When most people think of antisemitism, they picture overt acts of hatred, graffiti, threats, loud protests, and clear violence.
But there is another side to this prejudice, one that plays out in hushed tones and subtle exclusions, especially within the professional and academic worlds. These quieter moments are no less damaging. They chip away at confidence, belonging, and dignity.
The challenge today is that antisemitism often lives in a gray zone between what feels real and what might be paranoia. It’s the unease after a dismissal without explanation, the sting of being sidelined, or the pressure to choose between one’s faith and career because a meeting is scheduled for a sacred holiday.
These are not accidents; they are signals of deeper bias that remain unspoken yet deeply and painfully felt.
It is abundantly clear and well documented that in the US, Europe, and Latin America, antisemitism is on the rise, not just in violent outbursts but in the normalization of conspiracies online and the revival of old prejudices.
Yet many still assume that Jews are fully integrated, protected by what is alleged as white privilege or history, dismissing antisemitism as a relic or extremist fringe. This ignores a growingly painful reality: Jewish acceptance over the millennia has always been conditional, precarious, and subject to sudden reversals.
We have been hearing of more situations that attest to the increasing concern of Jewish professionals. Consider the experience of a senior researcher whose work on the Jewish community was rejected by a prestigious journal without apparent review. The paper’s title alone seemed to seal its fate, a silent but clear message that Jewish scholarship was not welcome.
Additionally, the flagship journal of the American Psychological Association, American Psychologist, in its most recent edition, featured an article clearly filled with animosity titled “Supervision as Decolonial Love: Toward a Transformative Training Process for Palestinian Community Health Workers.”
The article repeatedly labeled Israel a “settler-colonial” and “apartheid” state, and it profoundly distorted history.
In another professional field, we were told by a respected individual about an annual professional meeting deliberately scheduled on Rosh Hashanah, forcing Jewish colleagues to choose between their faith and their jobs, a “mistake” that had not occurred in the decades prior.
These moments are not random. They appear to be part of a pattern of exclusion that is harder to fight because it wears the mask of professionalism. Questioning these acts is treated as if the questioner is suffering some form of paranoia.
Bias against Jews
These examples of bias against Jewish individuals suggest a move toward exclusion. Yet, when confronted, it is denied.
True inclusion, though, goes beyond simply inviting Jewish people into the room. It means recognizing when the room itself is unsafe or unwelcoming. It means confronting antisemitism in its many forms, not just the blatant but also the subtle, systemic, and even unintentional. It means listening when Jewish voices speak up about these experiences, even when that discomfort is inconvenient.
The fight against antisemitism deserves the same urgency and seriousness as the fight against other forms of bigotry. It is not enough to condemn swastikas or blatant hate crimes. To correct this form of hatred requires us all to address the quiet erasures, the dismissals, and the everyday pressures that push Jewish identity to the margins.
The persistence of antisemitism in professional and academic spaces demands more than awareness. It calls for deliberate action to create environments where Jewish identity is respected, accommodated, and valued, not something to be ignored or sidelined. Until then, the harm will continue, hidden in plain sight.
It’s time to stop pretending that the quiet forms of antisemitism are harmless or rare. Antisemitism is a growing problem that can only lead to more significant threats, not just to Jewish professionals but to all good people.
Dr. Michael J. Salamon is a psychologist specializing in trauma and abuse, and director of ADC Psychological Services in Netanya and Hewlett, NY. Louis Libin is an expert in military strategies, wireless innovation, emergency communications, and cybersecurity.