Google and Unilever Catch Heat for Antisemitism in Corporate America

August 11, 2021

WASHINGTON, Aug. 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, StopAntisemitism.org released a first-of-its kind report evaluating how 25 of America's leading corporations in the categories of technology, beauty, general retail, clothing retail, and healthcare are addressing Jewish discrimination in the workplace based on three baseline measures: (1) Corporate platform (2) Allyship and (3) Internal diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. Grades – which were assigned to each corporation based on these factors – ranged widely across industries and companies.

For instance, Google and Ben & Jerry's parent company Unilever received 'F' grades for creating hostile work environments for their Jewish employees. Google failed to fire Google Global Lead for Diversity, Strategy and Research Kamau Bobb, who, in an act of vile antisemitism, had written that Jews have an "insatiable appetite for war and killing." Unilever ignored the outrage of its Jewish employees over its decision to support Ben & Jerry's boycott of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. A longtime Jewish graphic designer for the company quit in protest.

In contrast, the French personal care company L'Oréal received an 'A' for its Employee Human Rights Policy which explicitly prohibits "anti-semitism" as an "expression of hatred." The company's "Influencer Value Charter" also explicitly states that "influencers will not share views or engage in behavior which could be interpreted as…antisemitism," among other forms of hatred.

Overall, the report documents a broader failure of corporate America to support its Jewish employees during an unprecedented global spike in antisemitism. Out of the 25 corporations graded, three organizations received an 'F', fourteen received a 'D', three received a 'C', three received a 'B' and only two received an 'A.'

"Jews, the most victimized group per capita in the U.S. by hate crimes, have been targeted and marginalized in the American corporate workplace," said StopAntisemitism.org Executive Director Liora Rez. "This is unacceptable. StopAntisemitism.org calls on all corporations, including the 25 named in this report, to strengthen their corporate platforms, allyship practices, and DEI policies to support their Jewish employees and put an end to antisemitism in the workplace."

StopAntisemitism.org is calling on victims of antisemitism in the workplace to share their experiences in order to continue to hold companies accountable for discrimination.

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About StopAntisemitism.org: StopAntisemitism.org works to hold antisemites accountable and to create consequences for their bigoted actions by exposing the threat that they present to all Americans and showing how their ideologies conflict with American values, morals, and principles. To learn more, please visit www.StopAntisemitism.org.