Poll: Two-thirds of British Jews experience antisemitism at work

Nearly two-thirds of Jewish employees in the UK have encountered antisemitism in the workplace, according to a new survey published jointly by the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the Jewish Leadership Council, and Work Avenue.

The survey of 427 Jewish employees, conducted at the end of 2024, found that 64 percent of respondents reported that they had experienced antisemitism at least occasionally.

Healthcare was the most frequently reported sector for antisemitism, followed by education and publishing. While 45% of respondents said they had received some level of support following the incidents, this was often limited to personal expressions of empathy rather than tangible change in the organization, the report says.

Jewish workers described trade unions as spaces where antisemitism was not only present but institutionalized, with several reporting that their unions disproportionately focused on anti-Israel activism, the report notes.

Antisemitism in the UK has spiked since Hamas launched its war against Israel on October 7, 2023. A recent survey published by the Campaign Against Antisemitism found that only one-third of British Jews believe that Jews have a long-term future in the United Kingdom, and half have considered leaving Britain in the past two years due to rising anti-Jewish tensions.