An escalation in racist behaviour against Jewish, Arab and Muslim communities following the outbreak of deadly violence in the Middle East is spilling over into dentistry.
Antisemitism and Islamophobic behaviour have increased across the globe since the 7 October attack by the militant group Hamas on Israel and the Israeli government’s subsequent response.
Unease is growing within the dental community that this racism is starting to manifest within the profession itself.
Hate crimes rising
Racism in the UK has spiked since the attack on 7 October.
London’s Metropolitan police have reported a 14-fold increase in incidents of antisemitism, while anti-Muslim crimes in London have more than doubled, with 174 alleged offences reported in October compared with 65 last year.
‘The conflict is having a direct impact on London and Londoners, with increasing cases of abhorrent Islamophobia and antisemitism seen in the capital,’ London Mayor Sadiq Khan said.
Similar increases are being seen in countries around the world. In the US, Jewish advocacy group the Anti-Defamation League reported that antisemitic incidents had risen by about 400% in the two weeks following Hamas’ attack.
Meanwhile, the Council on American-Islamic Relations saw a 182% jump in requests for help from Muslims across the US in the same period.
Former US president Barack Obama has called for compassion and tolerance, saying: ‘In dealing with what is an extraordinarily complex situation where so many people are in pain and passions are understandably running high, all of us need to do our best to put our best values, rather than our worst fears, on display.’
Antisemitism in dentistry
The dental community is not immune to the tensions.
A survey of UK Jewish healthcare professionals found that 95% felt their mental health had been adversely affected by to the rise in antisemitism.
The survey reports: ‘The source of these antisemitic incidents for 70% of these professionals is within their own circles – their healthcare colleagues, indicating the problem exists within the very heart of the healthcare community.’
Carried out by Dr Joseph Greenwall-Cohen in conjunction with Jewish dental fraternity Alpha Omega, the survey found that almost three quarters (73%) of respondents have experienced at least one antisemitic episode in the last month. Nearly half (48%) said they had begun to feel unsafe in clinical settings.
Dr Greenwall-Cohen said: ‘Whilst there are many supportive colleagues and environments, trust and collaboration within a healthcare team is paramount. To think that less than a third of us feel safe around our colleagues is a testament to the severity of anti-Jewish racism at this present time and highlights the need for this to be resolved urgently.
‘It’s important to emphasise that this isn’t an isolated or minor issue but rather a widespread concern affecting a significant portion of Jewish healthcare practitioners and without acknowledging the scale, effective countermeasures cannot be implemented. Now is the time for tolerance, kindness and professionalism across all work settings.’
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