Lewis, a rabbi at the South Manchester Synagogue in Bowdon, said many conversations, especially about the Middle East, have gone underground, and believes schools need to teach pupils the importance of having an open dialogue. The rabbi has visited dozens of schools and spoken to over 20,000 students across Greater Manchester with his friend Nasser Kurdy – an imam originally from Syria.
“Kids are not born racist and judgmental. It’s how they get conditioned,” he told the MEN. “As Jews we have learned to deal with antisemitism, to pick ourselves up and cope with it. It’s been a staple of our history for thousands of years.
“But I’m worried about Greater Manchester and the rest of the UK. If it becomes normal to be racist to Jews that’s just the beginning. It will spill out to racism against Muslims and then other groups of people.”
