Jews feel unsafe in Australian healthcare

Many patients and medical practitioners in Australia are hiding their Jewish identity amid an increasing number of reports of widespread antisemitism in the healthcare system. 

The publication of an investigation by The Australian has gained international attention, including from Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which described the findings as “a deeply troubling picture” and urged the Australian government to confront antisemitism more forcefully. 

According to the report, Jewish healthcare workers have faced hostility from colleagues, while Jewish patients claim discrimination during treatment. The report also refers to antisemitic social media activity, workplace conduct, and allegations that some practitioners allowed political views to influence professional behaviour. 

Several South African expats living in Australia told the SA Jewish Report they had become increasingly reluctant to reveal their Jewish identity while seeking or providing medical care. 

Michael*, a surgeon who emigrated from Johannesburg to Melbourne almost 30 years ago, said the atmosphere had changed markedly during the past two years. “I’ve operated in this country for more than 25 years. I’ve never once thought about hiding my identity at work, until recently. Now I think twice about wearing my Magen David under my scrubs.” 

He had become more guarded after a private conversation about the Bondi Beach attack was shared allegedly without his permission in a hospital WhatsApp group. “I said I was frightened for my kids. Somehow that got twisted into ‘Michael thinks all Muslims are terrorists’. I never said that. I never would.” 

He also recalled finding a sticker depicting a Star of David crossed out on the wall near a hospital staff tea room. “Nobody claimed responsibility. Nobody investigated it seriously either.” 

Although disturbed by the incidents, Michael said he had chosen not to lodge a formal complaint because he feared the consequences for his career. “You learn very quickly that raising it makes you the problem, not the issue itself. I’m a surgeon. My reputation is my career. I didn’t file anything. I just stopped talking about it at work.” 

Naomi*, a psychiatrist whose family moved from Cape Town to Sydney when she was 12, said a senior colleague had questioned whether she could remain objective when treating Muslim patients because she was Jewish. 

“He asked me, in front of another colleague, whether I could ‘really be neutral’ given ‘everything going on’. I’d never brought my personal politics into a session in my life. He assumed I couldn’t separate myself from my identity.” 

Naomi said the problem extended beyond face-to-face interactions. “There’s a Facebook group we all used for swapping shifts. After 7 October it turned into a battlefield. I left the group. Some of what was posted, cartoons and ‘Zionist’ used as an obvious stand-in for something uglier, I reported screenshots to human resources. Nothing came of it.” 

She said she no longer spoke openly about aspects of her Jewish life. “I used to talk about my Friday-night dinners at work, casually, the way anyone talks about their weekend. Now I just say ‘family dinner’. It’s a small thing, but it isn’t nothing.” 

A spokesperson for the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra), told the SA Jewish Report, the regulator and the National Boards for health professions were unequivocal, “There is no place for racism or discrimination in healthcare.” 

The spokesperson said racism and discrimination undermined trust, created fear and exclusion, and could discourage people from seeking medical care. 

Melbourne breast cancer survivor Carol* told the SA Jewish Report she believed the attitude of a nurse had changed after he noticed the Star of David necklace she was wearing. 

“I’d been seeing the same nurse for months. Lovely man, always chatting about his garden. Then one day he clocked my Star of David necklace, and something in him just shifted. I’m not imagining it. I felt it in the room.” 

She recalled that an intravenous line took four attempts during the appointment. “Four attempts. Four. My arm was black and blue for two weeks. He’d never missed once before that day.” 

Carol acknowledged that it was impossible to know whether the experience was deliberate, but said it changed how she approached medical appointments. “Now when I go in for check-ups, I don’t wear the necklace. I don’t mention synagogue if they ask about my week. I shouldn’t have to think about that when I’m the one who’s sick.” 

Perth resident David* said he had overheard two nurses discussing “Zionists” while he was recovering from triple bypass surgery. “They didn’t know I understood what they were saying. One of them made a comment about ‘Zionists’ getting ‘special treatment’’ from the doctors. I was recovering from open heart surgery. I said nothing. I just lay there.” 

David later reported the incident to hospital management. “They were polite. They said they’d ‘look into it’. I never heard anything again.” 

Sydney resident Sarah* said she had felt uncomfortable during labour after a midwife had asked her husband whether their surname was Jewish. She said the quality of her care deteriorated afterwards, although she acknowledged she couldn’t prove the two were connected. 

“After that comment, I felt like a burden every time I asked for pain relief. I was left for what felt like hours after giving birth. My son was crying next to me and I couldn’t even sit up to comfort him. 

“I’m not the only one. I’ve heard almost the same story from two other women in my mothers’ group. Different hospitals, same feeling of being punished for who you are at the exact moment you’re most vulnerable.” 

The interviewees stressed that many incidents were difficult to prove conclusively. However, they said the cumulative effect had left them feeling less secure in healthcare settings. 

Ahpra said it remained committed to protecting patients while safeguarding the right of registered practitioners to participate in public debate. 

Aphra’s spokesperson told the SA Jewish Report it would consider taking action when comments directed at members of a community on the basis of their religion or faith became demeaning or discriminatory. 

The spokesperson noted that senior leadership and staff responsible for investigating complaints relating to racism and discrimination had received specialised training from several organisations, including the Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation at Monash University. Ahpra continues to consult widely on anti-racism measures while ensuring an impartial and transparent approach to complaints, they said. 

For Michael, the greatest loss has been the confidence he once felt in the workplace. “I didn’t come to work expecting everyone to agree with me,” he said. “I just expected that being Jewish wouldn’t matter. That’s what has changed.” 

*Interviewees have requested anonymity for privacy and perceived security reasons.