For the Jewish community, the rise in antisemitism complaints against medical professionals has been particularly disturbing, mirroring an overall trend in the UK since 7 October.
Dr Dave Rich from the Community Security Trust, a charity that monitors antisemitism, said: “It is shocking to see this happening within the medical profession – the one part of society where we expect everybody to behave with complete professionalism and neutrality.”
Dr Rich said his organisation had received “quite unusual” reports from Jewish medics about “things either said to them, or posted online, or other kinds of antisemitic behaviour from colleagues” in recent months.
He called it “really disappointing to see this playing out” in the wake of an overseas conflict.
Dr Rich said Jewish medical professionals were being singled out by their colleagues simply due to their identity.
“The vast majority of incidents that we record involve visibly Jewish people or Jewish organisations being singled out simply because they are Jewish, and either harassed or threatened, or treated as if they are somehow to blame or responsible for anything Israel has done, simply because they are Jewish,” Dr Rich said.
