"A wide-ranging investigation published by The Australian has highlighted a series of troubling allegations concerning a rise in antisemitism within Australia’s healthcare system since the attacks of October 7, 2023."

"More than 30 doctors, nurses, midwives and other healthcare professionals described an increasingly politicized workplace, alleged discrimination against Jewish patients and staff, and incidents that have caused growing concern within the country’s Jewish community."

"According to the testimonies gathered by the newspaper, pro-Palestinian activism that emerged on Australian streets after October 7 gradually spread into hospitals and other medical institutions."

"Staff members at several hospitals in Melbourne and Sydney were reportedly seen wearing badges or displaying posters bearing the slogan “From the river to the sea.” Political stickers were also allegedly placed in hospital departments, including one depicting a Star of David crossed out with a red line."

i24NEWS  

"Anti-Israel activism began almost immediately after the October 76 massacre when the protests that unfolded in Australian cities spilled into the wards and staff rooms of hospitals in Melbourne, Sydney and other capital cities."

"At the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, which has received tens of millions of dollars from Jewish philanthropists, such stickers [Star of David with red line through it] were stuck to the bedside wall of an elderly Jewish patient in the hours before he died."

Megan Goldin article in The Australian

 

"Doctors and nurses were posting Nazi symbols and little caricatures of Jewish people but using the word 'Zionist' instead of 'Jews'."

Jewish pediatric neurologist Carly Debinski 

Sydney, Australia  Mark Baker/AP

 

A report published by The Australian following an investigation into a seeming pandemic of antisemitic acts by Australian health-care workers against Jewish patients, caught the attention of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, characterizing it as a "deeply  troubling picture and should serve as a wakeup call. We call upon the Australian government to confront antisemitism forcefully. No Jew should ever feel compelled to hide their identity to receive medical care in an Australian hospital", wrote Israel's Foreign Ministry.

 

A link to The Wentworth Report quoting large sections of an article written by Megan Goldin in The Australian was included in the ministry's statement. The article detailed a number of egregious antisemitic behavioral examples by hospital staff toward Jewish patients in medical facilities in Australia. The article revealed statements by 30 doctors, nurses, midwives and health professionals who were interviewed describing their experiences since the October 7, 2023 massacre, where anti-Israel activist health-care workers were "turning hospitals and medical clinics into ideological war zones instead of safe spaces".

 

The case of Elon Glassberg, former surgeon general of the Israel Defense Forces was cited by interviewees, whose scheduled appearance at a medical conference in Perth was cancelled last year when anti-Israel doctors and nurses threatened to protest. Immediately following October 7, anti-Israel medical staff wore protest symbols at work. Bathroom stalls and hallways were covered with stickers, one of which represented a Star of David with a red line struck through it. 

 

Facebook group Jewish members have been vilified or ejected should they speak of Israeli hostages, much less the horrendous atrocities perpetrated by Palestinian terrorists and ordinary Palestinian civilians, led by Hamas on October 7. A Jewish intensive care unit nurse at a Melbourne hospital was cited, (who requested anonymity), resigned her position of over ten years in response to management's having refused to address hateful speech online, by hospital staff. "If these people are willing to share these things on social media, imagine how they treat a patient face-to-face."

 

A doctor who described Jews as "loathed slime" online and posted a Hitler quote faced no consequences. Complaints of any number of other doctors who posted antisemitic, pro-Hamas positions also faced no consequences. "That pattern was repeated across the country as hospitals and healthcare regulators tolerated conduct against Jews that would have triggered disciplinary action if the conduct had targeted any other minority group, say numerous medical professionals who experienced this double standard" reported The Australian. 

  

Anti-Israel protesters in Sydney, Australia   ASSOCIATED PRESS

 

"The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) and the Australia’s Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, Ms Jillian Segal AO, not only condemn antisemitism in all its forms but also reaffirm their shared commitment to eliminating antisemitism – together with all forms of racism and discrimination – in healthcare."

"Antisemitism causes real and lasting harm. In healthcare, it erodes trust, creates fear and exclusion, and can prevent people from seeking or receiving care. It also undermines the safety and wellbeing of Jewish health practitioners and staff. There is no place for antisemitism in a system dedicated to protecting health and saving lives."

"The Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism said:

‘Healthcare should be a safe space for the entire community – patients, practitioners and workers alike. The antisemitism we’ve seen recently puts everyone at risk, and it has no place in our health system. I commend Ahpra for adopting the IHRA definition of antisemitism and committing to putting in place further measures to help push antisemitism to the margins.’

Ahpra is strengthening its capability to respond effectively when antisemitism is identified through its regulatory processes. This includes ensuring staff have the necessary training, clear guidance and expert advice to ensure matters are handled with cultural understanding, sensitivity and rigour."

"Ahpra CEO Justin Untersteiner said: ‘Antisemitism costs lives and has no place in healthcare. Ahpra is committed to working with the Special Envoy and partners to eliminate antisemitism from the health system, because everyone should feel safe when accessing care.’

Ahpra has adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism as a reference tool, supported by the Special Envoy’s handbook to support a consistent understanding of antisemitism in its contemporary forms in our regulatory work.

Ahpra is reviewing its Vexatious Notifications Framework in response to concerns about weaponisation of the notifications process and is establishing an advisory panel of practitioners – including those with lived experience of notifications underpinned by antisemitism - to inform improvements to systems and processes and strengthen safeguards."

The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) 

 

Marie McKinerney, Croakey Health Media