1. Explicitly name antisemitism, including anti-Zionist harassment, as prohibited conduct in nondiscrimination and patient/staff safety and conduct policies.
Hospitals and healthcare institutions already operate under federal, state and local nondiscrimination laws and accreditation standards (including Joint Commission requirements), but many institutional policies do not name antisemitism directly. Identifying and defining antisemitism is particularly important as research shows that incidents of antisemitism are frequently misidentified, misunderstood, and/or mishandled. We ask institutions to update policies and patient rights documents to explicitly cover antisemitic and anti-Zionist harassment and discrimination targeting staff, students, trainees and patients based on actual or perceived Jewish identity.
2. Build accessible, confidential reporting and grievance systems for patients, staff, students and trainees.
Hospitals are already required to maintain complaint systems, but these are not always well publicized or known and trusted by Jewish staff, students, trainees and patients. Many fear their concerns will be dismissed, compounding the dignitary harm of the original incident. Some believe they will face retaliation for reporting. Others simply don’t know where to report. We ask institutions to ensure confidential channels exist and are clearly communicated, that complaints are investigated promptly and seriously, and that all staff charged with investigating complaints receive evidence-based training on what constitutes antisemitism, including its modern iterations and its impact.
3. Require trainings on antisemitism and Jewish identity for clinicians, staff and medical students.
Many institutions offer general non-discrimination and anti-bias trainings that do not meaningfully cover antisemitism, Jewish identity or the unique healthcare history and concerns of Jewish communities. We ask hospitals and medical schools to incorporate evidence-based education into onboarding and ongoing professional development, and that it be mandatory for all staff, faculty and trainees.
4. Support Jewish inclusion structures.
Jewish employee resource groups (ERGs) and affinity groups, like ERGs and affinity groups for other discrete racial and ethnic minority groups, give institutions a direct line to the concerns of staff and help institutions formulate policy informed by necessary cultural competencies. We ask institutions to support the formation of Jewish ERGs to enable Jewish staff to elevate identity-based employment concerns to leadership. For smaller clinics or organizations where a formal ERG may not be feasible, we encourage institutions to create other meaningful opportunities for Jewish staff to come together, share concerns and experiences and communicate identity-based needs to leadership.
5. Adopt and consistently apply robust religious accommodations policy.
Depending on individual observance, Jewish staff may need to request religious accommodations such as shift flexibility around Shabbat, schedule changes for holidays or modifications to grooming or dress policies. We ask institutions to adopt religious accommodations policies that clearly establish a commitment to provide religious accommodation wherever possible – wherever doing so would not impose significant operational burden or expense – consistent with the requirements of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and the anti-discrimination laws of many states. The policy should include clear and accessible protocols for employees to make religious accommodation requests and explain how such requests will be evaluated. Institutions should also proactively raise awareness of major Jewish religious holidays across their hospital or healthcare communities and, where possible, avoid scheduling mandatory meetings, trainings, conferences or other significant workplace events on those dates. Taking these steps helps shift some of the burden away from individual Jewish employees to repeatedly identify conflicts and request accommodations. Finally, consistent application of such policies is critical and will help establish environment where Jewish staff feel included and safe showing up as their full selves to work.