Beyond DEI: New Tracker Puts Corporate Support for Jewish Employees in Focus

NEW YORK, NY – September 02, 2026 – In a move that signals a significant shift in corporate accountability, the nonprofit investment advisor JLens has launched a groundbreaking tool aimed at measuring how America's largest companies support their Jewish employees. The JLens Workplace Tracker, unveiled today, assesses the 100 largest U.S. public companies on specific, tangible policies, moving the conversation on inclusion from broad statements to measurable actions.

The initiative arrives at a critical juncture. Citing a dramatic rise in antisemitism since the October 7, 2023 attacks in Israel, JLens designed the tracker to provide transparency for employees, investors, and corporate leaders alike. Thirty companies, including industry giants like Amazon, JPMorgan Chase, Microsoft, and Apple, have been recognized with gold, silver, or bronze designations for their existing policies. The remaining 70 firms are listed as "Not Rated," a designation indicating a lack of publicly available information rather than a failing grade. This new barometer isn't just a list; it's a powerful call to action for corporate America to address religious inclusion with the same rigor it applies to other diversity metrics.

A New Barometer for Corporate Inclusion

The JLens Workplace Tracker is more than a simple checklist; it's a detailed framework built on 14 distinct metrics across three core categories: Jewish Experience in the Workplace, Religious Accommodations, and Workplace Protections. This methodology dives deep into the corporate infrastructure that enables religious observance and combats discrimination.

Metrics include whether a company has an active Jewish Employee Resource Group (ERG), provides antisemitism training, and explicitly protects against discrimination based on ancestry—a crucial point acknowledging that Jewish identity is both ethnic and religious. On a practical level, the tracker looks for policies that directly impact an employee's daily life, such as offering floating holidays for religious observance, providing dedicated prayer or reflection spaces, and accommodating religious dietary needs in company cafeterias.

JLens emphasizes that the tracker is a transparency tool, not a punitive ranking. "It is not an assessment of the environment for Jewish employees at these companies," the organization stated, but rather an audit of whether supportive policies are in place and accessible. This distinction is key to its mission of fostering engagement.

The challenge for many Jewish employees is not a lack of goodwill, but a lack of clear, accessible policy. "Asking for religious accommodation is not easy," said Ari Hoffnung, Managing Director of JLens, in a statement. "When a company publishes its religious accommodation policy and walks new hires through it at orientation, that employee is asking for something routine rather than something extraordinary." The tracker aims to make such support routine by recognizing companies that put information "where people can find it."

The 'Why Now': Responding to a Surge in Antisemitism

The urgency behind the Workplace Tracker is impossible to separate from the current geopolitical climate and its direct impact on the workplace. JLens explicitly developed the tool in response to the alarming spike in antisemitism following the events of October 7, 2023. Data from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a JLens affiliate, paints a stark picture: antisemitic incidents in the U.S. reached their highest level ever recorded in 2023 and have continued to climb, with a significant number of incidents now tied to anti-Israel sentiment.

This societal trend has inevitably seeped into corporate environments. Research from the 2024 "Jewish@Work" survey by Clal found that 13% of Jewish employees have considered leaving a job because of their experience as a Jew at work. Another report revealed that nearly a third of Jewish employees felt unsafe being "openly Jewish" in their professional environment. As one DEI expert noted, "What happens in the world flows into the workplace, and companies are no longer insulated from these complex social and political pressures."

The problem extends even to the hiring process. A field experiment sponsored by the ADL found that applicants with Jewish-sounding names needed to send 24% more applications than their counterparts with Western European backgrounds to receive the same number of positive responses. This data underscores a systemic challenge that goes beyond overt harassment, touching every stage of the employee lifecycle. The JLens tracker, therefore, serves as both a response to this crisis and a proactive tool to build more resilient, inclusive corporate cultures before bias escalates.

From Policy to Practice: Who's Leading the Way?

The inaugural list of recognized companies offers a glimpse into which corporate leaders are taking these issues seriously. The nine Gold medal recipients include Amazon, Bank of America, Cisco, JPMorgan Chase, KKR, Pfizer, S&P Global, Spotify, and Uber. Following them are nine Silver honorees, such as Microsoft, Salesforce, and Meta, and twelve Bronze designees, including Alphabet, Apple, and Netflix.

These companies are not just being recognized for having policies on paper. Alongside the tracker, JLens published a guide highlighting best practices, offering concrete examples of innovation in action. KKR’s Jewish Heritage Network, for instance, provides a vital community for employees. Alphabet has developed a scheduling guide to help teams navigate religious holidays, while Citigroup offers a floating "Heritage Day" that can be used for religious observance. Salesforce has gone a step further by creating multifaith prayer spaces, a practice that benefits employees across numerous faith traditions.

For an observant Jewish employee, these policies are not abstract ideals. During the fall High Holiday season, which includes Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot, an employee may need to miss several workdays. Year-round, Sabbath observance requires ending work before sundown on Fridays. Flexible scheduling, a shared interfaith holiday calendar, and floating holidays are the practical mechanisms that make balancing faith and career possible. By spotlighting these leaders, JLens provides a roadmap for the 70 "Not Rated" companies and the broader business community on how to translate commitment into concrete support.

Rethinking DEI: The Business Case for Religious Inclusion

For years, many corporate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs have focused primarily on race, gender, and sexual orientation, with religion often receiving less specific attention. The JLens Workplace Tracker challenges this paradigm, making a compelling case that robust religious inclusion is not only a moral imperative but also a strategic business advantage.

By creating a transparent, data-driven benchmark, the tracker pushes companies to move beyond vague commitments to "respecting all beliefs." It demands specificity. This focus on concrete action is a hallmark of next-generation DEI, where accountability is measured not by intention but by implementation. As one HR strategist commented, "This forces a conversation that many companies were not having. It’s no longer enough to have a general non-discrimination clause; you need to show how you actively accommodate and protect religious minorities."

The business case is clear. In a competitive talent market, companies that demonstrate a genuine commitment to inclusion are better positioned to attract and retain top performers. For a Jewish job seeker weighing multiple offers, the knowledge that a company has a Gold rating from JLens could be a deciding factor. It signals a culture where they won't have to hide a core part of their identity or struggle for basic accommodations. This fosters psychological safety, which is directly linked to higher employee engagement, innovation, and productivity.

Ultimately, the JLens Workplace Tracker is an innovation in corporate governance. It leverages the power of data and transparency to drive social change, providing a model for how to address other specific gaps in the DEI landscape. By creating a clear standard for supporting Jewish employees, it not only helps combat the rising tide of antisemitism but also strengthens the fabric of the modern, pluralistic workplace for everyone.