(Los Angeles, CA – December 11, 2024) – StandWithUs is proud to present the first published study by our Data & Analytics department: Antisemitism in American Healthcare: A Survey Study of Reported Experiences. It was published on December 11, 2024 by the Journal of General Internal Medicine and can be read HERE .
We thank the distinguished medical professionals and faculty who co-authored the study (see “About the Study”). This study – the first of its kind to be published in a peer reviewed journal – reveals alarming rates of antisemitism experienced by Jewish medical professionals since the terrorist attack on October 7 . The results underscore the urgent need for education about antisemitism in U.S. healthcare institutions.
The study surveyed 645 self-identifying Jewish healthcare professionals, 74% of whom are physicians. Nearly 40% (39.2%) reported direct exposure to antisemitism within their professional or academic environments. Additionally, over one quarter of respondents (26.4%) reported feeling unsafe or threatened due to antisemitic incidents. Despite widespread anti-bias trainings in healthcare organizations, only 1.9% of participants said that such trainings at their institutions included content on antisemitism.
Because the study was conducted as a pilot with a convenience sample, it may not fully represent the demographic of Jewish healthcare professionals in the United States, affecting its generalizability. However, it clearly points to an urgent need to fight antisemitism in medicine, as well as a more robust survey to better understand the problem.
“This study represents the experiences of healthcare professionals from 32 states, offering critical insights into the pervasiveness of antisemitism in our profession,” said Dr. Kelly Michelson, co-author and Director of the Center for Bioethics and Medical Humanities at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “It is imperative for medical institutions to incorporate training that confronts antisemitism to ensure the safety and inclusivity of all healthcare professionals.”
Dr. Alexandra Fishman, Founding Director of the StandWithUs Data & Analytics department oversaw the study’s methodology and analyzed the results. She said, “this groundbreaking pilot study aimed to understand the prevalence and impact of bigotry against Jews in healthcare. It is deeply troubling when nearly 40% of respondents indicate that they have personally experienced or witnessed antisemitism in their places of work. This resurgence of hatred and discrimination requires both further study and immediate action by leaders in the medical field.”
Co-author Dr. Sheri Ross of PediaTrust added that, “healthcare organizations have a moral imperative to create a zero-tolerance environment for any form of discrimination. The lack of attention given to antisemitism in anti-bias training is a glaring omission that must be rectified to protect both professionals and patients.”
The authors stress that the study’s results are a call to action for healthcare organizations to expand Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, anti-bias trainings, and similar programs to include education about antisemitism. This step is vital to combat the rising wave of hatred and discrimination against Jews and ensure a safer, more inclusive environment for all healthcare professionals.
About the Study:
This study, conducted in 2024, surveyed 645 Jewish healthcare professionals across the U.S. It was co-authored by:
Kelly N. Michelson MD, MPH;[1] Alexandra C. Fishman PhD, MA, LMSW; [2] Eve C. Feinberg MD;[3] Sheri Ross MD, FAAP;[4] Hedy S. Wald PhD;[5] Charles Auerbach PhD;[6] and Steven Roth MD, FARVO. [7]
Partners who helped distribute the survey include the American Jewish Medical Association, Jewish Physicians Network, Jewish Orthodox Women’s Medical Association (JOWMA), and Orthodocs Discussion Group.
Author Affiliations:
Testimonials:
Medical professionals who participated in the study reported incidents such as:
About StandWithUs
StandWithUs (SWU) is an international, nonprofit, and non-partisan education organization that works to inspire and educate people of all ages about Israel, as well as challenge misinformation and fight against antisemitism.
Through university fellowships, high school internships, middle school curricula, conferences, materials, social media, educational films, and missions to Israel, StandWithUs supports people around the world who want to educate their schools and communities about Israel.
Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Los Angeles, the organization has chapters and programs throughout the U.S., Israel, the UK, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, the Netherlands and Australia.
For the last eleven years, StandWithUs has consistently received the highest possible ratings from Charity Navigator and GuideStar, two charity watchdog groups that assess hundreds of thousands of charities in the United States.
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