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Edited by: Fern Sidman
In response to a growing wave of anti-Semitism and violence within healthcare institutions in the United States, Jewish doctors have taken a stand by forming the American Jewish Medical Association (AJMA). According to a report that appeared on Sunday in The New York Post, the objective of this newly established national advocacy group is to protect Jewish medical professionals and students from discrimination and hostility, promoting a safer and more inclusive environment in the medical field.
The alarming increase in anti-Semitic incidents, particularly following the October 7th invasion of Israel by the Palestinian terror group Hamas, has galvanized Jewish medical professionals to act. Dr. Yael Halaas, a Manhattan plastic surgeon and the founder and president of AJMA, has been particularly vocal about the issue. As was reported in The Post, Halaas, a graduate of Columbia University and Cornell Medical School, expressed deep concern over the parallels she sees between current events and historical atrocities, stating, “It’s fundamentally scary for those of us who care about humanity. It’s Nazi Germany all over again.”
Halaas’s personal history adds weight to her advocacy. Her Jewish parents emigrated to the United States from Cuba and Argentina, and many members of her father’s family were killed in Auschwitz during the Holocaust, The Post report noted. This personal connection calls attention to the gravity of her commitment to combating anti-Semitism.
The AJMA has highlighted numerous troubling incidents within medical schools, which have become increasingly hostile environments for Jewish students. Among these incidents:
George Washington University’s Medical School: In December, the school hosted a faculty panel that controversially declared terrorists have a “right of resistance” against Israel.
Praise for Hamas and Denial of Atrocities: Some medical professionals have openly praised the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 and have denied the sexual assault of victims in Israel, further exacerbating tensions and fears among Jewish students and staff.
Thousands of medical professionals from across the country have joined the AJMA, demonstrating a widespread concern and commitment to addressing all manifestations of virulent anti-Semitism in the medical community, The Post report said. The formation of this group signifies a crucial step towards creating a supportive network for Jewish medical professionals and advocating for policies that protect against discrimination and violence.
The American Jewish Medical Association aims to:
Advocate for Jewish Medical Professionals: Protecting Jewish doctors and medical students from discrimination and violence.
Raise Awareness: Educating the medical community and the public about antisemitism in healthcare settings.
Promote Inclusivity: Ensuring that medical institutions foster an inclusive environment where all individuals can work and learn without fear of hostility or prejudice.
Recent events have shed light on the pervasive anti-Semitism that has infected medical schools and hospitals across the United States. One particularly egregious incident occurred at the University of California, San Francisco’s medical school, where a sign reading “Free Palestine from Nazi Zionist Schwein” — the German word for “pig” — was displayed in front of the cancer center, according to the information provided in The Post report. This derogatory and inflammatory message is indicative of the broader hostility Jewish medical professionals are facing.
At Columbia University’s Medical School/Mailman School of Public Health, anti-Israel protesters at rallies have chanted “From the River to the Sea.” This phrase is a call for the elimination of Israel and has been associated with celebrating acts of violence against Israelis, including suicide bombings, as per the information contained in The Post report. These chants create an environment of intimidation and fear for Jewish students.
“The Jewish medical students are bullied into silence,” Dr. Halaas told The Post. “They are being ostracized. It shouldn’t be controversial to say Israel is integral to Jewish identity. Anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism.” Halaas’s statement highlights the intersection of anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism, a critical issue for Jewish medical professionals who face hostility due to their support for the Jewish state.
“We need a voice. We need to protect ourselves. We need to protect medical school students,” she asserted, as was noted in The Post report.
Orthopedist Dr. Cary Schwartzbach, treasurer of AJMA and son of Holocaust survivors, echoed these sentiments, noting that the events of October 7, when Hamas launched an attack on Israel, served as a wake-up call. “It opened the gates for anti-Semitism,” he told The Post, pointing to the increased hostility towards Jews in the aftermath. He emphasized the discomfort and discrimination Jewish students face in hospital residency programs.
Among those raising their voices is Dr. Larisa Geskin, an oncologist and director of the Comprehensive Skin Cancer Center at Columbia University’s Medical Center. According to The Post report, Dr. Geskin, who emigrated from Latvia in the former Soviet Union at the age of 20, is particularly stunned by the parallels she sees between the anti-Semitism she experienced in the Soviet Union and what she now witnesses on campus.
“There is rampant anti-Semitism in the medical community,” the 56-year-old Dr. Geskin told The Post. Her shock is palpable as she describes the hostile environment that has emerged within the medical field. “This is so familiar to me. In the Soviet Union anti-Semitism was rampant. I never thought I’d hear the same rhetoric in the United States that I heard in the Soviet Union,” she lamented, while speaking with The Post.
Dr. Geskin and her colleagues are horrified by the propaganda that paints Israelis as white oppressors, a narrative that disregards the complex history and diverse backgrounds of Jewish people. “Given how Jews have been abused throughout history, it’s horrifying to hear propaganda painting Israelis as white oppressors. Jews are also a minority. We need protection like other minorities,” she emphasized to The Post.
The chants of “From the River to the Sea” at protests, which are a call for the elimination of Israel, have particularly disturbed Dr. Geskin. “We see history repeating itself. We feel we have to say something. They were chanting `From the River to the Sea’ in my backyard. This is what is happening in the medical community,” she noted to The Post. This chant, which glorifies violence against Israelis, has created an environment of fear and exclusion for Jewish students and professionals.
