The long-standing issue of deep-rooted anti-Semitism targeting a Jewish surgeon at Karolinska University Hospital near Stockholm has resulted in two stinging legal defeats for the management of the medical center, Jerusalem post can declare exclusively.

The To post obtained a six-page letter dated October 11, sent by the Lawfare Project, a New York-based NGO, describing “pervasive anti-Semitism that appears to have normalized and systematized at Karolinska University Hospital and the Karolinska Institutet” .

The letter noted that “We are particularly concerned about the appalling treatment of one of your Jewish doctors.” The Lawfare Project uses legal action to “defend the civil and human rights of the Jewish people around the world.”

The fully rigged HMS af Chapman is towed to Blekholmen for refurbishment in Stockholm, Sweden on October 7, 2021. (ANDERS WIKLUND / TT NEWS AGENCY / VIA REUTERS)

Regarding the Jewish doctor who allegedly suffered anti-Semitism, Lawfare’s letter to the Karolinska hospital and institute said that “in January 2020, the DO [Discrimination Ombudsman] completed its inspection process, concluding that the Karolinska had failed to fulfill its legal obligations to investigate harassment complaints. The Karolinska should have investigated Dr X’s complaints as early as June 2017, but failed to do so. This failure means that the Karolinska failed to fulfill its obligations under Swedish Discrimination Act.

“The Karolinska did not handle the complaint and did not act appropriately to prevent the ongoing harm,” he said. “In addition, Karolinska’s alleged internal investigations were marred by numerous irregularities which have been identified by the Swedish government’s discrimination ombudsperson. ”

According to the letter, “In 2017, Dr. [X] reported that he and other Jewish staff in the neurosurgery department were the targets of anti-Semitic harassment and discrimination from their supervisor, the president of neurosurgery… The harassment campaign included the publication of statements and anti-Semitic images on Facebook and the use of classic anti-Semitic tropes to refer to Jewish Doctors – for example, noting “this is the Jewish ghetto”, of Jewish doctors. Dr. [X] he was told that he had a “Jewish nose”, that he was stingy and that he “moaned like a Jew”.

The Lawfare Project cited parallels between the hospital treatment of the surgeon, who wishes not to disclose his name, and the anti-Semitism of Nazi Germany.

THE SECOND legal victory centered on the hospital’s bogus retaliatory complaint against the surgeon, according to the draft.

“In retaliation for complaining of anti-Semitism, the Karolinska filed an unfounded complaint against Dr. [X] to the Swedish Inspectorate for Health and Care, claiming it posed a risk to patient safety. In a shocking display of Karolinska’s institutionalized Jewish hatred, the complaint identified Dr. X’s Jewish identity as “relevant information regarding the risk he allegedly posed to patient safety.”

“Apparently Karolinska believes being Jewish compromises patient safety,” the Lawfare Project wrote. “This directly reflects the racist ideology of the Nazi era which viewed Jews as ‘parasitic vermin’ worthy only of eradication. Reporting Jewish identity as “relevant information” for patient safety is not only morally contemptible, but also appears to be illegal under Swedish law. “

The letter continued that “the second of Karolinska’s alleged investigations was blocked when, in flagrant violation of Swedish law, [it] required that employees register on a list of Jews in order to participate in the survey. The creation of Jewish Lists is a particularly appalling reminder of Sweden’s gruesome treatment of Jews in the 1930s, when the Swedish government asked Nazi Germany to stamp Jews’ passports with a “J” so that refugees Jews may be refused admission to Sweden.

“These so-called Karolinska ‘investigations’ highlight the systemic and institutional nature of anti-Semitism: bad actors within the Karolinska.

GERALD FILITTI, Senior Counsel for The Lawfare Project, told the To post that “It is appalling to see a doctor targeted with hatred of Jews and retaliation by an unenlightened Karolinska who has apparently ignored and covered up systemic anti-Semitism for over four years.” In light of the Swedish government’s commitment at the Malmö Forum to tackle anti-Semitism, it should take immediate action to end Karolinska’s persecution of Jews.

“We hope that the Karolinska will immediately and completely restore Dr. [X] in his previous positions, with the salary and benefits to which he is entitled, ”wrote The Lawfare Project. “We also expect Dr. [X] will be compensated in the form of the salary cut and the additional costs he had to bear as a result of Karolinska’s reprisals against him. The Karolinska must stop targeting him because he is Jewish and for having denounced the anti-Semitism he suffered. The reprisals he suffered must end immediately and the Karolinska must agree to a corrective program to make all its staff and employees aware of the legal and social prohibitions against anti-Semitism.

When asked about the Project Lawfare letter and its demands, Karolinska University Hospital CEO Björn Zoëga said that the hospital “practices zero tolerance against anti-Semitism. The hospital’s guidelines in this area are very clear and any violation is taken very seriously.

“Anti-Semitic views unfortunately exist in society. Combating anti-Semitism and the expression of such views is therefore a high priority for Karolinska,” he said. “The hospital manages a portfolio of actions and initiatives to prevent and combat the expression of anti-Semitic views, including educational efforts and structured dialogue, as well as annual employee satisfaction surveys. On this basis, we can further improve our preventive actions.

Zoëga added that “the matter you are referring to is actively being addressed and relates to the situation of an individual employee, and so I am not free to comment on the specific circumstances you are referring to. However, I can assure you that the hospital is actively processing the file to achieve the best possible resolution.

Human rights organization SIMON Wiesenthal Center included Karolinska Hospital in its list of the ten worst epidemics of anti-Semitism in 2018. The hospital was named number nine on the list for its systematic discrimination against three Jewish doctors. The head of the medical centre’s neurosurgery department prevented Jewish doctors from helping their patients and hampered their research, according to Wiesenthal, posting “blatant anti-Semitism” on his Facebook page, he said at the time.

Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Associate Dean of the Wiesenthal Center, said in 2018: “We are shocked by Karolinska’s lethargic response to cancer from anti-Semitism. So far, powerful fanatics have been protected and Jewish doctors who save lives are left behind in the wind of hatred. “

The letter from the Lawfare Center was also addressed to the Karolinska Institute, which is affiliated with the hospital.

Dr Ole Petter Ottersen, president of the institute, told the To post that “You should contact Karolinska University Hospital about this. The person you are referring to did not work at the Karolinska Institutet. The hospital is managed by the Stockholm region [Stockholm County] and Karolinska Institutet is a government-run medical university.

A spokesperson for the Karolinska Institute said that “first of all, we would like to state that the Karolinska Institute does not accept anti-Semitism and that all forms of discrimination are taken seriously. There are also legal obligations for an employer to take action against discrimination in accordance with the Discrimination Act. Karolinska Institutet has no part in the alleged discrimination [and] has not taken any action or limited in any way its research or work. The investigation carried out by the Equality Ombudsman only covered the events at Karolinska University Hospital.

The Lawfare Project letter noted that, as part of the alleged anti-Jewish bias at the hospital, “a third Jewish doctor – an Israeli national – apparently worked for ten months without receiving a salary.”

The NGO cited a list of anti-Jewish actions in its letter. “It says a lot that the former acting CEO of Karolinska University Hospital, Dr Annika Tibell, proclaimed that doctors were free to engage in anti-Semitism on social media, as long as they did. did in their free time. Jewish employees are forced to endure anti-Semitic harassment and discrimination (such as lower wages) with no hope that the Karolinska will do anything to stop it.

“Karolinska’s actions in the face of Dr. [X]the complaint of suggest that [it] is more interested in preserving the status quo and normalizing hatred of Jews than in redeeming its reputation.