Nearly a third of Ontario’s Jewish doctors may leave Canada due to bigotry

The full survey, released on Wednesday, received responses from more than 1,000 Jewish medical professionals across Canada.

While 1% reported experiencing “severe antisemitism” before the Hamas-led terror attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, 29% said they have now experienced some form of Jew-hatred in their communities, 39% in hospitals and 43% in academic settings.

“Antisemitism in Canadian health care has intensified dramatically since Oct. 7,” Dr. Ayelet Kuper, chairwoman of the Jewish Medical Association of Ontario (JMAO), said on Wednesday during a press conference held in Toronto to raise awareness of the problem. “This is not an… pic.twitter.com/9zsvdyvo6e

— Rita Rosenfeld (@rheytah) December 6, 2024

“Discrimination doesn’t just impact doctors,” said Dr. Ayelet Kuper, chair of the Jewish Medical Association of Ontario. “It undermines the entire healthcare system, compromising patient care and eroding workplace integrity.”

Dr. Sam Silver, an associate professor at Queen’s University, told the National Post how the antisemitic bigotry has affected him and his students.

Antisemitism is a crisis in Canada, and healthcare is no exception.

In fact, at the Jewish Medical Association of Ontario, our survey has uncovered how deeply Canadian Jewish MDs are impacted. The results of JMAO’s survey of Canadian Jewish doctors are chilling.

Thread: https://t.co/ZT2lshy2n7 pic.twitter.com/7F5uo0irPa

— Michael Chaikof, MD (@MichaelChaikof) December 6, 2024

“I work with health-care students and residents who are bright, compassionate, and committed to becoming the future of healthcare in Canada,” Silver said. “Yet they are navigating a hostile environment where their identity as Jews makes them targets of hate and exclusion. This cannot continue.”