We have always promised the Jewish community that we would be at the forefront in combatting antisemitism across the region. unfortunately, in recent months, we have been busier than ever.
We thought it would be helpful to talk through a recent high profile incident to showcase how we proactively deal with issues whenever they manifest themselves.
Last Thursday, one of our Management board members informed us of an incident at Manchester Children’s Hospital where allegations were made that a nine year old child had been mistreated by nurses wearing pro Palestinian badges at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.
He spoke with the family and within minutes we had drafted correspondence and utilised our networks to ensure senior politicians in Westminster and across Greater Manchester were aware of this incident.
First thing the following morning we publicly wrote to the hospital and this led to an immediate response on social media that the matter was being investigated. We also dealt with enquiries from local and national media. Some of the articles quoting our letter can be seen below:
Manchester Evening News Article
Our Chief Executive took the opportunity to speak on LBC with a focus on the challenges being faced by communities across the United Kingdom.
Simultaneously, we scheduled a call with the Chief Executive of the NHS Foundation Trust that led to a further statement being released detailing the steps being taken to address this issue. We are grateful that the hospital has been in regular communication with the JRC as we believe they have a genuine desire to fully investigate and properly deal with the matter.
The hospital also put out the following social media post explaining how they are working to resolve the situation that can be found here.
We will be meeting the hospital leadership in the coming weeks to speak about restoring trust with our community and ensuring that this awful incident is not repeated. Steps have already been taken to ensure political symbols and Palestinian badges are not worn on uniforms.
The JRC will continue to support the invaluable work of the Community Security Trust to combat antisemitism across our society. We will continue to remain vigilant and make representations with key politicians and organisations when incidents occur to ensure our community remains protected.
