AIBU - problems with antisemitism amongst NHS medical staff?

Like Rwanda, the Holocaust or Srebrenica?

You shouldn’t throw words around when you don’t know what they mean

www.justthefacts.media/p/genocide-for-dummies

Of course all patients should feel safe in the NHS. Unfortunately healthcare is delivered by humans, who are normal people with flaws and conscious or unconscious bias. Ask ANY group of patients if they feel they have not been treated well and some will feel they have not, and it is because of their ethnicity, skin colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation or whatever. In my pretty extensive interactions with the NHS over my 73 years (as patient, patient's wife, patient's mother, patient's child and NHS employee) I have met a few arseholes, whether doctors, nurses or management, but the majority are decent hardworking people with nothing but the patients' best interests at heart. Such interactions and comments, like any other derogatory speech, should be flagged up and the member of staff disciplined appropriately.

Or we should all be ordering Kosher meals in hospital.

I'm outraged that NHS staff are allowed to wear political insignia at work. That should be stopped immediately, there's no reason for it. They make staff do EDI courses and then allow them to be so divisive. It's indefensible.

Your OP very much equates "criticising the state of Israel" with "antisemitism" so for that YABU.
Antisemitism is evil, racism is evil. Palestinians do have a right to resist illegal occupation of land taken by force. Saying that is not antisemitism. No nurses or medical staff should be wearing any political badges or signifiers, including pro-palestine things. Assuming that the presence of someone who supports Palestinine means that it is unsafe to order a kosher meal is paranoia - about 45% of the British population support the creation of an independent state of Palestine and about 60% think the military actions of the state of Israel are wrong. These are mainstream views. Meanwhile comprehensive research by the Institute for Jewish Policy Research (JPR) indicates that about 2.4% of the British public hold actual antisemitic attitudes. That 2.4% is clealy far too high, any antisemitism is unacceptable, but there is nothing in the OP suggesting that it is in any way more prevalent in the NHS than elsewhere.

NHS staff are human beings with thoughts and feelings about all sorts. We have our own views and opinions on many subjects and many of us are not racist, we treat everyone the same regardless of lots of factors.
it’s right that staff should not wear political badges I don’t disagree with that but what do you want the nhs to do further? We all do training, we all know our core values I’m not sure how you would manage such a large workforce to do anymore than we are

But it's about comments made about the middle East.

Someone having an issue with Netanyahu as quoted in the OP has nothing to do with alleged anti-Semitism in the NHS.

You can't have it both ways.

Eh? They’re not entitled to freely air racist and bigoted views, make patients feel so uncomfortable they don’t eat, or feel too intimidated to seek treatment.

All the individuals criticised in the post seem to be Muslim based from their names.
It’s expected they are going to be more likely to speak up about the treatment of Muslims. As I understand speaking up/protecting other Muslims is a fairly core belief in Islam.

We don’t know from the post if they have spoken up about other issues in the past. Naming people in this way with one of two posts they’ve made doesn’t allow any conclusion to be drawn.

Criticism of the current Israeli government doesn’t not make someone antisemitism. Is the ICC antisemetic in your view?

They just have an obsession where there are Jews to blame.

Are US citizens terrified to identify themselves as being from the US due to Trumps actions in Iran or Venezuela? Are British citizens afraid to identify as British due to our historical and current actions in conflicts around the world? Have we Brits forgotten our own less than stellar history as colonialists when we bleat about Israel?

British Jews are afraid, very afraid, Yet their fear is minimised, dismissed, disregarded, erroneously justified and laughed at.

By racists.

Some of the examples if “anti-semitism” you give are in fact opposite to a genocide insinuated by the Israeli state, specifically Netanyahu. And if you agree that that what is being done in Gaza is not the fault of British Jews or indeed, Jews as a whole (which I entirely agree with) then how is speaking out against the mass killing of Palestinian people by the Israeli government anti-Semitic? Unless you feel so fragile in your beliefs that you in fact conflate Zionism and Judaism.

I do not conflate Zionism and Judaism. I can hold two things true at once: that the October 7th attacks and hostage taking were vile and unacceptable. And that the Israeli’s government’s response to target Palestinian civilians on the basis that Hamas use them as a shield are vile and unacceptable. I’m afraid I fail to see how saying that civilian toddlers shouldn’t be maimed and killed in retaliation for the actions of a terrorist organisation is anti-Semitic.

But - I also don’t think anyone needs to wear political symbols in a state or hospital environment. And I hope that any Jewish patient can have faith in their fellow Brits that they can hold two truths in their mind: anti-semitism is wrong. Genocide is wrong. And being a Jew doesn’t mean you support a genocide.

Obviously people should receive equality of treatment in this country. However people are entitled to their views whether you agree with them or not.

When the person in question ONLY criticises Israel over and over and never shows a wider concern for other conflicts/suffering, then it’s a pretty safe bet that the person is consciously or otherwise antisemitic.

Do these healthcare workers also post about the suffering and atrocities in Sudan? The persecution of the Uigyurs by China? Are they posting death to Xi Jinping? Or Putin? Are they raising awareness of the persecution of Christians by Muslims in Nigeria?

Or is it just they have an obsession where there’s a Jew to blame?

There’s no place for racism in the NHS and all UK citizens have a right to be treated fairly and without prejudice. I’m surprised and extremely disappointed that anyone would think differently.

I didn’t order a kosher meal last time I was in hospital, I just didnt eat. Jpost has a good thought piece on how the number of kosher request meals have gone down and for me it sums it up, I worry about being seen as a political symbol vs a patient. https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-901875

I don't think criticising netanyahu is racist. Also you've given a sample of 5, several of which don't even seem to be about Jewish people they are about the political actions by the Israeli government, there are tens of thousands of people turning for the NHS, will some of them be racist. Yes, it's inevitable. Does that mean the NHS has a problem with anti-Semitism, no.

NHS staff should not be wearing political symbols at work.

i am a very strong supporter of free speech and don’t think people should lose their jobs for it; however publicly stating support for a racially motivated terror attack (7th October) would I think legitimately be breach of most organisations social media policy.

Your post seems to conflate anti-Israeli views with anti-Semitic views.

It’s completely possible to have very strong views against Israel but have no antisemitic views.

One of the people you critique said the Israeli prime minister needs to be dead. Many people say that about Donald Trump daily and they aren’t accused of anything. It’s also worth saying he does have an active arrest warrant by the ICC for war crimes.

You haven’t said what you want to happen. There is a system people can go through to raise specific complaints the same as everybody else.

No however Netanyahu is a monster and genocide is happening( people will voice that) and until there is evidence of staff mistreating patients what do you want to happen? Every other vulnerable group has to go through the lengthy channels in place to complain about mistreatment. The same system is there for the Jewish community. What do you want to happen, a change to the system as a whole? I’m sure many would welcome that.

What’s the whataboutery about? This is a thread about racism, specifically antisemitism. Do you have a problem with the focus being on the suffering of Jews in this country, such that you feel an urge to deflect?

Well they don’t. What about the failings people with autism are subjected to across the NHS, many staff come with ignorance and worse with autistic people not even bothering to mention reasonable adjustments they’re entitled to or hospital passports but those with autism just have to suck it up, people die. Ditto women experiencing medical misogyny which is also very widespread and people of colour…..

I’m not sure what you want to happen.