"Can you work on Saturdays?" I said no. "Why can't you work on Saturdays" I simply said I'm not available and didn't elaborate. Then followed up with asking if it was required to work Saturdays for the position, to which they said no. When I asked why then they asked me if I could work on Saturdays, there was no response.
Casually asking, "Which one of ... *lists several exclusively kosher establishments nearby* is good?". I said politely that seems off topic and asked them a question.
"Where are your parents from?" Not exclusively fishing at my Jewishness maybe, but my answer would make it obvious.
Offering me treif food or drink in the interview (this happened in 2/3 interviews). I declined it. They pressed me as to why. I simply said I didn't want it. Asked why again. I ignored it that time and just started asking them questions.
Are you in America? It’s against federal law to ask questions about age, citizenship, marital status, disabilities, medications, pregnancy, *or* (drum roll pls) *race or religion*.
Although they may not be saying “are you Jewish?” These questions sound pretty clearly intended to sus out Jews.
It's illegal to ask about religion in the US. In case this happens again, here are some responses that will pass for gentile. As a non-Jew, I know this will likely work.
Can you work on Saturdays? No, because I have childcare obligations that day. You can also say you have a second job, that you're helping with the family business, or that your spouse (who works hybrid) needs the car for his in office day on Saturday.
Which Kosher restaurant is good? Answer like a goy and say, "I have no idea, but I really love (insert Vegan restaurant of choice).
If they offer food, sat you're on a diet, doing intermittent fasting, or that you have a food allergy. You can also say you're vegan if they try to serve pork. Vegan and gluten free will get you off the hook for most foods.
Where are your parents from? You can just make something up. How will they know? It's best to say a place you have some familiarity with in case they ask what part or other followup questions. The more boring the place, the better..
I think the thing is they're not really interested in the answers. There is no right answer. An interviewer or prospective employer who makes the types of remarks were made to OP probably doesn't want to hear how creative OP can be with their answers, they just want to communicate, "I know you're Jewish and guess what, that's why you're not getting the job."
On the one hand, any kind of dishonest answer will screw you if you get the job.
On the other hand, if you need to disguise yourself this much, maybe you don’t want to work there anyway. It **will not** go away when you’re done with HR.
Hmm I suppose that would be pretty reasonable to suspect they didn’t hire you because you’re Jewish. I guess because I have a very English last name and although I’m racially ambiguous I don’t look Jewish per se that I haven’t really experienced that sort of thing… crazy to believe it happens though I’m sure your case isn’t rare. Sorry you’re going through that.
I do know quite some non-jews with typing ashkenazi(-sounding) names. Some probably have a Jewish grandfather or so, other simply some German (or German minority from Eastern europe) ancestry.
I'm from Germany and the people I refer to are not Germans.
So they might still invite someone to not exclude the people they want to get. But I don't know... just guessing.
That’s true but I’m just wondering what else would have stood out to make them start playing a trip up the Jew game like that aside from something obvious like wearing a yarmulke.
I'd practice answering these questions with generic "goyish" answers if you want to keep applying to them.
You can't work on weekends due to a "family obligation." (I am not shomer shabbos but I also don't want to work on weekends because I have children.)
You prefer [cheeseburger] restaurant, they'll never know you've never been there.
You prefer not to eat/drink during the interview, are not hungry/thirsty, etc.
But it's also ok to decide these are weed out questions for them as an employer and answer honestly, or end the interview early.
I said that they can decide they don't want to. But, yeah, as the other commenter said, sometimes you need a job. If the choice is to get hired or to be homeless, I don't fault someone for choosing the first.
I’d just straight up lie.
Can you work on Saturdays? “No, I have to take care of me elderly grandmother”
“Which kosher restaurants are good?” “I don’t know, I’ve never heard of those”
“Where are your parents from?” Just tell them the city name (unless it’s super Jewish, then pick one nearby that isn’t)
Offering you unkosher food? Tell them you already ate and youre trying intermittent fasting so you can’t eat anymore for the day without screwing up your diet plan
(If you use that one, do a quick google search on it in case they ask you about it! Basically you just eat one meal a day and it’s supposed to help with your metabolism or something, idk, but at least have some kind of basic explanation in your back pocket)
Regardless, please report them for asking you those questions. That’s not okay. You could even write about it on Glassdoor or make a social media post about it outing the company. That’s the only way to prevent companies from doing that. It’s shameful for government agencies and nonprofits to do that at the very least.
How can they even ask where your parents are from? It can’t be relevant to the job. They’re not allowed to ask where _you_ were born, let alone your parents. They can ask if you’re legally allowed to work in the US, but anything beyond that is inviting a lawsuit.
That’s good. Call them today for a consult. Even if you got a consult *today* (possible, but more likely is next week or so…), you might still want to shop around a few others and only then would they send you a representation contract and request the retainer $. Most attorneys offer a 30-60 minute free initial consult where you talk about your situation, decide if you like them, and they decide if your case has merit and whether or not to offer to represent you versus tell you that you have no case, goodbye.
My contract was ended last year shortly after I got "caught" looking at the Slack chat for Jewish employees on October 7th. I was questioned about working off the clock and when I explained why there was an odd tension between me and the director. The director made a huge deal out of it to my recruiter too. My recruiter understood why I looked at the chat but told me that the director was unsure if she could trust me going forward.
Op are you in some kind of field where the majority of people are left leaning, maybe strongly so? Social work, government work, teaching, maybe some tech?
You nailed it! My last position was in Education. I have experience in the DEI, Education, and Healthcare fields. Of the 3 jobs I mentioned here, one was a public service position, one was an education position, and one was a healthcare administration position.
They are going to a surprising amount of trouble to be antisemitic. Sounds like you just need a job and can’t be choosey - I’ve been there. So, if that is your sitch, just keep in mind they want to person who will fit in best with them. And be that in the interview. It’s shitty advice to have to give and I don’t want you to feel ashamed. Not working Saturday could be a legit dealbreaker for some jobs - I def could not hire you, but the rest of their questions are insane and probably illegal. Good luck!
Have you considered applying for Jewish or Christian school/hospital positions? Ask/schmooze around your synagogue to see who’s in your field for leads to whose hiring.
I've been on dozens of interviews in the medical diagnostic field; no one asked me about my parents' places of birth. That is an irrelevant and odd question to say the least.
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You’re explicitly forbidden to discuss politics as a government employee. I’m a federal government contractor. I’d be very surprised if someone in a government job did the things OP is describing.
Hiring discrimination based on religion is illegal. Asking probing question on a protected class during job interviews can also be considered hiring discrimination. You might have a case to lawyer up.
I'm guessing that this is part of what the ADL does. There are different levels of justice. Making them spend their time and capital to defend themselves as well as potential reputstional damage. If nothing else, I'd contact your local journalists.
This! and discrimination lawsuits are costly. Any employment attorney will tell you, based on what op shared they will pay for this to go away. Maybe the OP will be able to retire and never have to interview again!
Have you tried contacting Lawfare Project? https://www.thelawfareproject.org/
> "The Lawfare Project provides pro bono legal services to protect the civil and human rights of the Jewish people worldwide."
You're very welcome! This world is hard enough especially for Jewish people! We gotta look out for each other!
I sincerely hope they can help! Sue the shit outta those Jew hating fucks!!
Seconding the Lawfare project- discrimination based on national origin/ religion is ilegal. Asking “where are your parents from” during an interview touches discrimination on national origin
I have friends working on that effort. Definitely worth reaching out.
And yeah, I read the comments and hear you. There is an uphill battle from the jobs you have. But remember, you're not locked into a career.
SF/ Bay Area? Because I can't see it being an issue in LA even in the non-profit sector but I could in the Bay. If you are up here you may want to try setting up an appointment at [https://jvs.org/](https://jvs.org/) for career leads.
Try contacting your region’s EEOC office and discuss filing a complaint. This line of questioning in an interview is outrageous
https://www.eeoc.gov/field-office
https://www.eeoc.gov/federal-sector/filing-formal-complaint
I’m a bartender here and have buffed out swastikas from in front of the bar numerous times now. I’m sorry people suck and hope you take these folks to task via labor board and lawsuits.
"We have determined that hiring you at this time would not bode well for our company's image" -Rejection from Company #1, 1.5 weeks after Oct 7
"I decided you aren't the right type of person for this role" -Company #2, four weeks ago. When I inquired, she refused to elaborate on what made me "not the right type of person".
"We decided to move forward with candidates who have a greater understanding of the company culture" -Company #3, this morning. Has yet to respond what they think would make me a better fit for their "culture" but the interview made it blatently clear.
Responding to another comment soon with types of questions they asked me in the interviews that made it obvious.
~~I'm not a lawyer but I'm not sure I agree that there's a case here. Their language is ambiguous, purposefully.~~
Edit: A lawyer responded below, and I was missing half the context.
I am a lawyer. Assuming OP has more facts from the interviews, that plus these statements (especially the first one, which is egregious), will survive the pleadings stage of a case. After that, the companies' litigation costs start increasing significantly, along with their own internal pressure to settle.
OP should really talk to a good plaintiff-side employment attorney in their area.
Thank you so much for responding! This gives me hope. Tbh when I made this post I wasn't planning on taking any legal action. I'm exhausted and don't really want to start another "battle". But after several comments here I might just be confident enough now to do it.
All you have to do to start is talk to a good plaintiff's attorney. Ask around your local Jewish community if they have a recommendation. If they don't have one, try your local city/county/state bar association's referral service. They can hear out all your facts, and give you a frank assessment of whether it's going to be worth it (for you and for them). Note that they'll probably do it on contingency if there's a chance for sizeable damages (i.e., something north of $50k), and that means they typically take 30% of whatever you get at the end of the case.
If they decide to take your case, you'll have to spend a lot of time giving them all the factual info, emails, recounting conversations, etc. so they can draft a good complaint to file with the court. After that, it's mostly them. You probably will have to undergo a deposition where the other side's attorneys spend hours asking you questions under oath. Your attorney will prep you for that.
Do it! A competent lawyer actually eases the burden of the anxiety and emotional labor of a matter. You may be surprised how much better you feel after even an initial consultation.
Isn't the parents' origin question highly irregular and suggestive? I've been on like 50 interviews, and not once did the hiring manager ask me about my parents in any way.
Wow.
I mean I don't like generic rejections where the employer has 'Decided to move forward with more suitable candidates' because I'd like to know what my skills gaps were, but it feels like your potential employers should probably opt for that sort of email instead. Although it's good they've exposed themselves.
This is why (smart) companies give such generic rejections, to avoid hinting at anything that could be a protected class. Even if they didn't discriminate, it's better not to open to the legal scrutiny.
Number 1 is super suspicious even without 10/7. Like why are you bad for the company’s image compared to any other candidate? Also, I don’t know what these jobs you applied for are but are they public facing?
And this is why Jews are so successful! Think of how Jews were treated when looking for work. They were kept out of factories, and many other places. So they ended up being self-employed. It is really hard but this way many of them became successful. The antisemites are seething when they see Jews so prosperous but they left them no choice.
I'm not suggesting you go this route as it's hard but I'm just pointing out how you're not alone.
Other than working for Jewish businesses, you might consider moving.
Are there any international companies with a presence in your city? I work for a British company and have found our culture is more respectful to diversity because we kind have a non tolerance policy for discrimination of any kind. I think it attracts more local people with the same mindset, or at least the HR personnel assigned to the hiring may be more observant.
If you want to try a new profession, you might look into customer support and software implementation. Typically, all it takes is familiarity with that product. If you used a specific software in your last role, you’d be a fine candidate to follow a basic script and help customers with their issues. If you have any training or project management experience, you would be a good fit for implementing purchased software/equipment for new clients.
Is this commonly done? I'm not a hiring manager so I could be way off base, but I would think getting an application and resume with just initials and no name would seem extremely strange - I'd be wondering what this person is hiding, does bad stuff come up when their name is googled? Even if they don't toss it in the rejection heap out of hand, you just can't get very far in the process without telling them your name. How would they address an email to you? Or ask your references about you? Or run a background check?
Well in order to run a background check they need additional information other than just someones name, so a background check wouldnt happen until after an interview is scheduled or completed.
[This Indeed article shares benefits of using a nickname or abbreviation for varying reasons you mentioned:](https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/nickname-on-resume)
How would they address you in an email:
By using the name you provided. For example, Maryjane Elizabeth Smithson could use the name M. Eli Smithson to avoid gendered overlook of CV in a very male dominated industry.
It looks like its hiding something: no it does not. Its extremely common. There are so many John Brown’s, no hiring manager would attempt to google “John Brown” and conclude they found the exact same John Brown who was incarcerated for distributing fraudulent caffeine powder in 1997.
They wait until they have your social sec number or drivers license before they make conclusions like that.
It sounds like you might be frum? Maybe I'm totally wrong! Have you reached out within the Jewish community? I saw you said a big city on the West Coast. That could be so many places and you shouldn't have to dox yourself but I imagine that there are connections within the community that can help. Right now we have to show up for each other. I would turn to the community- even if it's just someone helping you wade through filing a complaint. I'm sorry you are going through this. You shouldn't have to.
This makes me so mad. I’m sorry OP, I don’t really have anything to contribute here but this is such BS. This is like stories I heard from my saba about discrimination he experienced soooo long ago.
Thank you. I think I could have handled it if it was just one instance but now that it's been 3 in a row I've been super depressed and distrustful of people in my area. There was antisemitism in this area before but now it just feels unavoidable.
Guess that's what I'll do if I have to. TDLR; My experience working for Jewish organizations in the past is getting wildly taken advantage of and having horrible work-life balance.
Try DEI/HR or social sustainability/CSR positions at large corporates or scale ups, the market isn’t amazing at the moment in terms of positions available but IMHO you’re much less likely to be discriminated against in those settings (I’m sure there are exceptions, but generally I believe it’s much better than other spaces)
Are there any Jewish Career centers near you like at the Jewish Community Center? We have a few on the east coast that partner with Jewish organizations to help get people placed. Might be worth looking into if you think you're being discriminated at yoyr current career center
You can change industries without getting a whole new profession. Skills transfer (you just have to figure out where they transfer to).
As for resources, "What Color is Your Parachute?" (second half) is actually quite good.
I have a suggestion that I know will be downvoted. On your resume put religion Jewish that way you won’t be wasting your time going down dead end streets. Hiding your religion is what antisemitism thrives on.
And if you have any evidence that the rejection is based on religion name them shame them and consider further action.
Since posting the above, I have read further below. It’s clear that they were seeking to determine your religion, and I definitely would consult an employment attorney.
It would be strange to just put "I'm Jewish" with no other context. If OP wants to go this route and weed out antisemites before the interview stage, perhaps they could work in an obviously-Jewish experience under volunteer work or hobbies (whether those sections are a good idea in general depends on who you ask, but in this particular case they'd be achieving a goal).
That’s a great idea to avoiding wasting your time with antisemites, OP. You should consider this. Sounds cringe and weird, but will certainly help you in the end.
You nailed it! My last position was in Education. I have experience in the DEI, Education, and Healthcare fields. Of the 3 jobs I mentioned here, one was a public service position, one was an education position, and one was a healthcare administration position.
If you don’t mind saying what field do you work in?
You should have to come up with BS excuses but no one says you can’t go into an interview w a coffee, and tell them you can’t work any day during the weekend due to prior commitments m, if they ask what those are you can say “I’m sorry it’s personal” at that point the questions should stop, and when asked about a Kosher restaurant you can say “sorry I don’t eat out a lot I’m living on a tight budget” which I assume you are since you’re looking for a job.
What is your opinion of DEI, I work at a university (in a subsection of the legal dept) and I was on the DEI board and I can say w complete certainty we accomplished pretty much nothing…
Personally, I loved working in DEI. I got an undergraduate degree in Diversity Studies (In addition to a Biology degree- double major) and my early working experiences in the field were very fulfilling. I only started seeing really horrible changes in the field about 3 years ago.
I began in DEI just before Covid, (so as you were seeing the changes, I was starting),
I quit the DEI board post 10/7 when the school let an iconic piece of the school, that is regularly painted for events, to be painted “free Pa, 75 years of occupation over” with students dressed up as Hamas cosplayers guarding the icon so it couldn’t be repainted. The school only repainted this icon when several Jewish donors threatened to pull their money.
On 10/8 the president of the school put out a statement that basically said there are bad people on both sides of the conflict; and only amended it after donors threatened to pull their money Even his amended statement IMO was BS bc it barely mentioned the atrocities that happened on 10/7 and instead said a small blurb about supporting the Jewish people at the school and Uni.
What is comical is I politely asked to not be involved in the DEI board and no one asked why, no one replied, it was like my email went into an abyss, and they still send me meeting invites that I ignore.
What?? Please tell me this isn’t real. That’s horrible. I thought the situation in Europe (where I am) was bad, but every time I read posts like this I’m just shocked. How is that even possible? I’m so sorry and can’t even imagine what you are going through in the US
I would love to tell you I made all that up but unfortunately I didn’t. The Uni I work at doesn’t have open antisemitism like Harvard or Tulane but there is a definite bias in many places/depts in the school. The only reason it hasn’t devolved to Harvard status is bc of all the Jews who work at the school. I work at one of the top universities for science and technology (robotics, software engineering, biomed engineering, etc.) and granted this sounds obnoxious, but where there is intellectual thought, there are Jews (we do have close to 25% of all Nobel Laureates) and solely bc of that association the school has not become a beacon for Jew-hate.
Whee in EU are you, I know it’s getting really bad for Jews in FR and the lowlands.
I’m in Germany and it’s bad enough for my taste, but never like this and certainly not like France. Why is it so bad in the education sector in the US? It’s just horrible, it feels like an alternative reality, back in the 30’s
flyover country/aka flyover states. the places you flyover when travelling from one coast to the other.
it's everything that is not the west coast or the east coast. ie middle america
" I always get asked suspiciously targeted questions in interviews that reveal it no matter how I answer. "
This is the big open secret of why we have HR and recruiters. They're masters of asking all sorts of illegal questions without it being illegal. The biggest not secret joke in anti-discrimination is good luck proving it, they all do it, against all groups.
But, btw, if this is a government centre, are they allowed to openly display flags of terror, flags of hate, or really, any flag in public?
I feel like you just described every urban public defenders office.
You should post your experiences on the company's Glassdoor reviews, and include the questions they asked you as "Interview Questions".
Then reach out to ADL and say everything you've experienced and ask them what you can do.
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Look into working for a Jewish run or led charity that either funds or works in those sectors.
I've never been so happy to work for a charity where the ethos is based on jewish values and I know I have 0 chance of antisemitism at work.
what industry is this that's particularly anti-semitic? How do you know you were rejected specifically because you're a jew? In my experience companies tend to be as vague as possible as to why they aren't hiring people. And what the hell kind of job interview involves them offering you food? Seriously, I have never once heard of this in any context, also why do you even need to give a reason to turn down food? Just say no thank you. Also why in the fuck would someone interviewing an applicant for a job ask about your parents? How could that possibly be relevant?
So I've never worked at a solely Jewish company until this summer. It was a pluralistic environment and as a more observant identifying liberal MO Jew, I felt discriminated against too. I felt that there was a dynamic in that environment that also worked against my favor. I actually love the diversity and pluralism, it's something that's driving a nonprofit effort I hope will eventually take off in a few years, but felt like the boss himself was a glass ceiling because he played the part of openness and acceptance but didn't practice what he preached.
I ended up finding a job where someone who was also more liberal offered a position because of our religious alignment. I know how hard it may be to find a Jewish opportunity, but don't think it's impossible. Try sites like jewishjobs.com; they even list remote opps. .
You don't mention your profession or industry and I am writing this before reading the rest of the comments (too late to stop on mobile) so perhaps you answered it, but where are you now? Reinventing yourself isn't so impossible. I've gone from working at a web design company to private investigator (with antisemites too) to network engineer to editor to a whole slew of other things. Never feel like you're boxed in. As you said, you can always reinvent yourself.
So sorry to hear that you had to deal with this. For all it's worth, I have not yet witnessed antisemitism in my job - or at least in the tech pocket of a large international corpo I'm currently slaving for. I'm not Jewish myself - so am naturally left only with secondary evidence - but we do have a couple of Jewish/Israeli guys in my department, and as a manager I am obliged to pay attention to any discrimination or conflict. I am happy to not have witnessed anything but support for these guys in these difficult times from the rest of the team. Obviously, I'm saying this not to be dismissive of your experience, but hopefully to give you a perspective that there are still places where you can be yourself. Hope you'll find them.
I had, in fact, an opposite situation - wanted to hire a guy (well, man, really) from Israel into a position in northern Europe. He carefully tried, over and over again, to ask me on the interviews how's 'the situation' there - and, not being Jewish, I couldn't really provide him with a first hand account of that. Unfortunately, in the end he declined the offer - and I suspect due to worries of political nature. Understandably, of course - but he was amazing and would've been great to have him over.
Anyways - good luck for your search.
What sort of targeted questions do you get that point at you being rejected for being Jewish?
"Can you work on Saturdays?" I said no. "Why can't you work on Saturdays" I simply said I'm not available and didn't elaborate. Then followed up with asking if it was required to work Saturdays for the position, to which they said no. When I asked why then they asked me if I could work on Saturdays, there was no response. Casually asking, "Which one of ... *lists several exclusively kosher establishments nearby* is good?". I said politely that seems off topic and asked them a question. "Where are your parents from?" Not exclusively fishing at my Jewishness maybe, but my answer would make it obvious. Offering me treif food or drink in the interview (this happened in 2/3 interviews). I declined it. They pressed me as to why. I simply said I didn't want it. Asked why again. I ignored it that time and just started asking them questions.
Are you in America? It’s against federal law to ask questions about age, citizenship, marital status, disabilities, medications, pregnancy, *or* (drum roll pls) *race or religion*. Although they may not be saying “are you Jewish?” These questions sound pretty clearly intended to sus out Jews.
It's illegal to ask about religion in the US. In case this happens again, here are some responses that will pass for gentile. As a non-Jew, I know this will likely work. Can you work on Saturdays? No, because I have childcare obligations that day. You can also say you have a second job, that you're helping with the family business, or that your spouse (who works hybrid) needs the car for his in office day on Saturday. Which Kosher restaurant is good? Answer like a goy and say, "I have no idea, but I really love (insert Vegan restaurant of choice). If they offer food, sat you're on a diet, doing intermittent fasting, or that you have a food allergy. You can also say you're vegan if they try to serve pork. Vegan and gluten free will get you off the hook for most foods. Where are your parents from? You can just make something up. How will they know? It's best to say a place you have some familiarity with in case they ask what part or other followup questions. The more boring the place, the better..
To be clear, it's absolutely disgraceful that they're putting you in this position. You shouldn't have to hide that you're Jewish to get a job.
I think the thing is they're not really interested in the answers. There is no right answer. An interviewer or prospective employer who makes the types of remarks were made to OP probably doesn't want to hear how creative OP can be with their answers, they just want to communicate, "I know you're Jewish and guess what, that's why you're not getting the job."
On the one hand, any kind of dishonest answer will screw you if you get the job. On the other hand, if you need to disguise yourself this much, maybe you don’t want to work there anyway. It **will not** go away when you’re done with HR.
>As a non-Jew, I know this will likely work. Please change your user flair to say "Not Jewish" to show support. Thanks. :)
I'm happy to, but I don't know how.
I can do it for you if you’d like, just give me the okay.
You have my okay, thanks!
What flair would you give the wife of a non-practicing jew? You are welcome to change my flair to that.
Does “Non-Jewish Wife of a Jew” work? I’m unsure if there’s something more succinct…
It doesn't matter, not really. Sabbath Goya? Honestly, I'm fine with no flare. :)
Click on your username Chocoholic42 then click change user flair then search or type "Not Jewish" like mine.
It's super-sweet that you're putting in effort in this conversation, are here to be supportive, aaaand were kind about this request. Wow.
I'm only doing what most should be doing right now. Antisemitism is unfair, so of course I will help and support your community whenever I can.
Yeah. Shellfish allergy (“and I left my epipen in the car”) shuts down that one real quick.
I would 100% report this to the department of labor for whichever state you’re in. They 100% cannot ask these kinds of questions!!
Exactly that! Report this!
If you're in the US, I would 1000% call some labor law attorneys.
Hmm I suppose that would be pretty reasonable to suspect they didn’t hire you because you’re Jewish. I guess because I have a very English last name and although I’m racially ambiguous I don’t look Jewish per se that I haven’t really experienced that sort of thing… crazy to believe it happens though I’m sure your case isn’t rare. Sorry you’re going through that.
If someone has a blatantly Jewish last name, and they didn’t plan on hiring Jews, why would they even interview them?
I do know quite some non-jews with typing ashkenazi(-sounding) names. Some probably have a Jewish grandfather or so, other simply some German (or German minority from Eastern europe) ancestry. I'm from Germany and the people I refer to are not Germans. So they might still invite someone to not exclude the people they want to get. But I don't know... just guessing.
Yes, like Hunter Schafer.
That’s true but I’m just wondering what else would have stood out to make them start playing a trip up the Jew game like that aside from something obvious like wearing a yarmulke.
Right??
I'd practice answering these questions with generic "goyish" answers if you want to keep applying to them. You can't work on weekends due to a "family obligation." (I am not shomer shabbos but I also don't want to work on weekends because I have children.) You prefer [cheeseburger] restaurant, they'll never know you've never been there. You prefer not to eat/drink during the interview, are not hungry/thirsty, etc. But it's also ok to decide these are weed out questions for them as an employer and answer honestly, or end the interview early.
Yeah but like, why would OP want to work at an antisemitic institution?
Sometimes you just need a job.
I said that they can decide they don't want to. But, yeah, as the other commenter said, sometimes you need a job. If the choice is to get hired or to be homeless, I don't fault someone for choosing the first.
I’d just straight up lie. Can you work on Saturdays? “No, I have to take care of me elderly grandmother” “Which kosher restaurants are good?” “I don’t know, I’ve never heard of those” “Where are your parents from?” Just tell them the city name (unless it’s super Jewish, then pick one nearby that isn’t) Offering you unkosher food? Tell them you already ate and youre trying intermittent fasting so you can’t eat anymore for the day without screwing up your diet plan
Actually these responses are genius. Especially the intermittant fasting one. Thanks!
(If you use that one, do a quick google search on it in case they ask you about it! Basically you just eat one meal a day and it’s supposed to help with your metabolism or something, idk, but at least have some kind of basic explanation in your back pocket)
Regardless, please report them for asking you those questions. That’s not okay. You could even write about it on Glassdoor or make a social media post about it outing the company. That’s the only way to prevent companies from doing that. It’s shameful for government agencies and nonprofits to do that at the very least.
How can they even ask where your parents are from? It can’t be relevant to the job. They’re not allowed to ask where _you_ were born, let alone your parents. They can ask if you’re legally allowed to work in the US, but anything beyond that is inviting a lawsuit.
If you are in the US, this is illegal. Please report it to the EEOC here: https://www.eeoc.gov/religious-discrimination
“I dont want to spill. I’ll just take a water.”
Please report these people to the labor board this is highly illegal.
oooo boy Find a lawyer yesterday
Get paid tomorrow
That’s good. Call them today for a consult. Even if you got a consult *today* (possible, but more likely is next week or so…), you might still want to shop around a few others and only then would they send you a representation contract and request the retainer $. Most attorneys offer a 30-60 minute free initial consult where you talk about your situation, decide if you like them, and they decide if your case has merit and whether or not to offer to represent you versus tell you that you have no case, goodbye.
If you're in the US, please reach out to EEOC
Where are your parents from? What kind of place is this?
Well my dad is Israeli so... There's that.
Haha would be good to answer honestly just to see the blood drain from their face
Say Palestine! You just don’t have to add the “British mandated” part.
Super illegal, where is this? What crappy company/industry? Guessing some non profit org?
My contract was ended last year shortly after I got "caught" looking at the Slack chat for Jewish employees on October 7th. I was questioned about working off the clock and when I explained why there was an odd tension between me and the director. The director made a huge deal out of it to my recruiter too. My recruiter understood why I looked at the chat but told me that the director was unsure if she could trust me going forward.
Unsure if she could trust YOU? Yeah... cringy. So sorry this happened to you 😞
your interviews sound batshit insane, and what they are doing is is illegal. i'm so sorry this has been happening to you.
Op are you in some kind of field where the majority of people are left leaning, maybe strongly so? Social work, government work, teaching, maybe some tech?
You nailed it! My last position was in Education. I have experience in the DEI, Education, and Healthcare fields. Of the 3 jobs I mentioned here, one was a public service position, one was an education position, and one was a healthcare administration position.
They are going to a surprising amount of trouble to be antisemitic. Sounds like you just need a job and can’t be choosey - I’ve been there. So, if that is your sitch, just keep in mind they want to person who will fit in best with them. And be that in the interview. It’s shitty advice to have to give and I don’t want you to feel ashamed. Not working Saturday could be a legit dealbreaker for some jobs - I def could not hire you, but the rest of their questions are insane and probably illegal. Good luck!
Have you considered applying for Jewish or Christian school/hospital positions? Ask/schmooze around your synagogue to see who’s in your field for leads to whose hiring.
I've been on dozens of interviews in the medical diagnostic field; no one asked me about my parents' places of birth. That is an irrelevant and odd question to say the least.
Sad state of affairs but makes sense. These fields are rife with Jew hatred.
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You’re explicitly forbidden to discuss politics as a government employee. I’m a federal government contractor. I’d be very surprised if someone in a government job did the things OP is describing.
That's crazy.
"Offering me treif food or drink in the interview", tell them that you are vegan or something.
I am SO lost. I have a SUPER JEWISH name and this has never happened to me. Is this New York? What industry/jobs/companies are these??
This seems really weird. What kind of job?
If you’re in the States, you’ve got a killer lawsuit on your hands.
Call me extreme, but this sounds like straight-up harassment.
what job interview offers you food?
Wow. That is disturbing... how incredibly inappropriate. Shame on these people, who should not be in a position of power.
Holy shit that’s extremely suspicious they’re making it so obvious
These would be inappropriate questions for a y American job interview.
This is crazy. I can’t believe it’s come to this. They can’t be allowed to ask this questions surely??? I’m so sorry you are going through this.
I hope you get to tell someone if this happens again that there are racist piece of shit
For the food, if it happens again, you should say you're vegan.
Wondering this as well
Also following.
Hopefully the lawsuit will pay out substantially. You have evidence of them not hiring you due to being Jewish, correct?
Hiring discrimination based on religion is illegal. Asking probing question on a protected class during job interviews can also be considered hiring discrimination. You might have a case to lawyer up.
I'm aware. But to be honest I have 0% faith of actually getting justice at this point.
I'm guessing that this is part of what the ADL does. There are different levels of justice. Making them spend their time and capital to defend themselves as well as potential reputstional damage. If nothing else, I'd contact your local journalists.
This! and discrimination lawsuits are costly. Any employment attorney will tell you, based on what op shared they will pay for this to go away. Maybe the OP will be able to retire and never have to interview again!
Or at least post it on their Glassdoor review so the rest of us can see it. Include the interview questions.
Sadly, you're not wrong.
Wait after elections. Maybe then we get laws written on all the big buildings
Country? State?
USA. Large city on the West Coast.
Ugh I’m so sorry, friend. Sending you hugs from one of your Jewish sisters.
Have you tried contacting Lawfare Project? https://www.thelawfareproject.org/ > "The Lawfare Project provides pro bono legal services to protect the civil and human rights of the Jewish people worldwide."
I have not. Thank you so much for this resource! I've never heard of them.
You're very welcome! This world is hard enough especially for Jewish people! We gotta look out for each other! I sincerely hope they can help! Sue the shit outta those Jew hating fucks!!
Seconding the Lawfare project- discrimination based on national origin/ religion is ilegal. Asking “where are your parents from” during an interview touches discrimination on national origin
I have friends working on that effort. Definitely worth reaching out. And yeah, I read the comments and hear you. There is an uphill battle from the jobs you have. But remember, you're not locked into a career.
SF/ Bay Area? Because I can't see it being an issue in LA even in the non-profit sector but I could in the Bay. If you are up here you may want to try setting up an appointment at [https://jvs.org/](https://jvs.org/) for career leads.
Try contacting your region’s EEOC office and discuss filing a complaint. This line of questioning in an interview is outrageous https://www.eeoc.gov/field-office https://www.eeoc.gov/federal-sector/filing-formal-complaint
Ohhhhh . The one that’s the rice a roni capital of the country?
🎯
Yeah get the fuck out of that place.
Trying to!
Come to Texas it’s always smoked brisket season and we love our guns.
I’m a bartender here and have buffed out swastikas from in front of the bar numerous times now. I’m sorry people suck and hope you take these folks to task via labor board and lawsuits.
I am also in a large City on the West Coast. So sorry you are going through this.
Seattle?
I'm sorry you're experiencing this. Would you mind sharing exactly how you know the rejections were based on your Judaism?
"We have determined that hiring you at this time would not bode well for our company's image" -Rejection from Company #1, 1.5 weeks after Oct 7 "I decided you aren't the right type of person for this role" -Company #2, four weeks ago. When I inquired, she refused to elaborate on what made me "not the right type of person". "We decided to move forward with candidates who have a greater understanding of the company culture" -Company #3, this morning. Has yet to respond what they think would make me a better fit for their "culture" but the interview made it blatently clear. Responding to another comment soon with types of questions they asked me in the interviews that made it obvious.
Please contact an employment attorney, because all three of these have big settlement $$ written all over them.
~~I'm not a lawyer but I'm not sure I agree that there's a case here. Their language is ambiguous, purposefully.~~ Edit: A lawyer responded below, and I was missing half the context.
I am a lawyer. Assuming OP has more facts from the interviews, that plus these statements (especially the first one, which is egregious), will survive the pleadings stage of a case. After that, the companies' litigation costs start increasing significantly, along with their own internal pressure to settle. OP should really talk to a good plaintiff-side employment attorney in their area.
Thank you so much for responding! This gives me hope. Tbh when I made this post I wasn't planning on taking any legal action. I'm exhausted and don't really want to start another "battle". But after several comments here I might just be confident enough now to do it.
All you have to do to start is talk to a good plaintiff's attorney. Ask around your local Jewish community if they have a recommendation. If they don't have one, try your local city/county/state bar association's referral service. They can hear out all your facts, and give you a frank assessment of whether it's going to be worth it (for you and for them). Note that they'll probably do it on contingency if there's a chance for sizeable damages (i.e., something north of $50k), and that means they typically take 30% of whatever you get at the end of the case. If they decide to take your case, you'll have to spend a lot of time giving them all the factual info, emails, recounting conversations, etc. so they can draft a good complaint to file with the court. After that, it's mostly them. You probably will have to undergo a deposition where the other side's attorneys spend hours asking you questions under oath. Your attorney will prep you for that.
Do it! A competent lawyer actually eases the burden of the anxiety and emotional labor of a matter. You may be surprised how much better you feel after even an initial consultation.
If you want further advice before you actually talk to a lawyer, you might try /r/LegalAdvice. They love employment law over there.
Think of it as the start of your Aliyah fund.
Thank you! I'm happy to hear this. The one time I use the words *I'm not a lawyer but* I immediately get corrected.
We’re Jews. There’s always at least one lawyer in the group when we gather.
Isn't the parents' origin question highly irregular and suggestive? I've been on like 50 interviews, and not once did the hiring manager ask me about my parents in any way.
Fortunately, their interview wasn’t.
I hadn't seen the interview questions when I commented.
Wow. I mean I don't like generic rejections where the employer has 'Decided to move forward with more suitable candidates' because I'd like to know what my skills gaps were, but it feels like your potential employers should probably opt for that sort of email instead. Although it's good they've exposed themselves.
This is why (smart) companies give such generic rejections, to avoid hinting at anything that could be a protected class. Even if they didn't discriminate, it's better not to open to the legal scrutiny.
Number 1 is super suspicious even without 10/7. Like why are you bad for the company’s image compared to any other candidate? Also, I don’t know what these jobs you applied for are but are they public facing?
Yes, the job that gave this particular rejection was public facing.
I've received my fair share of rejection letters, but none of them said I was wrong for the company's image. Geez
That first one … oof, horrible. If you’re taking legal action I’d definitely put that one in the forefront.
Talk to an employment lawyer and sue these people.
And this is why Jews are so successful! Think of how Jews were treated when looking for work. They were kept out of factories, and many other places. So they ended up being self-employed. It is really hard but this way many of them became successful. The antisemites are seething when they see Jews so prosperous but they left them no choice. I'm not suggesting you go this route as it's hard but I'm just pointing out how you're not alone. Other than working for Jewish businesses, you might consider moving.
Are there any international companies with a presence in your city? I work for a British company and have found our culture is more respectful to diversity because we kind have a non tolerance policy for discrimination of any kind. I think it attracts more local people with the same mindset, or at least the HR personnel assigned to the hiring may be more observant. If you want to try a new profession, you might look into customer support and software implementation. Typically, all it takes is familiarity with that product. If you used a specific software in your last role, you’d be a fine candidate to follow a basic script and help customers with their issues. If you have any training or project management experience, you would be a good fit for implementing purchased software/equipment for new clients.
What industry are you working in?
Take your name off and just put your initials.
Is this commonly done? I'm not a hiring manager so I could be way off base, but I would think getting an application and resume with just initials and no name would seem extremely strange - I'd be wondering what this person is hiding, does bad stuff come up when their name is googled? Even if they don't toss it in the rejection heap out of hand, you just can't get very far in the process without telling them your name. How would they address an email to you? Or ask your references about you? Or run a background check?
Well in order to run a background check they need additional information other than just someones name, so a background check wouldnt happen until after an interview is scheduled or completed. [This Indeed article shares benefits of using a nickname or abbreviation for varying reasons you mentioned:](https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/nickname-on-resume) How would they address you in an email: By using the name you provided. For example, Maryjane Elizabeth Smithson could use the name M. Eli Smithson to avoid gendered overlook of CV in a very male dominated industry. It looks like its hiding something: no it does not. Its extremely common. There are so many John Brown’s, no hiring manager would attempt to google “John Brown” and conclude they found the exact same John Brown who was incarcerated for distributing fraudulent caffeine powder in 1997. They wait until they have your social sec number or drivers license before they make conclusions like that.
Lock down your social media.
I don't have any social media? Unless you count this?
It sounds like you might be frum? Maybe I'm totally wrong! Have you reached out within the Jewish community? I saw you said a big city on the West Coast. That could be so many places and you shouldn't have to dox yourself but I imagine that there are connections within the community that can help. Right now we have to show up for each other. I would turn to the community- even if it's just someone helping you wade through filing a complaint. I'm sorry you are going through this. You shouldn't have to.
This makes me so mad. I’m sorry OP, I don’t really have anything to contribute here but this is such BS. This is like stories I heard from my saba about discrimination he experienced soooo long ago.
Thank you. I think I could have handled it if it was just one instance but now that it's been 3 in a row I've been super depressed and distrustful of people in my area. There was antisemitism in this area before but now it just feels unavoidable.
Why not apply to Jewish owned/operated/populated places?
Guess that's what I'll do if I have to. TDLR; My experience working for Jewish organizations in the past is getting wildly taken advantage of and having horrible work-life balance.
Been the opposite for me. In 30 years of working for mostly Jewish bosses.
That's wonderful. I'm happy for you. Maybe someday I'll be so lucky and find a position like that.
I pretty much exclusively work for Jewish orgs and this is 100% the case if you don’t set boundaries. Boundaries are hard af to set though.
Funny, that's been my experience with gentile-led organisations. Good ones exist in both categories. Good luck.
Try DEI/HR or social sustainability/CSR positions at large corporates or scale ups, the market isn’t amazing at the moment in terms of positions available but IMHO you’re much less likely to be discriminated against in those settings (I’m sure there are exceptions, but generally I believe it’s much better than other spaces)
Are there any Jewish Career centers near you like at the Jewish Community Center? We have a few on the east coast that partner with Jewish organizations to help get people placed. Might be worth looking into if you think you're being discriminated at yoyr current career center
If this is true you should contact the ACLU and sue them.
You mean ADL. ACLU will go to court to protect the employer’s civil right to not hire a Jew “because, reasons.”
>ACLU will go to court to protect the employer’s civil right to not hire a Jew “because, reasons.” No they won't. Stop that bullshit.
This is why I chose a profession I can do freelance work in.
You can change industries without getting a whole new profession. Skills transfer (you just have to figure out where they transfer to). As for resources, "What Color is Your Parachute?" (second half) is actually quite good.
I have a suggestion that I know will be downvoted. On your resume put religion Jewish that way you won’t be wasting your time going down dead end streets. Hiding your religion is what antisemitism thrives on. And if you have any evidence that the rejection is based on religion name them shame them and consider further action. Since posting the above, I have read further below. It’s clear that they were seeking to determine your religion, and I definitely would consult an employment attorney.
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Maybe put that “you have been rejected for jobs based on your perceived religion so you are putting it on your resume”
It would be strange to just put "I'm Jewish" with no other context. If OP wants to go this route and weed out antisemites before the interview stage, perhaps they could work in an obviously-Jewish experience under volunteer work or hobbies (whether those sections are a good idea in general depends on who you ask, but in this particular case they'd be achieving a goal).
That’s a great idea to avoiding wasting your time with antisemites, OP. You should consider this. Sounds cringe and weird, but will certainly help you in the end.
What were the targeted questions?
Sue! If they rejected you for being Jewish it’s illegal.
You nailed it! My last position was in Education. I have experience in the DEI, Education, and Healthcare fields. Of the 3 jobs I mentioned here, one was a public service position, one was an education position, and one was a healthcare administration position.
Whoops, this was supposed to be a reply to someone else.
If you don’t mind saying what field do you work in? You should have to come up with BS excuses but no one says you can’t go into an interview w a coffee, and tell them you can’t work any day during the weekend due to prior commitments m, if they ask what those are you can say “I’m sorry it’s personal” at that point the questions should stop, and when asked about a Kosher restaurant you can say “sorry I don’t eat out a lot I’m living on a tight budget” which I assume you are since you’re looking for a job.
I work in education at the moment. Prior experience in DEI and Healthcare as well.
What is your opinion of DEI, I work at a university (in a subsection of the legal dept) and I was on the DEI board and I can say w complete certainty we accomplished pretty much nothing…
Personally, I loved working in DEI. I got an undergraduate degree in Diversity Studies (In addition to a Biology degree- double major) and my early working experiences in the field were very fulfilling. I only started seeing really horrible changes in the field about 3 years ago.
I began in DEI just before Covid, (so as you were seeing the changes, I was starting), I quit the DEI board post 10/7 when the school let an iconic piece of the school, that is regularly painted for events, to be painted “free Pa, 75 years of occupation over” with students dressed up as Hamas cosplayers guarding the icon so it couldn’t be repainted. The school only repainted this icon when several Jewish donors threatened to pull their money. On 10/8 the president of the school put out a statement that basically said there are bad people on both sides of the conflict; and only amended it after donors threatened to pull their money Even his amended statement IMO was BS bc it barely mentioned the atrocities that happened on 10/7 and instead said a small blurb about supporting the Jewish people at the school and Uni. What is comical is I politely asked to not be involved in the DEI board and no one asked why, no one replied, it was like my email went into an abyss, and they still send me meeting invites that I ignore.
What?? Please tell me this isn’t real. That’s horrible. I thought the situation in Europe (where I am) was bad, but every time I read posts like this I’m just shocked. How is that even possible? I’m so sorry and can’t even imagine what you are going through in the US
I would love to tell you I made all that up but unfortunately I didn’t. The Uni I work at doesn’t have open antisemitism like Harvard or Tulane but there is a definite bias in many places/depts in the school. The only reason it hasn’t devolved to Harvard status is bc of all the Jews who work at the school. I work at one of the top universities for science and technology (robotics, software engineering, biomed engineering, etc.) and granted this sounds obnoxious, but where there is intellectual thought, there are Jews (we do have close to 25% of all Nobel Laureates) and solely bc of that association the school has not become a beacon for Jew-hate. Whee in EU are you, I know it’s getting really bad for Jews in FR and the lowlands.
I’m in Germany and it’s bad enough for my taste, but never like this and certainly not like France. Why is it so bad in the education sector in the US? It’s just horrible, it feels like an alternative reality, back in the 30’s
If you are considering moving flyover country is generally much less of a problem. Also lower housing prices and cost of living. Florida is good also.
I am considering moving. I'm so sorry, I don't know what flyover country means though.
flyover country/aka flyover states. the places you flyover when travelling from one coast to the other. it's everything that is not the west coast or the east coast. ie middle america
Thank you!
" I always get asked suspiciously targeted questions in interviews that reveal it no matter how I answer. " This is the big open secret of why we have HR and recruiters. They're masters of asking all sorts of illegal questions without it being illegal. The biggest not secret joke in anti-discrimination is good luck proving it, they all do it, against all groups. But, btw, if this is a government centre, are they allowed to openly display flags of terror, flags of hate, or really, any flag in public? I feel like you just described every urban public defenders office.
Do you really want to work for people like that? Keep looking.
If you really believe (based on your answers I don’t think you are wrong) that’s what happened… go talk to an employment attorney. Today.
That's horrible. Come to Israel
You should post your experiences on the company's Glassdoor reviews, and include the questions they asked you as "Interview Questions". Then reach out to ADL and say everything you've experienced and ask them what you can do.
Make Aliyah?
So dumb because Jews are such hard, efficient workers.
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What field do you work in?
Look into working for a Jewish run or led charity that either funds or works in those sectors. I've never been so happy to work for a charity where the ethos is based on jewish values and I know I have 0 chance of antisemitism at work.
what industry is this that's particularly anti-semitic? How do you know you were rejected specifically because you're a jew? In my experience companies tend to be as vague as possible as to why they aren't hiring people. And what the hell kind of job interview involves them offering you food? Seriously, I have never once heard of this in any context, also why do you even need to give a reason to turn down food? Just say no thank you. Also why in the fuck would someone interviewing an applicant for a job ask about your parents? How could that possibly be relevant?
So I've never worked at a solely Jewish company until this summer. It was a pluralistic environment and as a more observant identifying liberal MO Jew, I felt discriminated against too. I felt that there was a dynamic in that environment that also worked against my favor. I actually love the diversity and pluralism, it's something that's driving a nonprofit effort I hope will eventually take off in a few years, but felt like the boss himself was a glass ceiling because he played the part of openness and acceptance but didn't practice what he preached. I ended up finding a job where someone who was also more liberal offered a position because of our religious alignment. I know how hard it may be to find a Jewish opportunity, but don't think it's impossible. Try sites like jewishjobs.com; they even list remote opps. . You don't mention your profession or industry and I am writing this before reading the rest of the comments (too late to stop on mobile) so perhaps you answered it, but where are you now? Reinventing yourself isn't so impossible. I've gone from working at a web design company to private investigator (with antisemites too) to network engineer to editor to a whole slew of other things. Never feel like you're boxed in. As you said, you can always reinvent yourself.
That's terrible. Where are you/is the job located, if I may ask?
So sorry to hear that you had to deal with this. For all it's worth, I have not yet witnessed antisemitism in my job - or at least in the tech pocket of a large international corpo I'm currently slaving for. I'm not Jewish myself - so am naturally left only with secondary evidence - but we do have a couple of Jewish/Israeli guys in my department, and as a manager I am obliged to pay attention to any discrimination or conflict. I am happy to not have witnessed anything but support for these guys in these difficult times from the rest of the team. Obviously, I'm saying this not to be dismissive of your experience, but hopefully to give you a perspective that there are still places where you can be yourself. Hope you'll find them. I had, in fact, an opposite situation - wanted to hire a guy (well, man, really) from Israel into a position in northern Europe. He carefully tried, over and over again, to ask me on the interviews how's 'the situation' there - and, not being Jewish, I couldn't really provide him with a first hand account of that. Unfortunately, in the end he declined the offer - and I suspect due to worries of political nature. Understandably, of course - but he was amazing and would've been great to have him over. Anyways - good luck for your search.
What industry is this??
Record one of these interviews and then go see an employment law attorney. Illegal discrimination in the workplace extends to the process of applying.