Manchester to Manhattan: Why Jewish Safety Is Now a Question for Every Western City

On Tuesday, British police confirmed the fears of Manchester’s Jewish community. Two men were arrested in the city center the night before Yom Kippur, on suspicion of plotting an imminent attack. The arrests and searches in Salford and Liverpool came just before the anniversary of the Heaton Park attack, when two worshippers were killed outside a synagogue.

The Heaton Park attack was the first deadly antisemitic terror incident in Britain since 1984, carried out by an Islamic State supporter. The anniversary was marked by armed police outside synagogues across Manchester, underlining the ongoing threat.

For Orthodox Jews visibly walking to synagogue, the message from the heavy police presence was clear: You are a target. The national terror threat level remains severe, and Jewish communities increasingly feel under siege on their holiest days.

Why the Hatred Runs So Deep

Antisemitism is one of the oldest hatreds, with deep historical and religious roots. In 627, in Medina, the violent conflict between Muhammad and the Jewish tribes, which ended in mass executions of the Jews, set a pattern of hostility repeated for centuries in many societies, including modern Britain.

Hamas is in the same position; in its 1988 charter, it references a well-known hadith attributed to Muhammad, which says that, in the last days, even the stones and trees will cry out, “O Muslim, there is a Jew behind me—come and kill him.”

The document prepared at the time when Hamas was founded declares that the struggle against the Jews is both great and serious, and that the only solution to the Palestinian question lies in jihad. The Oct. 7 massacre was no exception; it was the embodiment of that ideology.

That is why this hatred is so hard to deal with: It isn’t a matter of policy, but rather a hostility rooted in Islam for over 1,400 years, which has now been spread all over the world—from Gaza to Golders Green, from Manchester to Manhattan.

The Demographic Squeeze

In Britain, the pressure is not merely ideological but also demographic. The Jewish population in England and Wales is about 270,000, less than 0.5% of the total population. The Muslim population has reached nearly 4 million, which is over 6%, and in London, Muslims make up 15% of the population.

In traditional Jewish areas such as Golders Green and Stamford Hill, the two communities now live next to one another, and the balance is changing. The streets that once had Orthodox Jews walking about in full faith are becoming less Jewish and more Muslim.

Being visibly Jewish now means standing out—and, increasingly, facing danger. In 2025, the Community Security Trust recorded 3,700 antisemitic incidents—an all-time high, with every month exceeding 200 cases.

Why Jews Need Their Own Police

This is why British Jews rely on the Community Security Trust, a volunteer force that guards synagogues and events. The government funds it because state protection is insufficient. Hatzola, a Jewish ambulance service, was also formed because emergency services were too slow to respond.

Manchester to Manhattan

The threat is not unique to Britain.

In New York, Mayor Zohran Mamdani has taken stances that many see as hostile to the Jewish community, including discarding the city’s definition of antisemitism and refusing to oppose anti-Israel protests.

The issue facing New York’s Jewish community—the largest Jewish community outside of Israel—is whether Manhattan’s future will resemble Manchester’s.

If a mayor’s beliefs are based on an ideology that, for 14 centuries, has regarded the rejection of its prophet by Jews as a capital offense, then the protection surrounding the synagogue ceases to be a problem belonging to Britain and becomes one for the United States.

The Security Gap: CST Versus CSI

The difference between British and American cities lies more in the response than in the threat itself.

In Britain, the Community Security Trust provides a complete security service. It provides guards, conducts patrols, maintains an incident database, and stations officers outside synagogues. It functions as the community’s private police force because the state is unable to protect the Jews.

In New York, the Community Security Initiative focuses on intelligence and training rather than direct physical protection. Shomrim and other volunteer patrols fill the gap, while Hatzalah provides emergency services for Orthodox neighborhoods.

The initiative is sophisticated; in 2024 it identified 221 threats to life. However, it is an intelligence network and not an operational force. It can detect threats but does not stop an attacker.

The Militia Question

This raises the question: Should American Jews consider forming their own armed security, as the law allows, to ensure their safety?

The legal basis exists because the Second Amendment begins with the words “a well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state,” and the Supreme Court has recognized an individual right to keep and bear arms; American Jews therefore have a constitutionally protected right to arm themselves, whereas British Jews do not.

Since political leaders have been giving Jewish safety a low priority, American Jewish communities should think again about depending entirely on the state for their protection.

The stones and the trees are still calling for the killing of Jews. The question is: How many Muslims are ready to carry out this command from Muhammad?

Peter McIlvenna serves as chief of staff to Lord Pearson of Rannoch in the UK’s House of Lords, hosts the Hearts of Oak podcast and is a fellow of the American Freedom Alliance. This article has been cross-posted with his permission from the Daily Signal.