It’s disheartening to report, but not surprising for those of us who’ve been paying attention, that a recent study has unearthed a troubling trend at last year’s graduation ceremonies at many of America’s premier medical schools. According to research soon to be published in the Rambam Maimonides Medical Journal, these events were marred by expressions of antisemitism and endorsements of terrorism, shockingly spewed out in the open.
Conducted by Steven Roth from the University of Illinois College of Medicine and Hedy Wald of Brown University Medical School, the study highlighted that over half of America’s top 25 medical schools displayed what can only be described as blatant antisemitic behavior during commencement ceremonies. The findings include instances where banners, buttons, and signs demanding institutions to divest from Israel were prominently featured. Moreover, in some schools like Columbia University and Harvard, students were seen wearing stoles emblazoned with symbols that seemed to celebrate antisemitic sentiments and terrorist affiliations.
Specifically, at institutions such as Weill Cornell and the University of California, students sported attire featuring the Palestinian flag alongside a keffiyeh and an ominously blank map of Israel, some marked with the phrase “Jerusalem Is Ours” in Arabic.
What’s perhaps even more alarming is the apparent openness of some students at these ceremonies to display their support for Hamas. This isn’t just a fringe issue; it’s occurring at some of the nation’s top medical schools, places where the next generation of doctors and medical professionals are being trained. But what exactly are they being trained in? It’s becoming distressingly clear: instead of emerging with solid medical degrees, too many students are graduating steeped in woke social justice ideology. When did radical politics replace rigorous medical training?
The authors of the study have rightly called for an urgent overhaul of the educational frameworks at these institutions. If left unchecked, this trend will undermine the integrity of the medical profession itself.
Half-hearted responses from universities like Columbia, claiming they condemn antisemitism and all forms of discrimination, is not enough. We must ensure that the very places tasked with healing and saving lives are not themselves breeding grounds for Jewish hate. This is a rallying cry—not only to medical schools but to every institution of higher learning across the nation. It’s high time we implement a zero-tolerance policy for any student or professor who spews anti-Israel and anti-Jewish rhetoric. We’d stand up against such hatred aimed at any other minority group; why should Jews be the exception? Enough is enough. We need to stamp this out, starting right now.
