Commentary
Do No Harm Grills Medical Schools on Treatment of Jewish Student Groups
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Do No Harm, in coordination with the National Jewish Advocacy Center (NJAC), sent letters to medical schools across the country warning them that mistreatment of Jewish student groups is a violation of civil rights law.
The letters come in response to an August decision by the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA), a collective of over 100 medical student associations from all over the globe, which suspended the Israeli medical students’ association (FIMS) for two years.
“Although the IFMSA rationalized its decision as a punishment for behavior by FIMS, reporting reflects this reasoning was a facade, and the decision was instead based on blatantly antisemitic factors,” the letters read, referencing reporting from YNet and other sources.
These factors include “false accusations of ‘genocide’ denial; the fact that members of the Israeli medical students’ organization serve in the Israeli military; the presence of students from a Jewish university; alleged threats against medical students, online harassment, and hate speech; threats against the Palestinian medical students’ organization; and the overall struggle of the Palestinian medical students’ organization.”
Do No Harm and NJAC are ensuring that medical schools do not carry out similar actions against Israeli students and groups, warning them that doing so would violate civil rights law.
“Medical schools must not help IFMSA perpetrate this antisemitic injustice against Israeli students,” said Do No Harm Chairman Dr. Stanley Goldfarb. “Any school doing this will be in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and will be held accountable.”
The letters ask medical schools to confirm that they have not suspended any programs or denied any opportunities to Jewish and Israeli students.
“In particular, we seek confirmation that no programs, research, collaborations, conferences, fellowship opportunities, scholarships, publications or any other function of the [medical school] will be limited, curtailed, suspended or otherwise impacted for Jewish students, Israeli students, or anyone affiliated with Israeli medical institutions,” the letters read.
