Britain is set to unveil a raft of tough new laws to tackle anti-Semitism Monday, following a shocking rise in the number of hate crimes against Jews over the summer.

Writing in The Daily Express, the UK’s Communities Secretary Eric Pickles pulled no punches, warning that the “ancient evil” of anti-Semitism was rearing its head in the UK, and that a crackdown was necessary to defeat the “dark forces” of Jew-hatred.

According to the Community Security Trust (CST) which monitors anti-Semitism in the UK, the summer months saw the highest figures of anti-Semitic crime ever recorded, with some 543 incidents in July and August alone – more than the figures for the entire previous year. That spate of hate-crimes coincided with Israel’s 50-day war with Gaza-based terrorists, as Islamists and extremists from the far-left and right used the opportunity to incite a wave of anti-Semitic attacks throughout Europe.

Incidents included physical and verbal assaults, vandalism and hate-graffiti targeting synagogues and Jewish schools, and a deluge of anti-Semitic abuse and incitement on social media.Public displays of anti-Semitism at pro-Palestinian rallies were also recorded on several occasions.

Although not as bad as in countries on the European continent such as France, the spike in anti-Semitism left British Jews shaken, and a major rally held in central London saw community members and leaders demand a “zero tolerance” approach by authorities towards anti-Semitism.

Writing in The Daily Express, Pickles pledged just that.

“The irrational hatred of Jews is like cancer,” he wrote. “Once beaten it can come back. It lurks in the shadows, and in 2014 there has been a revolting relapse of this ancient evil.

“Sadly Britain has not been immune. We share this shame.”

Pickles went on to name and shame several institutions for caving in to or actively encouraging anti-Israel hysteria and even anti-Semitism. Some of the new measures set to be introduced will hold city councils and even businesses to account if they are seen to encourage anti-Semitism.

“Institutions that should have stood up to this thuggish behavior did not,” said Pickles. “Like the Holborn branch of Sainsbury’s, clearing their shelves of kosher food to satisfy anti-Israeli yobs outside. This casual acceptance of anti-Semitism was outrageous.”

The incident at a Sainsbury’s store was just one of several in which anti-Israel extremists rioted inside stores selling Israeli produce. In another incident, extremists ransacked a branch of Tesco in Birmingham. The escalation in violence by so-called “BDS” protesters calling for boycotts of Israeli goods prompted a senior Conservative party MP to attack the movement as a manifestation of pure anti-Semitism, comparing it to the Nazi boycott of Jewish goods in the 1930s.

“Even some councils have behaved irresponsibly. Like Tower Hamlets, engaging in their own municipal foreign policy by flying the Palestinian flag. These public bodies should be using their position of authority to actively reduce tensions, not stir them up,” Pickles continued.

“Anti-Semitism and hate crime are completely incompatible with traditional British values and totally unacceptable in our society.”

Vivian Wineman, President at the Board of Deputies of British Jews, praised the government’s response to the rise in anti-Semitism, but also noted that the reverberations of the summer’s events had left a lasting mark for many Jews.

“Anti-Semitic incidents on both British streets but also online, particularly through social media, struck at the British Jewish community’s sense of well-being and identity,” he said.

“The Board is reassured to see the advances being made to address a number of issues and by the government’s positive attitude generally.”

And it’s not just members of the British Jewish establishment who are worried.

Earlier this month, BBC’s director of television said he had “never felt so uncomfortable being a Jew in the UK as I’ve felt in the last 12 months.”

Speaking at a conference in Israel, Danny Cohen went so far as to question the future of British Jewry as a whole.

“It’s made me think about, you know, is it our long-term home, actually?”

Anti-hate activists have cautiously welcomed the move, but say it remains to be seen what the new measures will actually entail.

“In August we campaigned outside the High Court in our thousands, with banners calling for zero tolerance. Now the government has made a bold move to answer our call,” said Jonathan Sacerdoti of the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism, which organized the summer rally in central London.

“We welcome a crackdown on anti-Semitism, but it remains to be seen if new laws will be made,” he added. 

“We continue to call for the enforcement of existing laws, and increased urgency in dealing with this issue.

“Over the last four months we spoke directly with Mr Pickles calling for arrests when anti-Semitic behavior is disguised as anti-Israel action, and are pleased to see his bold statement concerning this. We continue our discussions with the police and CPS on these and other issues.

“This is not just a Jewish problem, but a Problem for all of British society”