Article: Israel And The Last Days
 

The number of anti-Semitic hate crimes reported to police has soared in parts of the UK, police figures reveal. A number of the largest forces in the country are recording rising numbers of offenses against Jewish people and property, data obtained by the Press Association shows. In London the total more than doubled in a year, while there were also increases in Greater Manchester, Merseyside, West Midlands and West Yorkshire. Crimes included assault, harassment, arson and criminal damage.   Separate figures released today show there was a 53% increase in the number of anti-Semitic incidents recorded by the Community Security Trust (CST) in the first half of this year compared to the same period of last year. The CST, a charity that monitors anti-Semitism, recorded 473 incidents from January to June including 44 violent assaults, 35 instances of damage and desecration of Jewish property and 88 cases of abuse or threats on social media. Chief executive David Delew said: "The terrorist attacks on European Jews earlier this year, following the high levels of anti-Semitism in 2014, were a difficult and unsettling experience for our Jewish community. "We welcome the apparent increase in reporting of anti-semitic incidents, but regret the concern and anxiety about anti-Semitism that this reflects." Police figures revealed a substantial rise in the number of incidents reported in London, where a large proportion of Britain's Jews live. Figures supplied by the Metropolitan Police under Freedom of Information laws showed the force recorded a total of 193 anti-Semitic crimes in 2013/14. The number jumped by 137% in 2014/15 to 459. Of the total offenses in the most recent financial year, 53 – more than one in ten – involved violence. There were 276 incidents of harassment, while criminal damage accounted for 115 anti-Semitic crimes. A similar pattern was also seen in Greater Manchester, where there is also a large Jewish community. The force said there were a total of 172 anti-Semitic offenses in 2014/15 – more than double the 82 recorded in the previous year. Over the two years, there were 21 cases of religiously aggravated common assault. Among the other forces recording increases are: :: Merseyside Police – total of 29 offenses, up from 22 the previous year :: West Midlands Police – total of 32offenses, up from 13 the previous year. :: West Yorkshire Police – total of 11 offenses, up from 8 the previous year. :: Hertfordshire Police – total of 29 offenses, up from 12 the previous year. :: Lincolnshire Police – total of 66 offenses, up from 45 the previous year.