{"id":27722,"date":"2026-05-03T14:14:03","date_gmt":"2026-05-03T14:14:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/27722\/"},"modified":"2026-05-03T14:14:03","modified_gmt":"2026-05-03T14:14:03","slug":"uk-jews-turning-to-veterans-from-elite-british-units-to-guard-community-sites-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/27722\/","title":{"rendered":"UK Jews turning to veterans from elite British units to guard community sites – report"},"content":{"rendered":"

Synagogues, schools and other Jewish community centers in the United Kingdom have begun hiring former British soldiers for protection, a Sunday report said, amid a wave of antisemitic violence in the UK that London\u2019s top police officer called an \u201cepidemic.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to The Sunday Times,<\/a> ex-Royal Marines and Parachute Regiment veterans have been recruited by Jewish organizations in the UK, notably the Community Security Trust (CST), a nonprofit that advises Britain\u2019s estimated 280,000 Jews on security matters.<\/p>\n

The CST has been hiring the former soldiers through a private contractor, which recruits personnel from \u201celite fighting units in the Royal Navy and army,\u201d the report said.<\/p>\n

The organization has also provided training to over 2,000 volunteers to help secure Jewish sites, the report said, including in Krav Maga, the Israeli-developed self-defense martial art.<\/p>\n

The report comes days after police charged<\/a> 45-year-old Essa Suleiman with attempted murder following an antisemitic terror attack during which two Jewish men were stabbed on Wednesday. Suleiman is also accused of the attempted murder of an acquaintance earlier in the day.<\/p>\n

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According to the Times, the hiring of the UK veterans for Jewish community security, which it said costs \u201ctens of thousands of pounds,\u201d highlights the \u201cacute level of concern\u201d felt among Britain\u2019s Jews.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tA police officer talks with two boys where two people were stabbed, in Golders Green neighborhood, that has a large Jewish community, in London, April 29, 2026. (Lucy North\/PA via AP)<\/p>\n

While the CST operates with a 28 million pound ($38 million) annual Home Office grant to give to Jewish community sites for security hiring, many institutions have dipped into their own funds to hire additional personnel, the report said.<\/p>\n

The former soldiers began protecting Jewish sites in the aftermath of the Manchester synagogue attack<\/a> last October, the report said, during which a terrorist drove his car into people gathered outside the congregation during Yom Kippur services and stabbed one person to death. Another person died during the attack after being inadvertently shot by police.<\/p>\n

The private security officers now patrol Jewish areas of London and Manchester, the Times said.<\/p>\n

Issuing comment for the report on the hiring of Royal Army veterans and other former troops for security, the CST said it \u201cdeploys a range of capabilities as part of our operations protecting the Jewish community.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis includes high level specialist security operatives working alongside other guarding companies and CST volunteers. This reflects the level of threat currently faced by the Jewish community in this country.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tPolice officers patrol at a cordon near Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow, a suburb of London, April 19, 2026. (Jamie Lashmar\/PA via AP)<\/p>\n

In the wake of Wednesday\u2019s attack, \u00a0Britain raised its national terrorism threat level to \u201csevere,\u201d signaling that a terrorist attack is considered highly likely.<\/p>\n

Mark Rowley, head of London\u2019s Metropolitan Police, said Sunday that British Jews are facing their greatest-ever threat,<\/a> which he called an \u201cepidemic\u201d of antisemitism.<\/p>\n

Last week\u2019s stabbing attack took place just 300 yards from the site of an arson attack targeting four ambulances owned by Jewish charity Hatzola, which were parked outside a synagogue.<\/p>\n

That incident was the first in a spate of arson attacks on Jewish-linked sites, which UK police say have been part of a pattern of incidents perpetrated by \u201cthugs for hire\u201d possibly recruited by Iran-linked terror groups.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tThe wreckage of burnt ambulances is seen in a car park at Golders Green in London, March 23, 2026, after an arson attack targeting the vehicles, which were run by a Jewish charity. (AP Photo\/Alberto Pezzali)<\/p>\n

The newly founded Islamist group Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI), or Movement of the Companions of the Right Hand of Islam, which has links to Iran, has claimed responsibility for many of the recent attacks in London, as well as others across Europe on American, Israeli and Jewish targets, according to SITE Intelligence Group.<\/p>\n

Monitoring groups have reported an upsurge in antisemitic incidents in Britain, particularly since the start of the Gaza war, which was sparked by Hamas\u2019s terror onslaught in Israel on October 7, 2023.<\/p>\n

The CST recorded 3,700 instances of anti-Jewish hate across the UK last year, a four percent rise over 2024, but down when compared to 2023.<\/p>\n


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