Peter Cordi | Washington Examiner | December 12, 2024
A new study revealed “alarmingly high” exposure to antisemitism among Jewish medical professionals, resulting in over a quarter of them reportedly feeling “unsafe or threatened” in the workplace.
Led by StandWithUs’s data and analytics department, the Journal of General Internal Medicine study published Wednesday found that 39.2% of Jewish medical professionals, mostly physicians, reported “direct exposure” to antisemitism in their professional or academic settings, with 26.4% feeling unsafe due to the prevalence of antisemitic incidents.
“This study identified alarmingly high reported experiences of antisemitism by Jewish healthcare professionals, and found that few organizations address antisemitism in anti-bias training,” the authors wrote.
Only 1.9% of the 645 Jewish medical professionals representing 32 states reported antisemitism being included in antibias training, and 71.6% of respondents agreed that antisemitism should be included.
The study specified several kinds of reported conduct deemed antisemitic by the respondents in their testimonials. One example of conduct involved healthcare professionals saying “Zionists” should be denied medical care while discussing a Jewish patient. The majority of Jews believe in Israel’s right to self-determination, otherwise known as Zionism.
Respondents also reported “social and professional isolation” from their peers based on their Jewish identity, “hateful speakers” present at professional conferences, and being placed on a “do not call or hire” list based on Jewish identity or connection to Israel.
They also reported comments from coworkers “justifying the October 7 massacre” and unequal acknowledgment by medical institutions about Israeli and “Palestinian trauma.” The rape, slaughtering, and kidnapping of Israelis were allegedly ignored in favor of the plight of Palestinians in Gaza following the attack.
Medical schools and hospitals also reportedly ignored complaints about antisemitism and advised Jewish healthcare professionals to refrain from speaking publicly on the matter. Jewish students who felt unsafe were allegedly told that they needed to be “more comfortable being uncomfortable,” and department chairs at medical schools dismissed reports of antisemitic statements.
Of the 645 respondents, 74% are physicians, and 52.1% are in academia. StandWithUs was joined by four medical schools, a school of social work, and a pediatric care network to author the study.
“There should be zero tolerance for all forms of hate, particularly in healthcare organizations,” the authors wrote. “The resurgence of antisemitism, the world’s oldest form of hatred, in the US, in general, and in medicine since Oct 7, 2023, requires urgent action by medical schools and healthcare organizations.”
“Based on our results, incorporating education about antisemitism into existing anti-bias training and/or into diversity, equity, and inclusion paradigms is a currently untapped opportunity for medical schools and healthcare organizations to potentially mitigate existing and emerging discriminatory and hateful conduct,” they added.
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