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Oregon Health & Science University is investigating antisemitic comments on social media allegedly made by a nurse at the hospital system.
“Hate speech, harassment, racism and discrimination are wholly unacceptable and have no place at Oregon Health & Science University,” OHSU said in a statement to WW. “We are actively investigating reports of an employee making antisemitic comments on social media through our internal investigatory processes.”
A Feb. 25 email to OHSU interim president Steve Stadum names the employee, but the posts in question were made from an account that’s private, so WW couldn’t independently verify that it was the source.
Messages left at a phone number for the alleged poster weren’t returned.
In the email, Stadum appears to be responding to demands that the employee be fired for violating OHSU’s ethics and patient safety policies
“Thank you for contacting us,” Stadum writes. “The concerns you and many individuals have raised in the last few days about an OHSU employee making public antisemitic comments are very concerning, and we are actively investigating the situation now.”
A group called Physicians Against Antisemitism, an anonymous collective that searches the internet for posts by medical personnel, has been reposting redacted versions of the posts on Instagram, where they originally appeared.
They express support for Palestinians in Gaza, and proclaim a lack of sympathy for Israeli hostages killed by Hamas. One recommends watching a YouTube video called “Al Jazeera Investigating War Crimes in Gaza,” calling it an “investigative report on Israel’s war crimes.”
Another, seemingly made in response to a detractor’s post, says: “I would never treat you anyway. I would refuse. Because I’m not a vet and I don’t treat dogs.” It’s unclear if the post is targeting a Jewish person because the subject “you” is redacted in the copy reposted by the physicians group.