Invisible Wall: How Antisemitism is Taking Over British Offices – WZO

Invisible Wall: How Antisemitism is Taking Over British Offices

In one of the London offices, a manager whispered to a colleague: “Again, those with their Israel”. In another, a university lecturer was no longer invited to departmental discussions after he spoke out against Nazi analogies directed at the Jewish state. These episodes are not exceptions but part of a troubling picture.

A recent survey by the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Work Avenue organization shows: two-thirds of Jewish employees in the UK experience antisemitism at their workplace. And it’s not about slogans on the walls or shouts at rallies — it’s about whispers in the smoking area, avoidance, informal sanctions. It’s about the silence that speaks louder than words.

“I began to doubt whether it’s possible to be both Jewish and part of this team,” one of the survey respondents, who works in healthcare, admitted.

This sector has become the leader in the number of mentioned incidents. Following are education and publishing. Where critical thinking seems to dominate, social pressure and fear increasingly prevail.

Trade unions, once bastions of solidarity, turned out to be an unexpected source of alienation. The report states: 32% of Jewish employees feel alienated in them. Anti-Israel rhetoric becomes the norm, and the lines between criticizing policies and rejecting identity blur.

After October 7, 2023, the situation drastically worsened. A study by Pearn Kandola showed that 80% of Jewish workers face microaggressions — phrases, looks, invisible but painful jabs. Colleagues generally do not realize the effect of their words and gestures, and management prefers “not to interfere”.

Against this backdrop, the data from a survey by the Campaign Against Antisemitism is particularly alarming. According to it, only a third of British Jews believe that their community has a future in the country, and half of the respondents have considered emigrating in the last two years due to rising antisemitism. This is not just dissatisfaction — it’s a mass feeling that the country is turning away.

Antisemitism today is not a shout but an ignore. Not a firing, but a lack of invitation. It’s a look that reads: “You’re not one of us”. It penetrates everyday life, making Jewish identity something better not advertised.

When two-thirds feel like outsiders in their teams — it’s not a “minority problem”. It’s a symptom. A disease not only of the community but of a society that remains silent when it should speak. And if this is not heard — tomorrow, everyone will be silent.

That’s why such studies must sound loud. Not as statistics — as an alarm bell. Because when two-thirds feel hostility, it’s no longer a “minority problem”. It’s a diagnosis of the entire system.

4 Apr 2025
2 min read
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