‘I cannot allow myself to focus on a single form of intolerance’: Student health professionals’ encounters with antisemitism in schools

Swedish society faces a concern regarding growing and multifaceted antisemitism. This is evident in schools, with indications of antisemitic views and expressions among students. However, little is known about how school professionals handle antisemitism. This study explores antisemitism from the perspective of professionals in student health teams. It focuses on the encounters with antisemitism in their daily practice and their interpretative repertoires for positioning themselves as professionals counteracting antisemitism. To accomplish this, 12 representatives of student health teams in two upper secondary schools in Sweden were interviewed. Analysis of the data gathered describe these professionals’ encounters with antisemitism in school settings and how they account for their not being involved in preventative or interventional work because of their professional role and conceptualisation of the problem. Furthermore, antisemitism is recognised only when there are potential Jewish victims or potential Muslim perpetrators.