Since October 7, 2023, staff in international human rights and humanitarian NGOs report rising antisemitism—subtle and overt—often expressed as anti-Israel or anti-Zionist rhetoric. Independent external staff surveys conducted since October 7 echo these accounts. Even when acknowledged, incidents are often dismissed as one-offs and rarely sanctioned, despite being described as part of a wider pattern. Staff report double standards: speech policed rigorously in other contexts is tolerated when directed at Jews or Israelis. The result is a toxic workplace, emboldened hostility, and leadership that too often looks away.

FIRST PERSON TESTIMONY BELOW:

"Staff were out for drinks when they asked a Jewish Israeli colleague about their nationality. The colleague was going to reply but was interrupted by a colleague saying, "you don't want to know where [the colleague] is from, it's better..." A few minutes later the discussions kept going and the same colleague told [the colleague], "If you get married, at your wedding, we'll make a speech Dieudonné style" (a comedian most known for his Holocaust denial and antisemitism). This left [the colleague] feeling terrible so the next day at the office [the colleague] approached the colleague and explained the emotional impact and that it was not appropriate to make such comments to colleagues. The colleague insisted and asked [the colleague], "But are you proud of what your country does? really?" and [the colleague] said the point is not to engage in a debate, it is to be respectful of colleagues. The colleague said that if that was the stance then they shouldn't speak anymore. [The colleague] left in tears. When this person later apologized, it didn't come across as sincere."

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