The attack in Golders Green, in which two Jews were stabbed, took place two minutes from our charity’s centre, where many hundreds of young people come each week to learn and to socialise.

It is tempting to describe such moments as shocking. But shock implies surprise. There is something sobering, even troubling, in admitting that we are no longer surprised by this attack. The atmosphere has been changing for some time. Not overnight, not dramatically, but gradually, almost imperceptibly, until what once felt unthinkable has begun to feel, if not normal, then at least predictable.

For months now, there has been a quiet, unspoken understanding among many young Jews in London that certain areas are best avoided if you are visibly Jewish

For months now, there has been a quiet, unspoken understanding among many young Jews in London that certain areas are best avoided if you are visibly Jewish

In the past 24 hours, I have received an unprecedented number of messages and calls from young Jews asking a question I never thought I would hear in modern Britain: do we still have a future........

© The Spectator