Anti-Semitism has been normalised in middle-class Britain, a Government-backed report has found.
The review warned that Jewish people in the UK were suffering increasing prejudice “in our professions, cultural life [and] public services” and felt they were “tolerated rather than being respected”.
The report, commissioned by the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the country’s largest Jewish community organisation, found anti-Semitism to be pervasive in the NHS, at universities and in the arts.
The inconsistent policing of hate crimes against Jews, including at pro-Palestine protests, was also highlighted.
The review was co-authored by Lord Mann, the Government’s anti-Semitism adviser, and Dame Penny Mordaunt, the former defence secretary.
Writing in The Telegraph, they said they had been “stunned into silence” by the evidence gathered during six months of research for the Commission on Anti-Semitism.
They wrote: “We heard about the noisy demonstrations and how intimidating people find the current environment, but as we dug deeper, what really scared us was the increasing normalisation of far more extreme, personalised and sometimes life-changing impact directed at individuals purely and simply because they are Jewish.”
The pair added: “We are two non-Jews from opposite sides of the political spectrum and we have both come to realise that if our Jewish community is facing discrimination, this is a failure of our society.”
Judaism ‘should be recognised as an ethnicity’
Among 10 recommendations made in their report, which will be published on Tuesday and considered by the Government, are recognising Judaism as an ethnicity, an overhaul of the policing of anti-Semitic crimes and the launch of an “Anti-Semitism Training Qualification” for employers.
After the Oct 7 attacks in 2023, anti-Semitic incidents hit record highs, according to the Community Security Trust, which monitors reports of anti-Jewish hate in Britain.
The co-authors said that British Jews were often “held responsible for the actions of the Israeli government”, which are frequently the subject of pro-Palestine protests.
The report also raised concerns that police forces had struggled to effectively tackle anti-Jewish hate, arguing “improvements can be made to ensure that there is a consistent standard and understanding of anti-Semitism across all police forces throughout the country”.
The war in Gaza following the Oct 7 attacks triggered mass protests that were branded “hate marches” by Suella Braverman, the then home secretary, in October 2023.
Police forces have repeatedly been accused of a “two-tier” approach for allowing what critics have described as “intimidating” pro-Palestine protests outside Jewish places of worship.
Earlier this year, The Telegraph revealed that a Jewish counter-protester was arrested by the Metropolitan Police after he briefly held a sign satirising a Hezbollah terrorist leader at a pro-Palestine march.
Turning to the health service, researchers found “many Jewish employees within NHS organisations” felt that issues in their workplace were not being addressed and that it had been “swept under the carpet”.
“From evidence that we heard, we can identify that there is a specific unaddressed issue of anti-Semitism within the NHS,” they wrote.
Jewish doctors in the NHS have reported a surge in anti-Semitic abuse from colleagues since Oct 7, according to the General Medical Council (GMC), the independent body which regulates the UK medical register.
Several NHS staff have been reported for anti-Semitic activities, from workplace abuse to social media posts celebrating Oct 7.
In 2024, the NHS suspended a family GP who described the attacks as “a welcome punch on the nose” but later reinstated him, citing insufficient evidence that he was unfit to practice.
Campus concerns
The education sector was also criticised in the report for allowing the spread of anti-Semitism on university campuses and in primary school classrooms.
Writing in The Telegraph, the co-authors noted one campus where “staff members who Jewish students trust with their health records [were] shouting for an intifada”, an Arabic word which can be used to describe violent Palestinian uprisings against Israel.
Anti-Semitism on campuses has surged since Oct 7, with the 2023-24 academic year seeing record reports of verbal abuse, threats and assaults against Jewish students and staff.
At Leeds University, for example, a chaplain received death threats and rape threats against his wife after returning from his Israel Defense Force (IDF) reservist duties in Israel. In another instance, a Jewish student society was targeted by a bomb hoax threat.
The report also found “evidence that some faith primary schools inadvertently use anti-Semitic tropes when teaching subjects like Religious Education”.
In other professions, the co-authors found examples of professional bodies and trade unions passing motions about Israel that alienated Jewish members.
Last month, Jewish members of the British Medical Association, the doctors’ union, told The Telegraph they felt unsafe because of motions related to the Middle East conflict, which they deemed anti-Semitic.
Earlier this year, in April, a Jewish teacher was loudly heckled for challenging an anti-Israel motion at the National Education Union’s annual conference in Bournemouth.
Researchers also “received evidence about where an individual believes that their professional body is actively discriminating against them, but where they require membership in order to be able to work”.
Artists ‘cancelled because of their heritage’
In the arts, the report found “substantial evidence of more hidden barriers being put in front of Jewish involvement” and examples of cultural institutions “cancelling artists because of their heritage or ethnicity, or pressure from anti-Semitic organisations”.
Lord Mann and Dame Penny said they were moved by “a young Jewish female performer who told us that following October 7th, venues and promoters who the artist had worked with for years, no longer wanted to engage with her”.
The report found there was “almost nowhere” that British Jews can turn “where anti-Semitism does not seem present in some form” as well as “a failure to effectively respond by institutions across the United Kingdom”.
The co-authors concluded that anti-Semitism was “not understood as a form of racism” in Britain and recommended that Judaism be nationally recognised as an ethnicity, as well as a religion, so that anti-Jewish prejudice can be more effectively tackled.
Other recommendations included the drafting of a national policy on dealing with anti-Semitism consistently, to be followed by all police forces.
The report also asked the Government to come up with a plan within a year to make professional bodies and trade unions safe for Jewish members, and recommended an “Anti-Semitism Training Qualification” to be introduced by employers.
Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister, previously said she supported the commission and would consider the recommendations of its report.
When it was announced in November, Ms Rayner said: “We welcome the launch of the Board of Deputies’ Commission on anti-Semitism and will look closely at its recommendations as part of our work to keep communities safe.”
Labour under pressure
The Government has been criticised by Jewish groups within the Labour Party for “performative” anti-Israel policies such as suspending trade talks and embargoing arms sales.
Labour Against Anti-Semitism, a campaign group, said the policies “added to a climate of intolerance and hate” toward British Jews.
Sir Keir Starmer is under pressure from Labour’s Left and allies such as France to go further and recognise a Palestinian state. Israel has said any such recognition would be a “reward” to Hamas.
While the Prime Minister is theoretically in favour of recognising a Palestinian state as part of a Middle East peace process, he is understood to be “reticent” about signing up to the French plans.
However, the mooted emergence of a new Left-wing, pro-Palestinian party under Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labour leader, could also increase pressure on Sir Keir to act.
In recent weeks, the Government was forced to intervene in a row over anti-Semitism after chants at Glastonbury music festival calling for the death of Israeli soldiers were broadcast live by the BBC.
Bob Vylan, a rap duo, led calls for “death to the IDF” while performing at the festival.
The Prime Minister described the chants as “appalling hate speech” and said the BBC had questions to answer over why they were broadcast live.
The broadcaster’s head of music stepped back from day-to-day duties over the row after Lisa Nandy, the Culture Secretary, demanded more “accountability” from the corporation’s leadership.
Lord Mann previously told The Telegraph that “heads should roll” at the BBC after it aired a documentary featuring the nephew of a Hamas official as a narrator.
An NHS spokesman said: “It is completely unacceptable for anyone to experience racism, discrimination or prejudice in the health service, whether staff or patient, and the NHS takes any instance of anti-Semitism or discrimination extremely seriously.
“The NHS provides care and treatment for everyone regardless of race, faith, or background, and all NHS healthcare providers should have policies in place to address issues like this in the workplace.”
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