Antisemitism in healthcare has risen significantly since Hamas's October 7 attack, yet fewer than 2% of surveyed healthcare institutions were reported to have incorporated education about antisemitism into anti-discrimination training.
This is according to the new peer-reviewed narrative review 'Anatomy of Antisemitism in Health Professions Education and Practice.'
The evidence reviewed from multiple countries points to a substantial increase in reported antisemitism in healthcare since October 7 and urges institutions to treat antisemitism as a mainstream issue within anti-discrimination education. Unlike a single survey, the review brings together evidence from multiple countries and covers medicine, psychology, nursing, social work and other health professions.
The review draws on a recent survey that revealed that 88% of Jewish medical students and physicians in the US have reported experiencing antisemitism since October 7, 2023, compared to 40% before that date.
More than 35% reported personally directed antisemitic incidents, and over 30% reported face-to-face antisemitic encounters. Nearly 50% reported exposure to antisemitism on social media and 21% reported exposure in classes or seminars, yet fewer than 2% of surveyed Jewish medical students and physicians said their own institutions had incorporated education about antisemitism into anti-discrimination training.
The review also looked at a 2024 survey of Jewish healthcare professionals in the UK. 95% of the 293 people surveyed reported an increase in antisemitism in their daily lives since October 7, 2023. 73% reported experiencing at least one antisemitic incident, and among these, most said the source of at least one incident was within their own healthcare circles.
Some 98% of Canadian medical professionals, students concerned over antisemitism, compared to 1% before Oct. 7
In Canada, a review of 1000 Canadian Jewish medical professionals and students found that only 1% of respondents felt antisemitism was a severe problem in the medical field before October 7, 2023, compared to 98% after.
Beyond the survey data, the review identifies recurring themes of harassment, social isolation, exclusion and hostility in classrooms and workplaces. It cites several high-profile cases, including the Bankstown Hospital nurses incident in Australia, British physician Rahmeh Aladwan's alleged links to extremist organizations, and a therapist who described Zionism as a root cause of mental illness - as examples discussed in the literature.
The medical literature itself also revealed a similar pattern: A PubMed search for antisemitism in the healthcare professions returned just 61 records - compared to 732 for DEI and 3,824 for racism. Antisemitism was studied 12 times less than DEI and 63 times less than racism, even as incidents have surged since October 7.
Altogether, the pervasive antisemitism perceived runs "antithetical to and violates ethical oaths and charters of the health professions," the review stressed.
It added that medical professionals are charged with assuring that clinical and learning environments are free of bias and hate, and that it is the duty and moral responsibility to ensure this is upheld.
The review also highlights the need for editorial vigilance to maintain journalistic integrity in medical/scientific journals to counter antisemitic anti-Israel bias which has appeared and can fuel antisemitic sentiment and actions.
Review emphasizes need for education, engagement, empathy, and enforcement
It stressed the need for better education, engagement (for critical reflection), empathy, and enforcement, with educational topics of Judaism, Jewish identity, history of health professions’ complicity in the Holocaust, countering Holocaust inversion, and on origins and persistence of antisemitism.
“Antisemitism in healthcare has become a problem that can no longer be ignored," said Dr. Hedy S. Wald and Dr. Steven Roth, the authors of the report, in a statement provided to The Jerusalem Post. "We conducted this research to ensure that healthcare leaders and policymakers recognize the scale and scope of this problem and take necessary steps to address it. Understanding the breadth and depth of the issue is the first step; action must follow."
The American Jewish Medical Association (AJMA) commended the publication of the survey, noting that it is the first systematic review of antisemitism across the health professions, synthesizing evidence from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia since the Hamas massacre in southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
“Dr. Wald's and Dr. Roth's new research is an important addition to the body of evidence that AJMA and others have been presenting to policymakers, healthcare leaders, and the public, and its publication in a peer-reviewed journal gives that evidence considerable weight,” said AJMA CEO Eveline Shekhman.
“AJMA will use this research as a tool to push for accountability until medical institutions treat antisemitism with the same seriousness as every other form of discrimination.”