It’s been two years since the shocking October 7 terror attacks on Israel that left 1200 dead and hundreds taken hostages, and as we remember that day the sad truth is that conditions for Jewish people have not improved.

Antisemitism continues to rise, and attacks on Jewish people in cities like London and Washington DC – as well as here in Australia – have escalated the fear many Jewish people feel.

Most recently, as Jewish people in Manchester, UK were observing Yom Kippur, two people were killed and three injured in a car and stabbing attack at a synagogue.

These attacks remind us that freedom of religion is hard fought and can be easily lost if lawmakers, law enforcement, and, indeed, the overall culture are not steadfast in defending it.

In Britain, many Jews are making plans to escape the UK and return to Israel. As British Jew Ben Freeman wrote:

I am one of many making this choice… all around me, Jews are applying to move to Israel, where, despite the war and rocket attacks, they feel they might be safer.

…that such conservations are now routine should trouble not only Jews but also anyone who cares about the moral fabric of this country.

This fear is not limited to the UK. Daniel Aghion, President of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, spoke to the ABC of the need for security at synagogues after the October 7 attacks, saying:

It is an affront to our society that any Australian has to live this way, but it is the reality of what we face as Jews.

The Manchester attack, together with the firebombing attacks experienced here in Australia, shows that the risk is real and our fears are justified.

It is hard to call it religious “freedom” when Jews require security guards, fences, and cameras to practice their faith in their places of worship.

And as protests and marches that permit – if not encourage – pro-terrorism and antisemitic rhetoric go on in our city streets, the threat to freedom does not seem to be easing.

In the West, people of all religions should be able to practice their faith without fear of intimidation or violence. This right includes the responsibility to protect those of other religions from intimidation and violence.

The anniversary of October 7, the attacks in Manchester, and the ongoing threats to Jewish people in our community are all cause of deep concern and alarm and at HRLA it makes us even more determined to defend freedom of religion each and every day.