A newly released report has found a troubling rise in antisemitism across major UK institutions, revealing widespread failures to protect Jewish individuals from discrimination. The review
highlights issues within the NHS, education, policing, and the arts.
The investigation was commissioned by the Board of Deputies of British Jews—the UK's largest Jewish community organisation—and led by Labour peer Lord John Mann, the government's independent adviser on antisemitism, alongside former Conservative cabinet minister Dame Penny Mordaunt.
Gathering evidence from public services and cultural bodies, the report shares deeply concerning testimonies from Jewish individuals. Lord Mann described hearing “shocking experiences” and labelled the recent surge in antisemitism following the October 7 Hamas-led attacks on Israel as “unacceptable.”
He noted a disturbing trend of Jewish people being singled out and held accountable for events in the Middle East in their everyday professional lives. “People are being ostracised in the workplace simply because they’re Jewish,” Mann said in an interview with the BBC.
The report criticises the failure to include antisemitism in equality and diversity training across sectors. However, it praised recent efforts in English football where antisemitism training has been successfully implemented nationwide in just two years.
Findings from the NHS revealed that many Jewish staff felt the issue of antisemitism had been “swept under the carpet,” while some Jewish patients reported discomfort with a service meant to support them.
In education, the report flagged incidents where Christian primary school teachers, particularly during religious studies lessons, unintentionally used antisemitic tropes. It cited a positive example from the Winchester Diocese, which partnered with the local Jewish community to improve teacher training—a model the report recommends expanding to all faith schools.
The review offers 10 key recommendations, primarily focused on education and training. These include the creation of an official “Antisemitism Training Qualification” to ensure those delivering such instruction are equipped with appropriate expertise. It stresses the importance of recognising Judaism as both a religion and an ethnicity to ensure antisemitism is fully understood and addressed.
Additional proposals call for better protection and equal treatment of Jewish professionals in the arts and trade unions, along with more consistent policing of antisemitic incidents.
Dame Penny Mordaunt emphasised that “no person should face abuse or discrimination whilst going about their business, whether it is pursuing the career of their choice or accessing public services.”
The Board of Deputies echoed that sentiment, highlighting the responsibility of those in welfare, safety, and security roles to ensure Jewish individuals can seek help without fear.
Phil Rosenberg, president of the Board of Deputies, summarised the findings as evidence of a broader systemic problem: “This report can be summarised as one of a failure to apply the protections rightly afforded to different vulnerable groups equally to Jewish people in the same positions.”
In response, an NHS spokesperson stated: “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 antisemitism or discrimination extremely seriously.”