The Board of Deputies of British Jews’ groundbreaking Commission on Antisemitism has today published its report with key recommendations on how to tackle the disturbing rise in anti-Jewish discrimination in the United Kingdom.
The Commission, co-chaired by the Government’s Independent Adviser on Antisemitism Lord Mann and former Secretary of State for Defence and Leader of the House of Commons Dame Penny Mordaunt, focussed on civil society. Launched in 2024, it took evidence from a wide range of organisations, staff networks, students and the Jewish community.
It heard testimony of the day-to-day experiences of Jewish people accessing services or working in particular organisations or sectors. It makes ten practical recommendations which it expects the Government will wish to implement swiftly. In doing so Mann and Mordaunt have been uncompromising in protecting the principle of free speech.
There are specific recommendations concerning the NHS, contract compliance for arts organisations and festivals, the obligations of trade unions, and professional bodies that provide indemnity for individuals working in professions including the police.
Lord Mann said:
“It is unacceptable that the Jewish community has faced an onslaught of antisemitism since October 7th. Whilst this is not new, the Commission heard shocking experiences that we will not ignore. Antisemitism is racism and it must be treated as such. We hope these recommendations will provide additional guidance and action for civil society.”
Penny Mordaunt said:
“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. We wanted to suggest some very practical things that can be dealt with swiftly and will dramatically improve people’s experiences.”
Board of Deputies President Phil Rosenberg said:
“Overall, the challenge in civil society 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. Many sectors promote strong Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) processes, which are very important, but too often, these protections seem to exclude Jews. To quote the title of the popular book on antisemitism by David Baddiel, it too often seems that ‘Jews Don’t Count’. Going forward, the Board of Deputies will insist that ‘Jews Must Count’, and we will use the recommendations of this report to ensure that they do.”
The work was commissioned by the Board of Deputies following the dramatic upsurge in antisemitism following the Hamas attacks of 7 October 2023.
The 10 recommendations are:
- We have seen a growth in the formation of self-organised Jewish staff networks across all industries and in the public sector. We took evidence from several of these groups. Recognition and support for these groups including those bringing together disparate individual Jewish employees should be provided by Jewish communal organisations.
- Judaism should always be seen and understood in the workplace, and by HR Directors across all sectors and organisations, as an ethnicity as well as a religion to ensure issues of antisemitism are dealt with appropriately.
- We received feedback about an identifiable lack of consistency and capacity in antisemitism training. We recommend the creation of an ‘Antisemitism Training Qualification’ to train all those carrying out training on contemporary antisemitism to a set high-quality standard.
- Organisations and institutions that offer their staff Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) training should ensure that education on antisemitism is included as a requirement within all such training.
- We welcome the proposed initiative agreed by the Winchester Diocese and the local Jewish community to teach primary school teachers how to avoid passing on antisemitism and anti-Jewish tropes in their lessons, particularly focussing on Christian sources. We recommend that this be evaluated and rolled out through faith schools across the United Kingdom.
- From evidence that we heard, we can identify that there is a specific unaddressed issue of antisemitism within the NHS. We recommend that a summit should be held with NHS leaders across the UK to begin to address this. We recommend that there should be basic training on contemporary antisemitism carried out across every NHS Trust.
- We believe everyone should have the right to express their opinions and beliefs. However, we also recognise that where a person is carrying out a role, or is employed, primarily to look after the welfare, safety or security of others, they have an additional duty to ensure people feel able to ask for their assistance. Activities, associations and attire that undermine trust in the universality of the services they provide should not be permitted. We recommend that a consistent approach to this be taken across all sectors.
- A number of professions rely on collective professional indemnity in order for individuals to practice. Under the Equality Act 2010, professional organisations and trade unions have a legal duty to ensure that those whose employment require professional indemnity cover have the support and protections that they need. We recommend that these professional organisations and trade unions ensure that all Jewish members are treated equally and with respect. There needs to be a solution for the dilemma that we 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. Either the professional bodies and trade unions are required to act appropriately towards their members, or a third-party support and indemnity should be provided.
- The Jewish community has a long and proud history of involvement in the UK arts world. Discrimination is illegal but costly to challenge legally and we received substantial evidence of more hidden barriers being put in front of Jewish involvement within the arts. If individuals are inhibiting the Jewish way of life by prohibiting Jewish participants, comedians, musicians, actors or others from performing, promoting events or spectating, the use of contract compliance should be leveraged wherever public sector organisations or companies in the private sector are financially involved with the venue. There should always be a robust response for those who choose to discriminate and government at every level should ensure this.
- We would like to see consistent decision making and standards across all police forces throughout the country. Our evidence shows that this is not the current reality. We recommend that the Police Chiefs Council and the College of Policing come forward with proposals on how such consistency can be embedded in dealing with antisemitic crimes. We recommend that a consistent approach be taken towards groups that act as organised crime groups by calculatedly planning to cause damage to buildings, property and people and should be treated by law enforcement as such.
About the Commission on Antisemitism
The Board of Deputies of British Jews’ Commission on Antisemitism was launched a year following the October 7th terrorist attack in Israel and subsequent war in the Middle East, which has seen a dramatic rise in antisemitism in the United Kingdom. The Commission on Antisemitism is Co-Chaired by Lord John Mann and former Secretary of Defence the Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt DBE.
Much of the research was conducted through oral evidence sessions including with core Jewish communal organisations; students and Staff Network representatives; members of trade unions; those working in the arts industry; the Community Security Trust; and the Charedi community. The Chairs also spoke to stakeholders outside the Jewish community, including the Metropolitan Police and Electoral Commission.
