Britain to fight anti-Semitism

In a report released this week, a British Cabinet minister vowed to increase activities against anti-Semitism. The report by British Race and Faith Minister Phil Woolas provides a detailed response to points raised in last year’s All-Party Parliamentary Inquiry into Anti-Semitism, which strongly condemned a rise in anti-Semitic incidents in the United Kingdom and Europe. The Department of Communities and Local Government said the response was part of a comprehensive cross-government strategy to tackle hate crimes in the United Kingdom based on faith and race. Representatives of Britain’s Jewish community met this week with members of the recently-formed Department of Communities and Local Government to discuss implementing the recommendations. In a statement Thursday, Jon Benjamin, chief executive of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said, “It is notable that the government’s response acknowledged that there may have been a tendency in the past not to take anti-Semitism as seriously as other forms of racism. With this robust response…we look forward to working closely with government and others to take forward the report’s recommendations.” The government’s response and accompanying press release can be found at http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1002882&PressNoticeID=2391.