"I know of rabbinical colleagues throughout Europe who have been assaulted and attacked in the street. We have had synagogues desecrated and Jewish schools burnt to the grounds in France," Sacks told BBC radio on Sunday.

"This all a kind of tsunami of anti-semitism which is taking place a long way from this country but of which Europe seems unaware," added Sacks, the British and Commonwealth Chief Rabbi.

This anti-Jewish hatred has come about because Israel is seen as the root of all the conflicts in the world, he argued: "Jewry's and Israel's role as the scapegoat of the 21st century belongs to a dishonourable tradition that should have been buried long ago."

According to figures from the London-based Jewish Community Security Trust, acts of anti-semitic violence have doubled in western Europe since 2000.

The group recorded 532 such incidents in 2004, representing a 42 percent increase over the previous year,

The 2004 figures were the worst the trust has collated since its formation in 1984.

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