In a disturbing incident that has fueled concerns about rising antisemitism, two Australian nurses were suspended after a video went viral showing them making threats against Israeli patients. The nurses, employed at Bankstown Hospital in New South Wales, were captured in a video where they expressed intent to harm Israeli individuals, with one nurse claiming to have already sent Israeli patients “to hell.”
The video, posted by Israeli social media influencer Max Veifer, showed the male nurse referring to Israeli patients as “s**t dogs” and stating that they would eventually “go to hell.” Meanwhile, the female nurse, wearing a hijab, declared that she would not treat Israeli patients and wished for them to die a “disgusting death.”
The video triggered outrage across Australia and Israel, with widespread condemnation from both Jewish organizations and political leaders. The New South Wales Police Force’s antisemitism task force, Strike Force Pearl, is now investigating the incident. The police are reviewing CCTV footage and interviewing hospital staff, aiming to identify the specific location and circumstances of the exchange.
This incident has highlighted the alarming rise in antisemitism, not only in Australia but globally. The Australian Jewish Association (AJA) expressed concerns over the impact such incidents could have on the safety of Jewish patients in Australian hospitals. CEO Robert Gregory noted that some Jewish patients have even decided to conceal their identity when visiting hospitals, fearing mistreatment due to their nationality.
Zionist Federation of Australia president Jeremy Leibler emphasized that the nurses’ comments were a direct reflection of a broader societal issue: the normalization of violent rhetoric against Jews and Israelis. He called on authorities to confront this growing wave of hatred, which has translated into violent attacks, including domestic terrorism labeled by law enforcement.
Hospital and Political Responses
In response to the nurses’ conduct, the New South Wales Health Minister, Ryan Park, assured the public that the investigation was ongoing and that if the nurses were found guilty, they would be permanently removed from the healthcare system. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the incident, calling it “sickening and shameful,” and pledged to cooperate with the state authorities to ensure justice is served.
While Bankstown Hospital has removed social media content that violated its policies—including an image of a pro-Palestinian activist with political messaging—the focus remains on ensuring the safety of all patients, regardless of their background or nationality.
Wider Concerns About Antisemitism in Australia
This incident has sparked concern over the growing climate of antisemitism in Australia, with Jewish organizations and Israeli officials calling for immediate action to combat hate.
Sharren Haskel, a member of the New Hope-United Right party, warned that antisemitism in Australia was escalating at an “alarming rate,” adding that the country was quickly becoming a hotspot for hatred against Jews.
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Editor’s Note: A Re-emergence of the Oldest Hatred
Anita Dittman, in her and Jan Markell‘s Book “Trapped In Hitler’s Hell,” recounted the dangers hospitals in Nazi Germany posed for Jews. After falling ill, Anita, a Jewish Christian, described being faced with an unimaginable decision: have her sickness worsen by further neglect in her work camp or step into a hospital whose antisemitic staff would eagerly end her life.
“All Nazi hospitals had clever methods for the ‘elimination of undesirables,'” she detailed. “If prisoners could not contribute to the function of the work camps, the doctors would simply kill them by withholding necessary medicine or administering death-inducing drugs. Yet, as the pains increased and I grew weaker, I realized I must take the chance and put my life completely in the hands of God.”
While in the hospital, Anita was given pills that severely worsened her condition. After being advised by a fellow Jewish patient, she secretly stopped taking the medication and began to recover, much to the dismay of the medical staff.
“God had truly performed a miracle by restoring our strength and health, which allowed us to leave the Nazi death hospital,” she wrote. “Bewildered, the hospital staff called a guard to escort us back to the work camp; once there, we were ordered to resume hard labor immediately.”
On another occasion, after she escaped from the camp, Anita spent six weeks in a hospital located in Bautzen for an injury that had become infected. During this time, she suffered from severe neglect, endured four poorly executed surgeries, which left her with significant scarring, and received no pain medication.
“What was to stop these Nazis from cutting off my leg because of their dislike for me?” Anita stated, believing her Jewish identity to have been uncovered. “I could only talk to my Heavenly Father, as once again I relied totally upon Him.”
With constant guidance and protection from the Lord, Anita survived the Holocaust, enabling her to write a book detailing her harrowing experiences and journey with Jesus through the dangerous antisemitic conditions of Nazi Germany.
This severe disregard for Jewish life is now re-emerging in our day, with Jews once again fearful of disclosing their identity in their communities, medical facilities, university campuses, and elsewhere.
Antisemitism expert Olivier Melnick has frequently underscored that the definition of antisemitism is incomplete without acknowledging the spiritual battle bubbling under the surface.
“The definition that I have arrived at, after more than two decades in that field, is as follows: ‘Antisemitism is the irrational and demonic hatred of Israel and the Jewish people, characterized by thoughts, words, and/or deeds against them,'” he noted. “It was satisfactory to me for quite a long time until a few years ago, when I decided to add two words that have become critical to that definition: irrational and demonic.”
“In all the volumes I own on that topic (more than 400), I have found almost no scholar or theologian mentioning a spiritual component to antisemitism,” Melnick underscored. “I have learned much over the years about the history, geography, sociology, and morphing of the oldest hatred, but I extremely rarely see the spiritual aspect of it all being addressed. Yet, we have to recognize that antisemitism is very irrational, and that is because it is from Satan himself.”
