A federal civil rights group has filed a federal complaint accusing the Boston Medical Center of retaliating against a Jewish Israeli intern after she reported antisemitic material at work.
The complaint, filed by the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law with the US Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (HHS OCR), alleged that Boston Medical Center violated a federal civil rights law by ostracizing the intern and issuing her a negative evaluation.
In May 2025, the intern saw posters on a colleague's desk saying “they killed our babies” and “they stole our lands.” She reported the displays to her supervisors, and after returning from a trip to Israel that July, she found the posters had been taken down, but retaliation soon began.
The complaint alleges “that the victim was physically separated from the rest of the clinical team, excluded from routine professional interactions and group lunches, denied patient debriefs and mentorship opportunities.”
Rebecca Harris, a litigation staff attorney at the Brandeis Center, said the evaluation "included some negative scoring and comments that blamed her for the environment that she was experiencing as a result of the ostracization from her colleagues."
The intern’s final evaluation also blamed her for the “breakdown in workplace relationships caused by their colleagues’ alleged ostracization and exclusion.”
This evaluation poses a threat to her “professional prospects,” which forced her to “omit BMC supervisors from job references in a field where that clinical experience is a critical credential.”
Israeli intern says Boston Medical Center gave her a negative review she reported antisemitic behavior
As part of the complaint, the Brandeis Center is asking HHS OCR to require BMC to revise the intern's evaluation, provide a reference letter reflecting her actual clinical performance, and adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's working definition of antisemitism.
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 bars discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in any program receiving federal funding, and separately prohibits retaliation against anyone who reports such discrimination.
Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act extends those same protections specifically to federally funded health programs. The Brandeis Center argued that, because the BMC receives federal funding, it was obligated to protect the intern from retaliation after she raised concerns.
They are also calling for expanded training for supervisors and HR staff on antisemitism and retaliation, along with broader reforms to ensure Jewish and Israeli trainees who report discrimination are protected.
"When a student reports offensive conduct and is then isolated, marginalized, and penalized for speaking up, serious civil rights concerns are raised, as are serious concerns about the future of healthcare in this country," said Kenneth L. Marcus, the Brandeis Center's chairman and CEO and a former US assistant secretary of education.
"We urge HHS OCR to carefully review these allegations and ensure that all students are able to participate equally in federally funded healthcare programs."
The BMC complaint is the latest in a series of actions by the Brandeis Center targeting antisemitism in healthcare.
Earlier this month, HHS OCR opened a federal investigation into the American Psychological Association following a separate Brandeis Center complaint alleging the organization marginalized Jewish and Israeli psychologists.
The APA “promoted discriminatory and anti-Semitic practices,” which included “Decolonial Therapy,” described as “a treatment model increasingly used to frame Zionism as a mental illness and encourage patients to reject it; anti-Israel and [antisemitic] messaging disseminated through official channels; [antisemitic] continuing education and conference programming; and the marginalization of Jewish and Israeli psychologists.”
BMC has not publicly responded to the allegations, and the complaint is now under review by HHS OCR, which will determine whether to open a formal investigation.