UK Jews Distrust Police, Schools, Media Over Antisemitism Failures

Key Takeaways

• British Jews report a pervasive sense of abandonment and distrust toward the UK’s major institutions—police, schools, universities, media, and the legal system.
• While police are praised for reactive security measures after high‑profile antisemitic attacks, respondents feel day‑to‑day protection is inconsistent and that officers sometimes prioritize moving Jews away from protests rather than safeguarding them.
• Antisemitic harassment in primary and secondary schools is common, with schools often dismissing complaints or claiming they cannot dictate what parents teach their children.
• University Jewish students and staff experience similar hostility—antisemitic jokes, chants, singling out in lectures, and delayed or ineffective institutional responses—leading to feelings of marginalisation and “cancellation” of Jewish culture and Zionist perspectives.
• The media, especially the BBC, is viewed as indifferent to Jewish experiences and prone to skewed, potentially dangerous portrayals that exacerbate feelings of alienation.
• The legal system is criticised for weak and slow prosecution of antisemitic hate crimes, which participants see as symptomatic of broader judicial backlogs, underfunding, and insufficient personnel.
• Respondents stressed that these failures are not isolated incidents but part of structural, nationwide challenges that erode trust in justice and public services.
• The report calls for a continuous, systematic effort by government, institutions, and Jewish leadership to listen to the diverse voices of British Jews and translate those insights into concrete change.
• Specific recommendations include an independent review of police‑Jewish community relations, mandatory antisemitism training for educators and university staff, improved reporting and investigation procedures in schools and higher education, and sustained resources to tackle judicial delays.

Overview of the “Listening to British Jews” Report
The report, authored by Professor Shani Orgad of the London School of Economics and Political Science, synthesises insights from six focus groups conducted between December 2025 and March 2026. Participants spanned a range of ages, geographic locations, and levels of religious observance, aiming to capture the diversity within the UK Jewish community. Across all groups, a recurring theme emerged: a profound feeling of being unheard, dismissed, and betrayed by the “pillars of society.” This sense of abandonment translated into markedly low trust in Britain’s major institutions—particularly the police, the education system, the media, and the legal system. The following sections break down the concerns raised in each of these areas, illustrating how everyday experiences erode confidence and what the community believes must change.

Police: Appreciation for Reactive Security, Gaps in Everyday Protection
Participants acknowledged that police forces have increased visible security around Jewish sites following high‑profile antisemitic attacks, such as the Heaton Park synagogue assault in Manchester in October 2025. Many expressed gratitude for these rapid‑response measures, especially during holidays and large demonstrations. However, the same respondents criticised the police for failing to provide consistent, day‑to‑day safety. They noted that outside of special events or immediate aftermaths of incidents, police presence in Jewish neighbourhoods felt negligible. A Glasgow resident lamented that even after the Manchester attack, officers were “not really evident” at community events, with officials routinely asserting that antisemitic violence “won’t happen here because we’re such a small community.”

Pro‑Palestinian Policing Concerns
A significant source of unease was the handling of pro‑Palestinian demonstrations that have proliferated since October 7, 2023. Focus‑group members described witnessing protesters using antisemitic language and inciting violence while police officers stood by, often ignoring on‑the‑spot complaints from Jewish participants. Some participants recounted feeling that law‑enforcement officials were more interested in “shoo[ing] out the Jews and keep[ing] them away” than in protecting them from harassment. The report highlighted a particularly troubling news story about a Jewish lawyer wearing a Star of David who was arrested in October, which many interpreted as evidence of bias or over‑policing of Jewish individuals expressing their identity.

Education: Antisemitic Incidents in Schools and Institutional Indifference
In the realm of primary and secondary education, parents reported painful antisemitic experiences endured by their children and grandchildren. One Leeds mother recounted how her eight‑year‑old was told by classmates that “all Jews should be dead,” only to receive a school response that it could not dictate what parents teach their children. Another mother described her twelve‑year‑old son being told he “should be gassed”; the school promised an investigation but never followed up or checked on the child’s wellbeing. These anecdotes illustrate a broader pattern: schools often dismiss or minimise antisemitic behaviour, citing limits on their authority over parental instruction or claiming insufficient evidence. The resulting message to Jewish families is that their children’s safety and dignity are not a priority within the educational system.

Higher Education: Systemic Failures to Protect Jewish Students and Staff
University participants echoed similar grievances, describing campus environments where antisemitism is both overt and subtly institutionalised. Common experiences included jokes about Jews, chants calling for the “globalizing of the intifada,” and lecturers singling out Jewish students during discussions of the Israel‑Gaza war. Student unions were accused of using antisemitic language in debates and publications. When incidents were reported, universities frequently failed to respond promptly, or when they did, the actions taken were deemed ineffective—often limited to perfunctory statements without follow‑up support or disciplinary measures. Beyond overt hostility, many Jewish students described an informal process of marginalisation and “cancellation,” wherein expressions of Jewish identity, Zionism, or engagement with Middle‑East history were discouraged or silenced, contributing to a climate of exclusion.

Media: Perceived Indifference and Skewed Representation
All focus‑group members criticised the British media, with particular ire directed at the BBC, the nation’s state‑funded broadcaster. Participants argued that the media demonstrates a “limited interest in British Jews’ experiences and views,” rarely seeking out Jewish perspectives unless tied to a crisis. More troubling, they accused outlets of offering a “profoundly skewed and potentially dangerous misrepresentation of Jewish people,” which they believe fuels antisemitic narratives and undermines community trust. One woman summed up the sentiment: “We have a national broadcaster… whose agenda seems antithetical to the news of the Jewish people in this country.” This perception of media bias amplifies feelings of alienation, as Jews see their stories either ignored or distorted in the public sphere.

Legal System: Weak Prosecution and Structural Deficits
The legal system drew the harshest criticism, focusing on the inadequate handling of antisemitic hate crimes. Participants reported that complaints often languish without timely investigation, and when prosecutions do occur, penalties are perceived as too lenient. A London participant encapsulated the frustration by noting that people are “queuing for what they call justice for ten years” due to chronic court backlogs, underfunding, and a shortage of judges, barristers, and court staff. Rather than viewing these delays as isolated administrative hiccups, respondents saw them as evidence of a broader structural crisis within the justice system that disproportionately affects minority groups seeking redress for hate‑motivated offences.

Underlying Structural Challenges
Throughout the discussions, participants repeatedly emphasised that the failures they described are not isolated lapses but symptoms of deeper, nationwide structural challenges. In policing, the issue is not merely occasional inattention but a systemic reluctance to allocate consistent resources to Jewish community protection outside of flashpoints. In education, the problem lies in inadequate training and unclear policies for addressing antisemitism, leading to ad‑hoc responses. Universities suffer from similar gaps in staff awareness and ineffective reporting mechanisms. The media’s shortcomings reflect a broader lack of diversity in newsrooms and editorial oversight. The legal system’s delays stem from chronic underinvestment and procedural inefficiencies. Recognising these patterns, the report argues that remedying trust requires tackling the root causes rather than applying superficial fixes.

Demand for Institutional Change and Continuous Engagement
The report concludes that restoring trust necessitates a “comprehensive and consistent understanding of the views, experiences, and concerns of the UK Jewish community in all its diversity.” Achieving this understanding demands a serious, ongoing commitment from government, public institutions, and Jewish leadership to listen systematically to the community’s varied voices and to translate those insights into meaningful policy and practice changes. The authors stress that one‑off consultations or reactive measures are insufficient; instead, a continuous feedback loop must be established so that institutions can adapt to evolving concerns and demonstrate genuine accountability.

Specific Recommendations
To operationalise the call for change, the report offers a series of concrete actions:

1. Police‑Community Relations – Commission an independent review examining antisemitism and the dynamics between police services and the Jewish community across the UK. The review should assess officers’ capacity to protect Jewish individuals day‑to‑day and to enforce the law against antisemitic incidents consistently.

2. Education Sector – Implement mandatory antisemitism training for all teachers, school staff, and university educators. Simultaneously, overhaul reporting, investigation, and follow‑up procedures in schools and higher education to ensure timely, transparent, and effective responses to antisemitic complaints.

3. Media Accountability – Encourage broadcasters, particularly the BBC, to increase the inclusion of Jewish voices in news gathering and editorial processes, and to adopt guidelines that prevent skewed or harmful portrayals of Jewish people.

4. Legal System Reform – Allocate additional funding to reduce court backlogs, increase the number of judicial and support staff, and introduce specialist hate‑crime units capable of processing antisemitic cases swiftly and with appropriate severity.

5. Ongoing Dialogue – Establish formal, recurring forums where Jewish community representatives can meet with officials from policing, education, media, and justice bodies to review progress, share emerging concerns, and adjust strategies accordingly.

By enacting these measures, the report argues that institutions can begin to rebuild the trust that has eroded, signalling to British Jews that their safety, dignity, and full participation in public life are genuinely valued and protected. The ultimate goal is not merely to address isolated incidents but to foster a societal environment where antisemitism is actively countered, and Jewish communities feel heard, respected, and secure across all facets of British life.