Britain's Jews facing trouble after 350 years

Britain's Jews will celebrate the 350th anniversary of their re-entry into the UK this month at a time when anti-Semitic attacks are on the rise.

A surge in incidents during the latest Israeli/Hizbollah conflict added to a general rise in anti-Jewish feeling that has been evident since the turn of the century.

"When times are tough, when times are difficult, the Jews become scapegoats. It's happening again," said Mark Gardner of the Community Security Trust (CST), which advises Britain's 290,000-strong Jewish community on safety issues.

"We're in a really difficult, dangerous period of time with global terrorism, the Iraq War, the Afghanistan War -- people are becoming very nervous about the future and these are the types of times when Jews get scapegoated."

The CST said there had been 92 anti-Semitic incidents in Britain in July, coinciding with the conflict between Israel and Hizbollah in Lebanon.