The persistent threat of antisemitism was underscored Thursday after at least two people were killed in a U.K. synagogue attack. The violence unfolded as millions of Jews marked Yom Kippur, the holiest day in their faith, and as global efforts continued to free 46 Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

Details of the assailant, who attacked the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation in England’s northeastern city of Manchester by ramming his car into pedestrians before stabbing at least one person, remain unknown.

British police shot and killed the suspect, and authorities declared the attack a terrorist incident.

«Attacks like the one today in the U.K. sadly are becoming normalized,» Jonathan Ruhe, Director of Foreign Policy at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, told Fox News Digital.

UK TERROR ATTACK OUTSIDE PACKED SYNAGOGUE ON YOM KIPPUR LEAVES 2 DEAD, 4 INJURED, POLICE SAY

The Community Security Trust (CST), which tracks antisemitic attacks in the U.K., found that «incidents» against the Jewish community across Britain drastically escalated following the Hamas attacks on Israel Oct. 7, 2023, and the subsequent war in the Gaza Strip that followed with 4,103 events recorded that year — an all-time high. 

In October 2023 alone,1,330 instances of antisemitism were reported by the CST, which includes assault, damage or desecration, threats and abusive behavior against Jews. 

Incidents reported in November and December that year, with 931 and 477 incidents respectively, made those months the second- and fourth-worst months for antisemitism in the U.K. recorded by the group.

Last year also saw another 3,528 incidents reported, more than double the 1,652 incidents reported the year prior to the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.

CST found that the surge in attacks was linked to ideologically or politically motivated sentiments related to the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip. 

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People march with placards showing pictures of Israeli hostages as U.K. Jewish groups mark the first anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Oct. 6, 2024, in Manchester, England. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took to X to offer his condolences for the victims of the attack and said, «Israel grieves with the Jewish community in the UK after the barbaric terror attack in Manchester.

«As I warned at the UN: weakness in the face of terrorism only brings more terrorism. Only strength and unity can defeat it,» he added. 

While the motive behind Thursday’s attack remains unknown, Ruhe argued that the failure of European leaders to use «their diplomatic weight to support a viable post-Hamas future for Gazans» and instead «punish» Israel has contributed to the rise in antisemitic sentiment. 

The attack on the Manchester synagogue comes just two weeks after the U.K. and other European leaders agreed to recognize a Palestinian state after long refusing to do so. 

But anti-Semitism is also on the rise in the U.S., which Ruhe noted is possibly even more concerning given Europe’s history with combating the issue.

Jewish-targeted attacks in the U.K. rose 282% over the last decade, according to data collected by the CST. But in the U.S., antisemitic attacks jumped by 893% in the same 10-year period, according to the Anti-Defamation League, with some 9,354 incidents reported last year. 

«The rise of open and violent anti-Semitism in America is more recent than in much of Europe, but perhaps all the more worrying because of that,» Ruhe said. «Part of the solution is colleges shutting down far-left campus ‘protests’ that intend only to intimidate Jews and anyone who calls for policies short of ending Israel’s existence. 

«It’s been very telling that such ‘protesters’ use militarized language like ‘encampments’ to describe their campus presence and activities.» 

Former President Donald Trump walks on stage at a fighting antisemitism event with Miriam Adelson at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster Aug. 15, 2024, in Bedminster, N.J. (Adam Gray/Getty Images)

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But Ruhe pointed out that anti-Semitism is an increasing concern across the political spectrum’s extremes, driving a narrative on both the far left and far right.

«There’s also a somewhat subtler normalization of antisemitism on the far right, for example, major influencers asking whether we need more context in talking about Adolf Hitler and Nazism,» Ruhe said. «There needs to be more serious and clear pushback from our political leaders on narratives like these.»

EXCLUSIVE: House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is warning that everyday Americans could be at risk in a prolonged government shutdown.

The top House Republican sat down for an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital on Wednesday, the first day of the ongoing government shutdown.

Asked how long he thought it would continue, Johnson said he was praying for a short ordeal.

«My expectation is that I don’t know how it could go longer than a week or so, because so many people have been so adversely affected by this,» Johnson said.

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He pointed to two programs that he was concerned about in particular: The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

«[Democrats are] talking about healthcare. Not only did their counter-proposal say they wanted to cut the rural hospital fund and do all these other things, but what’s happening right now in the shutdown is that the WIC program is now unfunded — women, infants and children nutrition. That’s not a small thing,» Johnson said.

WIC provides free nutrition support to low-income pregnant women, new mothers, infants and children under age 5.

On a call with House Republicans held Wednesday, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought warned that WIC could run out of funding within days without a federal funding deal, Fox News Digital was previously told.

FEMA, however, is expected to continue operations through a government shutdown, as it has in the past. But its funding source, the Disaster Relief Fund, relies on a budget that’s allocated by Congress on an annual basis.

A failure to replenish the Disaster Relief Fund could make it more difficult for FEMA to respond in the event of a natural disaster.

House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks after holding a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on May 22, 2025, in Washington, D.C.  (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is also in danger of lapsing, which could leave millions of Americans without financial help if a hurricane or other disaster hits, Johnson pointed out.

«You have FEMA — I mean, I’m from a hurricane state. We’re in the middle of hurricane season. I’ve got two of them off the coast of the U.S. right now,» Johnson, whose district is anchored in Shreveport, La., said.

«If your flood insurance lapses right now, they’re shut down. Or if you go buy a new house, and you have to have flood insurance, none of that can be processed right now because they just shut the government down. I mean, this is real.»

SOCIAL SECURITY, AIRPORTS, FOOD STAMPS: HOW ARE YOU AFFECTED DURING A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN?

He also expressed concern for the military members in his district who will have to work without getting paid until the shutdown is over.

«The troops are working without pay … I have a big veterans community and active duty service member community because I have two major military installations in my district, Louisiana’s 4th Congressional [District],» Johnson said. 

«I think a lot about these young airmen and soldiers who are deployed right now for their country, and they left behind young wives who are pregnant and have small children. They’re not going to get a paycheck until [Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.] comes to his senses.»

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., right, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., walk to speak to members of the media outside the West Wing at the White House in Washington on Sept. 29, 2025. (Evan Vucci/AP Photo)

The House passed a measure to keep the current federal spending levels roughly flat through Nov. 21 to give Congress more time to reach a longer-term deal for fiscal year (FY) 2026. That bill, called a continuing resolution (CR), advanced mostly along party lines.

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But in the Senate, where at least several Democrats are needed to reach the 60-vote threshold to overcome a filibuster, progress has stalled. 

Senate Democrats are demanding concessions on healthcare, including an extension of COVID-19 pandemic-era Obamacare subsidies that are set to expire at the end of this year.

But Republicans have contended that their plan should remain free of any partisan policy riders.

The Senate is likely to hold another vote on the measure, its fourth in total, on Friday.