THE “soul of our society” is at stake in the light of recent anti-Semitism, the Bishop of Willesden, the Rt Revd Lusa Nsenga-Ngoy, said as he addressed a rally on the issue on Sunday.
Bishop Nsenga-Ngoy, the Church of England’s lead bishop for interfaith engagement, was speaking at the “Standing Strong: Extinguish Anti-Semitism” rally in London.
“We gather today because something vital is at stake: not only the safety and dignity of our Jewish brothers and sisters, but the soul of our society itself,” he said.
He continued: “[Anti-Semitism] is evil, and it must be confronted wherever it appears. . . And wherever anti-Semitism flourishes, other forms of hatred are never far behind — racism, xenophobia, extremism, conspiracy — and they always metastasise into violence.”
The Bishop singled out anti-Semitism among prejudices as possessing “a particular persistence” that demanded “moral clarity”. He said: “It appears across the political spectrum, and feeds on fear, grievance, and division. And, perhaps most dangerously of all, it grows when public voices choose outrage over responsibility; when influence is used not to strengthen the social fabric, but to tear it apart.”
Bishop Nsenga-Ngoy addressed the issues of language and racism in politics, saying: “Words matter. Platforms matter. Leadership matters. When public figures trade in conspiracy, humiliation, and division, they do not merely inflame opinion; they corrode the moral foundations of a nation. Leadership that profits from division is not courage. It is recklessness. And rhetoric that dehumanises any community ultimately threatens every community.”
He continued: “History teaches us with terrifying consistency that when anti-Semitism rises unchecked, democracy itself begins to decay. That is why the safety and freedom of Jewish citizens is not a Jewish issue alone. It is a democratic issue. A national issue. A human issue. Anti-Semitism is not a problem for Jewish people to solve by themselves. It is a test of the moral health of the whole society.”
The Bishop had attended a gathering at Downing Street last week to discuss the issue, during which the Prime Minister said that it was a “crisis for all of us”. Sir Keir Starmer referred to the “utterly appalling” attacks in Golders Green, in North London (News, 1 May), and the attack on Heaton Park Congregation Synagogue in Manchester last October (News, 2 October 2025).
Bishop Nsenga-Ngoy told the Church Times last week: “The urgency of this conversation is clear: hatred, in any form, corrodes our common life and demands a collective response that is both principled and practical.
“What matters here is not only the seriousness of the issue, but the breadth of those willing to engage it. Bringing together voices from across sectors . . . signals that this is not a concern for one group alone, but a shared responsibility.”
He continued: “The content of the summit itself underlined this ‘whole-of-society’ approach. Government commitments focused on both immediate protection and longer-term cultural change.”
Church leaders have strongly condemned the string of incidents in recent weeks, including an anti-Semitic attack on four ambulances belonging to a Jewish charity, in March (News, 27 March).