AIBU - problems with antisemitism amongst NHS medical staff?

[Twiglets1]

The Campaign Against Antisemitism, a prominent UK watchdog group, has identified five healthcare professionals whose public statements it considers antisemitic or anti-Israel.

The five individuals, all current or former National Health Service employees, include midwife Fatimah Mohamied, who allegedly endorsed a post supporting Palestinian “resistance” on Oct. 7, 2023 by responding “Hell yeah!!!” to a post during the Hamas-led onslaught of October 7, 2023, that said: “Palestinians have a right to resist their occupation — we have a right to support them.”

Additionally, physician Dr. Abdelaal Ragheb Elfarra claimed Zionists control the media and the world; psychiatrist Dr. Ahmed Sewehli said regarding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “you need to be dead”; and emergency physician Dr. Nadeem Crowe described Israel as a “terrorist octopus.” Occupational therapist Zaida Akhtar allegedly shared a video appearing to encourage violence against Netanyahu’s son and a “false flag” claim about the Bondi Beach attack in Australia last year.

The allegations concerning the medical professionals follow a review published in June by John Mann, the British government’s independent adviser on antisemitism, which found “routine ostracism” of Jewish staff and patients within the NHS.

Jewish community representatives have warned that antisemitism in healthcare can affect patients at moments of particular vulnerability.

Karen Newman, a vice president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, described that concern during parliamentary testimony on May 14. She spoke about Jewish patients hesitating to request kosher meals after seeing a Palestinian badge on a nurse’s uniform.

“That is not a moment when you feel good asking for kosher meals,” she said.

https://www.jns.org/news/world/medical-staff-antisemitism-flagged-in-uk

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.

It’s pretty arrogant to say the NHS doesn’t have a problem with antisemitism when they themselves have accepted all 36 recommendations in the report re how to tackle antisemitism in the NHS.

Though personally I agree that criticising Netanyahu is not antisemitic, that was just one example given by the Campaign against Antisemitism that I linked to. What about the allegations from a NHS professional that the Bondi beach attacks were a “false flag”?

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?

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.

That’s sad that kosher meals have gone down and thank you for sharing your personal feelings of why you chose not to order one. I totally understand why you would feel reluctant to do so in the current climate but it’s so wrong that you are being made to feel more vulnerable when already in a hospital.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

Yes that is and needs addressing but you will get some people with extreme views in every profession

Look at the thread title and what you are voting for

AIBU - problems with antisemitism amongst NHS medical staff?

You're not likely to get good answers on here. It's all going to be "what about Israel?" And I don't support the Israeli government at all.

Dr Rameh Aladwan (who was suspended) has gone absolutely mask off on her twitter. We're talking conspiracy theories about the Talmud.

certainly you can criticise Israel without being an antisemite. But there's an experience I've had more than once (as a British-American Jew) of people bringing up the conflict in a pointed way, knowing I'm Jewish, looking for my reaction.

I did once experience antisemitism on the NHS but I couldn't have proved it. I have a very obviously Jewish surname and at the time lived in a very Jewish part of north London. I was questioning th midwife about some test results, and she said something about how I was being very inquisitive (not the exact word she used, I can't remember it now) and then "but you people always are" and I knew precisely what she was referring to.

The issue is we allowed political insignia with Ukraine.
Ukrainian flags being flown in hospitals, fundraisers for Ukraine being advertised in trust emails, bake sales for Ukraine.

It never should have been allowed, because it has opened a can of worms. I completely agree that hospitals should be apolitical, but to enforce that now is problematic and it seem to be favouring one country over another.

I never saw any posts complaining that Russian patients in hospital felt under threat.

" you people always are" certainly sounds like she was making assumptions about you based on her assuming you were Jewish.

Being inquisitive is a sign of intelligence in my opinion. So there is a positive way of looking at her comment, though she may not have meant it that way!

Actually I'm going into hospital soon so your comment gave me pause for thought. Should I be ordering a kosher meal in solidarity with Jewish patients?

But then I felt the slight trepidation of - but what if that affects my treatment.

A small insight into the way it could feel for Jewish patients.

@Twiglets1 Can you show us how the rates of antisemitism in the NHS compares to the rates in the hairdressing profession or catering or logistics? Because you seem to be suggesting the NHS is racist? Racism, antisemitism or any other form of discrimination is abhorrent but it is highly likely to be equally as prevalent in any other organisation or sector. Why pick on the NHS? Are you concerned about antisemitism or just looking for new ways to bash the NHS?

What does a supposed genocide in the Middle East have to do with the safe, unbiased treatment of Jewish patients in the UK?

Yes there is but as a reminder, the review I referenced in my OP by the British government’s independent adviser on antisemitism, found “routine ostracism” of Jewish staff and patients within the NHS.

That is mainly what the AIBU is about - problems with antisemitism amongst NHS medical staff. The NHS themselves do not deny these problems exist.

No I can't and I'm not claiming in any way that rates are higher in the NHS compared to hairdressing, catering or logistics.

I'm not picking on the NHS, overall I still hold it in high regard as an organisation. I even said in my second post that "I know (or at least think it highly likely) that the vast majority of NHS employees are not racist in any way".

But that doesn't mean it is immune from criticism. What is particularly concerning to me about racism or antisemitism in the NHS is that patients are more vulnerable in healthcare settings, compared to being at the hairdressers etc.

So no evidence of these health professionals treating Jewish patients to a lower standard of care or making racist comments tot them then, just anti-Zionist/Israel posts on social media.

I disagree that no conclusions can be drawn from one or two posts people have made.

When the posts are that "Zionists control the media and the world" (Dr. Abdelaal Ragheb Elfarra). Or alleged claims being made about Bondi Beach being a "false flag".