Canada part of ‘scourge’ of antisemitism experienced by health-care professionals internationally: report

Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, Ontario on Wednesday, May 27, 2026. Photo by Peter Power /Peter Power

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Antisemitism in health-care education and practice has risen sharply since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack, affecting Jewish medical professionals in Canada as well as the U.S., U.K. and Australia, according to a narrative review published in the Rambam Maimonides Medical Journal last month.

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The review brings together existing research from the four countries on antisemitism in health-care professions, including medicine, psychology, nursing, and social work.

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Among the studies cited is a 2024 survey of 1,000 Jewish medical professionals in Canada. It found that only one per cent of respondents felt antisemitism was a severe problem in the medical field before Oct. 7, compared to 98 per cent after.

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The same survey revealed that 31 per cent had considered leaving Canada because of increased antisemitism in medical institutions and schools.

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The review comes shortly after Dr. Emmanuel Moss, chief of cardiac surgery at the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal, tendered his resignation in June, citing rising antisemitism in the city as one of the reasons behind his decision to relocate to the U.S.

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In a letter published in The Montreal Gazette, Dr. Moss wrote that he had “watched with growing alarm as (antisemitic) incidents have multiplied and the response from authorities has fallen short.”

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“What has been most troubling is not only the rise in hateful acts, but the normalization of rhetoric and behaviour that would have been broadly condemned only a few years ago,” he added. “When a community starts to feel unsafe in a city it has helped build, something has gone seriously wrong.”

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Dr. Emmanuel Moss, chief of cardiac surgery at the Jewish General Hospital, plans to move to Atlanta in September. (Source: Institut de cardiologie de Montréal)

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Outside of Canada, the review highlights more recent studies that have documented rising levels of antisemitism experienced by health-care professionals.

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Surveys of Jewish medical students and physicians in the U.S. found that 88 per cent had experienced antisemitism since Oct. 7, compared to 40 per cent before that date.

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More than 35 per cent reported personally directed antisemitic incidents, and over 30 per cent reported face-to-face antisemitic encounters. Nearly half reported exposure to antisemitism on social media, and 21 per cent reported exposure in classes or seminars.

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Despite those findings, fewer than two percent said their institutions had incorporated antisemitism education into anti-discrimination training.

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Meanwhile, in Australia, a survey of Jewish health-care students and professionals in Victoria revealed that half felt the need to hide Jewish identity, while around two-thirds knew someone else who felt the same. One-third reported experiencing antisemitism in the workplace, and about two-thirds reported feeling unsafe or uncomfortable.