The Board of Deputies of British Jews and Sadiq Khan pushed back on Thursday after a hardline Israeli minister described London as the capital of Western antisemitism.
The alarming portrayal was given this week by Israeli diaspora affairs minister Amichai Chikli, who has a history of provocative rhetoric.
A spokesperson for the Board of Deputies told the Standard: “The Jewish community has lived happily in London for hundreds of years.
“We are proud of our contribution to the city and we expect there will still be a thriving community here well into the future.”
The spokesperson did stress a surge in antisemitic incidents since the October 7 attacks by Hamas, which triggered Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza.
Incidents had been seen on pro-Palestinian marches and affecting the security of children outside Jewish schools, the Board representative said.
The spokesperson added: “We are happy with the support we have received on this issue from both Government and the Opposition.”
The Labour Mayor, who is campaigning for re-election, also said he did not recognise the portrayal given by the hardline ally of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"Since the 7th October attacks we’ve seen an unacceptable rise in both antisemitic and Islamophobic hate in the capital. The police continue to take action again anyone breaking the law, including anyone committing hate crime offences,” a spokesperson for Mr Khan said.
“The Mayor speaks with members of the Jewish community regularly, and despite their ongoing and real concerns, most don’t agree with the extent of the language used by the minister.
“The Mayor continues to reiterate that with tensions running high all Londoners have to be conscious of the language we use and how our actions make others feel – not inflaming divisions, but bringing communities together.”
In a combative round of questioning with European journalists in Jerusalem this week, Mr Chikli reportedly said that antisemitism in the West was the worst since the 1930s.
He alleged that London had become the worst example of this, according to the Daily Telegraph. “Today in the UK, Jews are hiding their yarmulkes and their Magen Davids [stars of David]. They know that if they speak Hebrew on the subway they might get hit. And this is the reality for Jews in Europe.”
Mr Chikli has often courted controversy at home and with diaspora Jews abroad for remarks allegedly inciting hatred of liberal Jews, the LGBT community and Palestinians.
On a trip last September, he was barred from visiting the JW3 community centre in North London. In June, Jewish student leaders abroad accused him of holding “extremist views”.
The Government stressed it had pledged £70 million to the Community Security Trust over the next four years, to increase security across synagogues, schools and other Jewish sites.
“There must be zero tolerance for any form of antisemitism, anywhere,” a Home Office spokesperson said when asked to comment on Mr Chikli’s remarks.
“It is a scourge on our society and does not reflect the values of modern Britain, which is why we are committed to tackling it in all its forms.”
Last week, a group of London Conservative MPs wrote to Mr Khan demanding he back tougher enforcement by the Met against the regular pro-Palestinian marches, arguing they were “causing great concern for the Jewish community and others”.
