UK report: Antisemitism has become prevalent among the middle class

A report commissioned by the UK’s Jewish community and published last night (Saturday) found that antisemitism has become widespread in the country, particularly among the middle class.

The report, co-authored by Lord John Mann, the government’s adviser on antisemitism, and former Defence Secretary Penny Mordaunt, warns that Jews in Britain are facing growing prejudice “in professional life, in cultural spaces, and in public services,” and feel increasingly unappreciated and marginalized.

Commissioned by the Board of Deputies of British Jews – the largest Jewish organization in the UK – the report found that antisemitism is prevalent in the National Health Service (NHS), universities, and the arts. It also highlighted inconsistent law enforcement in response to hate crimes against Jews, including during pro-Palestinian protests.

In an interview with The Telegraph, Mann and Mordaunt said they were shocked by the evidence collected over six months of research. “We heard about loud protests and how some people find the current environment intimidating, but the deeper we dug, what truly frightened us was the increasing normalization of far more extreme, personal, and sometimes life-altering influences – simply directed at people because they are Jewish.”

They added: “We are not Jews, and we come from opposing ends of the political spectrum (Mordaunt from the Conservative Party, Mann from Labour), and we both understood that if our Jewish community is facing discrimination, that’s a failure of our society.”

Among the ten recommendations in the report – which will be officially released this week and reviewed by the government – are recognizing Judaism as an ethnic group, reforming how antisemitic crimes are policed, and launching an “antisemitism training certification” for employers.

Antisemitic incidents peaked after Oct. 7 in both 2023 and 2024. The report’s authors explained that British Jews are often “seen as responsible for the actions of the Israeli government,” which are frequently the focus of pro-Palestinian protests.

The report expressed concern that police forces have struggled to respond effectively to anti-Jewish hate and noted that law enforcement had allowed pro-Palestinian protesters to demonstrate outside synagogues. It further stated that “improvements can be made to ensure consistent understanding of antisemitism across all police forces nationwide.”

Regarding the NHS, the report found that “many Jewish employees in the National Health Service felt that issues in their workplaces were not addressed and were instead swept under the rug.”

“Based on the evidence we’ve heard, we can identify a specific unaddressed issue – antisemitism within the NHS,” they wrote. Jewish doctors reported an increase in harassment from colleagues since October 7 – ranging from abuse at work to social media posts praising the Hamas massacre.

In one 2024 case, a GP was suspended after describing the attacks as “a welcome punch in the nose,” but was later reinstated after the NHS found no grounds for professional disqualification.

The British education system was also criticized in the report for enabling the spread of antisemitism on campuses and in elementary school classrooms. The 2023–24 academic year saw record levels of verbal abuse, threats, and assaults against Jewish students and staff.

At the University of Leeds, for example, a rabbi received death and rape threats against his wife after returning from military reserve duty in Israel. In another case, a Jewish student union was the target of a hoax bomb threat.

In the cultural sector, the report found “significant evidence of more subtle barriers to Jewish participation,” including examples of cultural institutions “dropping artists because of their heritage or ethnicity, or due to pressure from antisemitic organizations.”

Mann and Mordaunt said they were moved by “a young Jewish artist who told us that after Oct. 7, venues and festivals she had worked with for years no longer wanted contact with her.”

The authors concluded that antisemitism “is not perceived as a form of racism” in Britain and recommended that Judaism be officially recognized as an ethnic group, in addition to a religion, in order to better address anti-Jewish prejudice.

Further recommendations included creating a national policy for consistent handling of antisemitism, making professional organizations and trade unions safer for Jewish members, and requiring “antisemitism training” in workplaces.

The full report will be published on Tuesday. UK Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said she supports the initiative and will consider adopting its recommendations once released.