Politicized healthcare: Rising harassment of Diaspora Jews in medicine - opinion

As diversity, equity, and inclusion offices proliferate in academic and professional spaces, Jews, always the miner’s canary, now have to worry about whether human rights codes will be weaponized against them. 

Rising cases of antisemitism 

In a recent example, an Ontario-based Jewish social worker was publicly labeled “racist” and “anti-Arab” for challenging her colleague’s assertion that Zionism is a “genocidal ideology.” This incident is reminiscent of another: several years ago, a Toronto social work student was denied an internship at a mainstream Jewish organization that her fieldwork coordinator deemed “anti-Palestinian.” It would seem the bar is rather low when it comes to being labeled “anti-Arab” or ”anti-Palestinian.” Being Jewish may be the only prerequisite!

Another recent example: hundreds of Canadian doctors signed an open letter asserting their Zionism and demanding action regarding the antisemitism that proliferates in various spaces. Since then, a social media campaign busily directs followers to examine those doctors’ social media accounts, where posts, retweets, or “likes” – quoting Golda Meir, for example – are represented as “anti-Palestinian.” 

The doctors’ names, photographs, and workplaces are shared. Thousands are urged to complain to hospitals, universities, and the college that regulates doctors; physicians are then called in for “discussions.” In almost all cases, the complainants are not identified nor is the complaint disclosed.

An increasingly politicized healthcare system

These complaints have no merit, yet, in a politicized landscape, doctors are ensnared in a time-consuming process. The perpetrators have an effective tool, one that imposes a chilling effect on supporters of Israel. In other instances, the repercussions of this antisemitism are more professionally devastating. 

Recently, a Jewish geriatrician resigned from the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Medicine. According to Dr. Ted Rosenberg, two-thirds of the students and faculty in his school have publicly expressed their contempt for him, as a Jew. His report is reminiscent of one published by Dr. Ayelet Kuper, which claims that the University of Toronto’s Temerity Faculty of Medicine is riddled with antisemitic messaging. Similar allegations have been made about some Canadian social work programs.

Until the schools that train tomorrow’s healthcare providers get a clean bill of health, some Jews in healthcare will remain on edge. If we learned anything from watching the questioning of the Ivy League presidents, it’s not to expect that clean bill of health any time soon. 

The witch hunt continues. Jews in medicine, psychotherapy, and other disciplines wonder nervously whether their next patient will have a bone to pick quite unrelated to matters of care. 

And the raucous mob, having overtaken the academy, the unions, the legacy media, and the streets of our cities, deliciously hone in on tomorrow’s unsuspecting victim. “Who’s next?”

It turns out that the haters have oh so many ways of taking Jews hostage!

The writer, an MSW, Ed.D, RSW, is a therapist, author, and activist in Toronto.