City Research Online

Abstract

Introduction

Following October 7th 2023, antisemitism in the UK has risen sharply within an intensely polarised socio-political climate shaped by events in the Middle East. For British Jews, this has resulted in heightened vigilance and uncertainty about safety and belonging. Whilst some research has demonstrated pernicious psychological consequences for Jews in the diaspora consistent with minority stress, collective trauma, and intergenerational threat sensitivity, Jewish experiences of these stressors are often contested or minimised within dominant Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) narratives, potentially compounding struggle through invalidation. More generally, there is a relative absence of qualitative research capturing British Jews’ lived psychological experience of navigating current rising antisemitism. This is the gap this study set out to address, by exploring what it is like for British Jews navigating rising antisemitism in the United Kingdom today.

Methods

Semi-structured interviews were carried out with twelve British Jewish participants of varying ages and religious denominations, and the resulting data analysed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis to develop an in-depth account of their lived experience.

Results

Participants described antisemitism as ‘ambient’, recalibrating everyday safety and future-oriented thinking, alongside increased management of visibility, including around speaking out in public, professional, and relational contexts. Experiences of misrecognition - particularly conflation of Jewish identity with Israel and the sense of being under-represented within multicultural and DEI narratives, shaped British Jews’ sense of belonging, trust, and social participation. For many, current events activated historical and intergenerational narratives of threat and survival, contributing to increased feelings of stress, anxiety, depression and feelings of non-clinical paranoia, with varied coping strategies including withdrawal, rationalisation and increased reliance on the Jewish community.

Discussion

Findings overall highlight heightened social tensions, where belonging, safety, and self-expression are experienced by British Jews as increasingly contingent and precarious. This study contributes to Counselling Psychology by demonstrating how minority identity, historical trauma, acculturative stress and the socio-political context intersect to shape how British Jews navigate rising antisemitism. Findings add to our understanding of the British Jewish navigation of rising antisemitism today, highlighting the need for culturally competent therapeutic practice when working with British Jews, and the potential benefits of a review of education, training protocols and DEI policy pertaining to Jews.

Publication Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BM Judaism
Departments:	School of Health & Medical Sciences > Department of Psychology & Neuroscience School of Health & Medical Sciences > School of Health & Medical Sciences Doctoral Theses Doctoral Theses

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