Hadassah letter denounces Jew-hate in medicine

The Lancet, one of the world’s leading medical journals, has published a letter written by Carol Ann Schwartz, Hadassah national president, and Yoram Weiss, MD, director general (CEO) of its Jerusalem-based Hadassah Medical Organization.

The letter denounces the “continued effort to isolate Israeli medical professionals,” which the leaders say is “a thinly disguised attempt to normalise (sic) anti-Zionism and antisemitism.”

The impetus for the letter, which appears in the current edition of The Lancet (August 15, 2026), was a petition being circulated to expel the Israeli Medical Association (IMA) from the World Medical Association (WMA), of which the IMA is a founding member. The petition was the subject of an article in the June 13 issue of The Lancet entitled “Petition calls for boycott of Israeli Medical Association.”

The Hadassah leaders urge the WMA to reject the petition and to exclude it and any related resolutions from the agenda of the group’supcoming General Assembly, which will take place in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, in October.

Schwartz and Weiss write that the petition “targets Israeli medical professionals based solely on their nationality and the actions of their Government,” continuing:

“The accusations lodged against the IMA, including the failure to condemn its government’s conduct, create a double standard for Israeli health-care (sic) professionals and contribute to the rise in antisemitism experienced by 40% of Jewish practitioners.”

The two leaders praise the WMA “for rejecting the anti-Israel campaign and affirming [the WMA’s] commitment to inclusive.” They add:

“Hadassah’s hospitals have long been a bridge to peace for patients and practitioners of every race, religion, or nationality. … Attempts to politicise (sic) medicine derail potentially lifesaving collaboration among health-care (sic) professionals, compromise global health and, ultimately, harm countless patients.” 

Schwartz and Weiss end the letter by saying, “Hate has no place in medicine.”

Reported by Hadassah.