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One of the individuals hurt during the recent attack at a synagogue in Manchester was working with the Community Security Trust, an organization praised for preventing an even worse tragedy.

Recognizable Sight of Helpers

The appearance of volunteers in the charity's hi-vis vests has become a common sight at Hebrew synagogues, schools, and other locations in recent years.

For decades, the organization has also influenced public policy by tracking and combating anti-Jewish sentiment, while additionally countering hatred towards other groups.

Increasing Anti-Jewish Incidents

In the two years since the October 7th, 2023 attacks in Israel and the start of the war in Gaza, the charity's staffing has grown by about a third against the backdrop of a rise in anti-Jewish crimes.

According to government statistics, there were over three thousand religious hate crimes targeted at Jewish people in the year to March 2024, an increase from around 1,500 in the prior 12 months.

Additional statistics from the organization itself, based on the count of anti-Jewish events notified to the group, recorded over 1,500 antisemitic incidents across the UK in the initial six months of the current year.

Chart displays mean count of bias-motivated offenses logged per 10,000 people, grouped by the assumed faith of the affected individual.

Established Recording and Training

While it became non-profit organization in 1994, the CST and its predecessors have been documenting and releasing antisemitic incident figures in the UK since 1984.

Currently, its operations include more than 100 employees and 2,000 dedicated volunteers who undergo comprehensive instruction in subjects ranging from emergency medical care to carrying out protective tasks.

Although its members have been hurt in the previous incidents, the severe injuries to one of its personnel in Manchester is considered the most serious yet.

Management Reaction and Security Measures

"Our thoughts are for his continuing recovery and commend the courage of all those who assisted in halting the attacker from entering the synagogue," said the CST’s chief executive.

The CST presence at locations often includes a mixture of its internal helpers, including trained congregants, as well as contracted protection officers.

As a recipient of funding from the Home Office, the CST allocates an 18 million pound public funds that pays for commercial security guards.

These were deployed last year at sites encompassing 200 childcare centers, 260 Jewish temples, and 50 prominent communal buildings.

The organization independently depends on contributions.

Wider Activities and Collaborations

Not as apparent is the CST’s broader efforts in training, advising on security, and its long-standing research into antisemitism from origins such as neo-Nazis and radical Islamists.

These efforts in this area have led to legal proceedings including the jailing in recent years of a man who was then one of the UK’s most active far-right antisemitic video streamers.

National security forces were alerted to his actions by the CST.

The non-profit also works closely with partners including a national anti-Muslim hate monitoring project – the national project that documents and measures anti-Muslim incidents in the UK, and which has referred to the trust's activities as "innovative."

Both are in a formal partnership with additional anti-hate organizations as part of the CATCH alliance.

Further Programs and Community Involvement

CST’s work, which different groups have utilized, also encompasses its guide for protective measures for religious sites.

Additionally, it operates customized youth street awareness programs for teenagers in partnership with Maccabi GB, under the Streetwise initiative.

Additional activities involves partnerships with the police and with elected officials, while it holds frequent meetings with government representatives and feeds into government policy on anti-Jewish issues.

Although the trust works across the Jewish community, an organization called Shomrim also monitors antisemitism and works on behalf of Haredi Jewish groups.