From the Liveblog of
Thursday, February 29, 2024
Prince William visits London synagogue amid rising UK antisemitism
Britain’s Prince William visited a London synagogue today to hear about a sharp upsurge in antisemitism since Hamas’s October 7 massacre in Israel, as he returned to public duties two days after mysteriously pulling out of a high-profile royal event over what was described as a “personal matter.”
A week after the heir to the throne called for an end to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza in a rare political foray, William met young ambassadors from the Holocaust Educational Trust who are seeking to tackle hatred amid soaring antisemitism in Britain.
Yesterday, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced 54 million pounds ($68 million) of new funding to protect Jewish communities after figures showed antisemitic incidents had hit a record high in Britain last year.
During his visit to the Western Marble Arch Synagogue, the prince, who wore a kippah, listened to Jewish students as they recounted how there had been what one described as an “explosion” in antisemitism, including death threats and assaults.
He also met with 94-year-old Holocaust survivor Renee Salt to hear of her experiences.
Last week’s unusually direct intervention by William that “too many have been killed” in the Gaza conflict and that Hamas must release hostages generated international headlines as royals by convention avoid contentious political matters.
But after becoming the first senior British royal to make an official visit to Israel and Palestinian territory in 2018, he has followed the region closely, his office said.
