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Feb. 29 (UPI) -- Britain's Prince William condemned anti-Semitism during a visit to a London synagogue Thursday. William toured the Western Marble Arch Synagogue where he met with "students and young people who have experienced anti-Semitism" Kensington Palace said on social media.
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"Well, you've heard it from me, anti-Semitism has no place in society. I've said it before and I'll say it again," said William.
"Both Catherine and I are extremely concerned about the rise in anti-Semitism that you guys have talked about so eloquently this morning, and I am just so sorry you've had to experience that."
William also met with "young ambassadors" from various backgrounds who participated in the Holocaust Educational Trust's "Lessons from Auschwitz" program where they lean Holocaust history while visiting the site of the Auschwitz concentration camp.
"A lot live in their silos, their echo chamber on social media, they don't have different influences, they don't have anything else, they might not have anyone they know who's Jewish ... it's so important we break out of these boxes," William said.
He also met with Holocaust survivor Renee Salt, 94, who told the prince of her experience moving from "ghetto to ghetto" during World War II and continuing to live with the fear of anti-Semitism to this day.
"It must be horrible for all of you worrying about this and I'm sorry it's got to this," William said. "It will get better."
He added it was important for Holocaust survivors like Salt to continue to share their stories with younger people.
"Some of the young people don't even believe it ever happened," Salt said.
Salt also said she wished William's wife Kate well as she recovers from abdominal surgery and is not expected to return to public duties until after Easter.
The event Thursday marked William's first since announcing Tuesday that he was pulling out of the funeral for Greece's King Constantine over what he described as a "personal matter."
While not commenting on the reason for the prince's absence, Kensington Palace did confirm Tuesday that Kate's recovery was progressing as expected and she was "doing well."
William has been performing royal duties while his father King Charles III undergoes cancer treatment.
Earlier this month, he called for the fighting in Gaza to end and for Hamas to release the hostages it took on Oct. 7.
"I, like so many others, want to see an end to the fighting as soon as possible. There is a desperate need for increased humanitarian support to Gaza. It's critical that aid gets in and the hostages are released," William said.
