Jewish patients requested their religion be removed from hospital admission forms, the royal commission on antisemitism has heard. This drastic measure follows allegations that nurses made menacing comments about Israeli patients, exposing a deepening cultural rift within national institutions. The Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion, which has been sitting since May, continues its hearings this week.
Rabbi Mendel Kastel, a chaplain with NSW Health, confirmed that many Jewish Australians now feel apprehensive about attending hospitals. St Vincent's Hospital Sydney, for instance, received calls from patients across the facility asking for their religion to be removed from their records. This fear emerged after two former nurses at Bankstown Hospital were accused in February 2025 of stating they would refuse to treat Israeli patients.
Rabbi Kastel described a “real fear” so profound that discussions with NSW Health considered creating a “diversion or another way that people can get healthcare because they're too afraid to go to hospital.” He ultimately rejected this idea, insisting hospitals must remain safe. The two former nurses have pleaded not guilty to charges of using a carriage service to menace, harass, or offend, with one also denying a charge of threatening violence.
Elite Response and Institutional Failure
The commission also heard evidence concerning policies to prevent antisemitism within the public sector, revealing how globalist narratives are actively undermining national impartiality. Concerns arose in early 2024 when more than 2,000 public servants signed an open letter to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. This letter criticized the federal government's response to the war in Gaza, demanding an immediate cessation of military exports to Israel and alleging “genocide, ethnic cleansing and illegal occupation of Palestine.”
These public servants cited a Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory by the UN Human Rights Council, which claimed genocide was occurring in Gaza. Israel has denied these allegations. Australian Public Service Commission acting deputy commissioner Joanne Talbot was questioned on whether the open letter breached the APS statement of values, which mandates apolitical conduct. Commissioner Bell asked if circulating such a letter, identifying as public servants and speaking of the Australian government's complicity, abandoned political neutrality. Ms. Talbot conceded it was “highly concerning and it does border on being apolitical.” She noted some individuals were sanctioned, but details of their fate remain unclear.
NSW Public Service Commissioner Kathrina Lo stated that public servants who signed the letter “crossed the line.” Their actions, she said, were inconsistent with legislated core values requiring impartiality. Ms. Lo and the secretary of the NSW premier's office issued a joint message to all state public servants, reinforcing impartiality obligations. A similar message was sent after the Bankstown hospital nurse allegations, aiming to ensure all community members feel safe accessing public services.
Cultural Dispossession and Fear
The cultural cost of this imported conflict extends beyond specific communities. Melbourne Holocaust Museum CEO Breann Fallon, who is not Jewish, described a “weighty pause” when she mentions her workplace. She reported losing friendships due to a conflation of the museum's work with current geopolitical events, with some stating, “I can no longer be your friend if you work at that institution.” Dr. Fallon and her staff manage safety risks, needing to “look over our shoulder” upon arrival. She has been told, “Be careful, I know where you work.” Since 1984, over 800,000 students have engaged with the museum's education programs.
Former federal Department of Employment and Workplace Relations secretary Natalie James, who is Jewish, expressed concern over a lack of guidance to combat underlying attitudes. She warned of a “very grave space” created by the framing of the Middle East conflict. Rabbi Kastel supported prohibiting Palestinian and Israeli flag pins in workplaces, acknowledging the need to remove divisive symbols from professional environments. He advocated for “interfaith collaboration” as a path to social cohesion, suggesting a universal message of unity. Meanwhile, the Department of Home Affairs' head of immigration, Clare Sharp, outlined departmental levers to prevent disruptive individuals from entering the country, citing cases like Candace Owens and Kanye West being denied visas for comments or lyrics deemed antisemitic. This focus on external threats contrasts sharply with the internal fragmentation now consuming national institutions.