Healthcare Professionals Must Speak Out Against Antisemitism

Photo courtesy of Hadassah.

In case you haven’t seen the recent story out of Australia on social media, CBS News has reported that two nurses at an Australian Hospital were removed from their jobs after bragging about how they would kill Israeli patients in their hospital. The Australian Health Minister swiftly condemned these “medical professionals” and apologized to the Jewish community for having been exposed to such hatred.

The UK Daily Mail, however, in covering the story, seems to have decided that the most newsworthy aspect of this incident was that one of the nurses had a  panic attack after the video of her statements was released. This is the paradox of anti-Jewish racism: Some people recognize and condemn hate against anyone based on ethnic identity, except if the hate is against a Jew. Then it is okay.

It is critical that health care professionals and institutions do not grow complacent about the threat antisemitism poses to healthcare. Like every other form of intolerance, antisemitism puts us all at risk. It dehumanizes people and makes them targets for hate. It leaves people fearful that they will not receive the best possible care from healthcare providers who feel it is acceptable to voice their bigotry. Healthcare organizations must speak out clearly and decisively to end the antisemitic attacks that violate ethical standards.

Last summer, medical students were lauded for speaking up on behalf of the war victims in Gaza. However, they did not advocate for all parties to end the war and protect their citizens. Instead, they doubled down with resolutions and petitions to demonize all Israelis. How can we expect future physicians to care for all patients equally and with dignity if they are encouraged to discriminate against patients whose political views don’t align with theirs?

We cannot allow anyone to uplift one marginalized population by demonizing another.

This dangerous and unethical thinking has led to the UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese’s call for a global medical boycott of Israel. In a misguided effort to support the Palestinian cause by delegitimizing Israel, she has instead politicized health care in a way that harms all people. (Read Hadassah’s policy statement reaffirming its stance against boycotts.)

Obstructing the sharing of medical research, innovation and expertise for political gain does not stop war or save lives. Countries all over the world benefit from Israel’s medical knowledge and treatments. Israel is among the first to send medical teams to help rescue people following natural disasters all over the world, including the earthquakes in Haiti and Turkey, the Surfside building collapse in Florida and the recent California wildfires, to name a few.

Before the Hamas-Israel war, Israeli physicians and nurses from the Hadassah Medical Organization (HMO) were regularly treating Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank and collaborating with Palestinian colleagues. Its multicultural staff is a model of co-existence, where medicine builds bridges to peace. A medical boycott of Israel simply bastardizes the ethics of medical neutrality and the right of  the most vulnerable to receive quality health care.

In the last year, bomb threats have been made against Jewish hospitals, Jewish therapists have been blacklisted, and Jewish medical students have faced dangerous antisemitic attacks. During these difficult and disturbing times, Jewish health care providers, like me, have turned to our professional associations for support. The alarming truth is that we are feeling abandoned and unable to fully participate in professional forums due to relentless antisemitic attacks from fellow healthcare providers who want to shame us and silence our voices.

The mental health toll on Jewish health care professionals has been significant, as we experience the inter-generational trauma of our ancestors. Still, we continue to follow the Hippocratic Oath and the Oath of Maimonides, renowned medieval Jewish scholar and physician: to see the human being in all who suffer and to treat all patients with the best care possible.

As a pediatrician, I have an obligation to support all children’s physical, mental and emotional well-being and to help them achieve their maximum potential. Right now, Jewish children in the US are struggling. With increasing frequency, Jewish children who define part of their identity as having an ancestral connection to Israel are disparaged, bullied, shunned and treated as pariahs in their elementary schools, high schools, universities and local communities. They are often forced to hide their Jewish and Zionist identities to avoid being ostracized or harmed in a contemporary version of McCarthyism.

Speaking out is critical. Staying silent normalizes hatred. I was pleased to see the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)‘s statement on the one-year anniversary of October 7, which acknowledged the grave impact antisemitism has had on patients and practitioners alike. The AAP spoke out just as it did on behalf of the children in Gaza and in previous critical moments against racism and anti-Asian hate.

However, the number of antisemitic, hostile and derogatory comments on social media that the AAP received after it issued that statement is alarming. Those comments were followed by member resignations in protest of the statement, revealing how prevalent antisemitism is in the health sector and why the health care organizations that represent us must continue to speak out.

Unfortunately, the AAP has recently experienced a reversal of this good will by writing a letter to the US State Department on behalf of the physician hospital director who is being detained by Israel for being a Hamas operative. Despite the fact that many pediatricians expressed hurt and disgust at this advocacy by the AAP without  knowing all the facts, the AAP has not only refused to retract the letter, but has yet to publicly apologize or respond in any way. Such behavior harms not just pediatrician members, but also families who depend on the AAP for trustworthy advice about their children.

The bottom line is that hate and discrimination have no place in healthcare. Jewish children and adults have a right to respectful medical treatment, as do people of any faith, culture or ethnicity. Jewish doctors and healthcare providers have a right to work in environments free from discrimination and harassment based on ethnicity.

We must do better, honoring Judaism’s important tenet of tikkun olam, repairing the world. For me, this is both a professional as well as personal calling, rooted in my faith. As a pediatrician, I learn from children every day. If we listen to them, they can teach us valuable moral lessons.

Children are not born with hate. Paraphrasing Whitney Houston and the Talmud (the body of Jewish law), I believe that children are our future. They have the power to see what is possible and shape the future. Perhaps they hold the key to turning the tide by seeing the humanity in each other. In this way, they will counter this awful spike in antisemitism, the world’s oldest form of hatred.

Michelle is a member of the Hadassah Writers’ Circle, a dynamic and diverse writing group for leaders and members to express their thoughts and feelings about all the things Hadassah does to make the world a better place. It’s a place to celebrate their personal Hadassah journeys and to share their Jewish values, family traditions and interpretations of Jewish texts. Since 2019, the Hadassah Writers’ Circle has published nearly 500 columns in The Times of Israel Blogs and other Jewish media outlets. Interested? Please contact hwc@hadassah.org.

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