The UK’s former chief rabbi, Lord Sacks, has spoken of feeling ashamed while watching “too many good people doing nothing” to tackle the rise of antisemitism in Britain and elsewhere in Europe.

Leaders had a particular responsibility to take a stand, Sacks said as he delivered Thought for the Day on BBC Radio 4 on Friday. As well as violent attacks on Jewish members of the public in continental Europe, he referred to Tuesday’s parliamentary debate on antisemitism, in which a succession of MPs urged Jeremy Corbyn to act against offenders within the Labour party.

“I have been doing Thought for the Day for 30 years, but I never thought that in 2018 I would still have to speak about antisemitism,” said Sacks.