Since the October 7 massacre, 64% of British Jewish employees experienced antisemitism in their workplaces, according to a survey published Tuesday by the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the Jewish Leadership Council and Work Avenue.
The online survey conducted at the end of 2024 found that 11.5% of respondents frequently experienced antisemitism from colleagues or clients since October 2023, while 52% said rarely or occasionally. Thirty-six percent of participants said they had never experienced antisemitism.
The 427 survey participants related 128 incidents that occurred in conversations that they were part of, and another 83 that they overheard. Some 102 incidents occurred over email and internal communications, and 109 over text messages. Another 32 incidents occurred over social media, which the report said indicated the overlap between personal and professional life.
Blood libel and other antisemitic conspiracies revive
One respondent related that three days after the Hamas-led pogrom in Israel, a receptionist had told them, “I don’t feel sorry for you Jews, you kill Muslim babies at Passover.”
Around a third of the participants who were part of a trade union said that they had experienced antisemitism in their union.
“I am a member of the National Education Union,” shared one participant. “There is an expectation that you must agree with a particular stance on Israel or risk being ostracized.”
Fifteen respondents said they had left their unions due to feeling uncomfortable about the environment, while another 34 felt unable to leave because of a lack of viable alternatives. Some found their unions unsupportive, and one had a positive experience on the matter.
Work Avenue CEO Debbie Lebrett said the results were shocking but not surprising.
“The workplace should be a safe space,” said Lebrett. “To see not only a high incidence of antisemitism, but also a failure to address it, is deeply concerning.”
About half of respondents described receiving some degree of support from their workplaces, union or non-union. Fifty-two percent noted that their workplaces held diversity training but didn’t discuss antisemitism, and 15% said that the training discussed antisemitism.
The survey also asked if employers released a statement about the October 7 attacks and the ensuing war. Half of the respondents said yes, but another 48% gave an extremely low rating to how supportive these statements were. Only 11% said the statements were neutral.
Jewish Leadership Council head of strategic programs Claire Mandel said the “results highlight the urgent need for employers to address the ways in which they handle incidents of antisemitism in the workplace.”
Mandel and Board of Deputies vice president Andrew Gilbert encouraged employers to engage with their organizations on how to support Jewish employees.
The report noted that the survey relied on self-reporting and voluntary participation, which could introduce response bias.