Orthodox Jews are more likely to be troubled by antisemitism in the UK than non-Orthodox Jews, according to a new report published today by the Institute for Jewish Policy Research.
Two in five strictly Orthodox Jews said they had experienced antisemitic harassment or discrimination within the 12 months up to the time of the survey, compared with 17 per cent of non-Orthodox Jews.
Sixty-two per cent of Orthodox Jews thought antisemitism a problem in the UK, compared with 45 per cent of the non-Orthodox.
The report, “The Exceptional Case?", is based on a larger poll conducted by JPR for the European Union’s Agency for Fundamental Rights, whose findings were released last winter.
“Compared with other Jewish populations in Europe, Jews in the UK generally experience less antisemitism and are less worried about it,” JPR stated. Nearly half of British Jews surveyed overall thought antisemitism a problem.
Older British Jews are more likely to believe that antisemitism increased here over the previous five years than younger Jews, but younger Jews are more likely to have experienced an antisemitic incident, perhaps because of a higher proportion of Charedi Jews among the younger generation.
Nearly half, 47 per cent, believe comparing Israelis to Nazis is “definitely antisemitic”, while 34 per cent feel the same about advocating boycotts of Israel.
*The report, "The Exceptional Case? Perceptions and experiences of antisemitism among Jews in the United Kingdom", written by Laura D Staetsky and Jonathan Boyd, can be downloaded here.
