House subcommittee hears testimony accusing some healthcare unions of fostering anti‑Jewish discrimination

WASHINGTON — A House subcommittee on health, employment, labor and pensions heard testimony June 1 alleging that some healthcare unions have used membership resources to advance anti‑Israel political campaigns and to ostracize Jewish and Israeli healthcare workers, a dynamic witnesses and members said can harm patient care.

“Healthcare labor unions … use the power and privileges of union representation not to protect workers’ rights but to promote anti‑Semitic and anti‑Zionist campaigns,” said Dina Margles, a litigation staff attorney at the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, in prepared testimony to the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions.

Margles and other witnesses described incidents they said illustrated the problem: posters that identified and accused a Jewish physician of complicity in alleged atrocities, trainings and guidance from unions that encourage bringing political campaigns into clinical settings, and resolutions by unions endorsing boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) measures directed at Israeli institutions. “Jewish and Israeli healthcare professionals are then placed in an impossible position,” Margles said.

Dr. Jacob Agronin, a cardiology fellow who testified that his institution’s house staff voted to unionize with the Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR), told the panel the union adopted a May 2024 resolution titled “House Staff Against Apartheid” that he said declared Israel guilty of “apartheid and genocide” and explicitly endorsed BDS. “CIR has formally recommended that hospitals exclude my Israeli colleagues from employment,” Agronin said, adding that CIR “represents 37,000 resident and fellow physicians across this country” in his testimony.

Witnesses and members framed their concerns in terms of workplace safety and patient care. Evelyn Shechman, chief executive officer of the American Jewish Medical Association, said clinical work requires synchronized teamwork and that politicized or hostile interactions can be “a distraction” that affects patient care.

Several members urged concrete policy responses. Some Republicans pressed for oversight into how unions use dues, and Rep. Mike Fine said he plans legislation that would apply the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) examples of anti‑Semitism to enforcement in educational and medical settings, citing Florida’s prior adoption as a model. Witnesses including Jamie Baron, chief executive of Bend the Arc Jewish Action, called for better resourcing of the Department of Education and Department of Health and Human Services civil‑rights offices, saying stronger investigative capacity is needed.

Not all testimony aligned on causes and remedies. Ranking Member Donier said anti‑Semitism must be confronted but warned the majority was “weaponizing the issue” to target labor unions; in opening remarks he urged bipartisan, good‑faith approaches and criticized actions that undercut civil‑rights enforcement. Baron likewise cautioned against equating criticism of Israel with anti‑Semitism and advocated using definitions as educational tools rather than as speech codes.

Committee members also cited recent incidents around the country — from a reported Nazi salute at a Connecticut town council meeting to protests outside hospitals — as evidence of a broader rise in anti‑Semitic activity. Members and witnesses referenced national data and FBI reporting indicating an increase in anti‑Jewish hate crimes in recent years.

The subcommittee took no formal votes. The panel’s chairman said the hearing record would remain open for 14 days to receive additional written statements and materials from members. The hearing concluded with members expressing differing views on next steps but general agreement among witnesses that alleged harassment and discrimination in clinical settings warrant investigation and enforcement under existing civil‑rights laws.