EEOC sues Ohio hospital over alleged discrimination against Jewish surgeon — Jerusalem Post

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has filed a lawsuit against Mercy Health hospital in Youngstown, Ohio. The agency alleges that the medical institution violated federal law by creating unfavorable working conditions for a Jewish orthopedic surgeon and firing him because of his religion and race.

Federal agency lawsuit

As the Jerusalem Post reports, the EEOC believes that the dismissal occurred shortly after the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. According to the lawsuit, the surgeon had worked successfully at Mercy Health for many years and exceeded the productivity targets set by the hospital.

The EEOC statement also says that the surgeon was subjected to antisemitic remarks while working there. In November 2023, he was fired and told that the reason was unrelated to his work performance.

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EEOC statements

EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas stated that after the Hamas attack, the employee encountered a number of workplace comments placing responsibility for the attack on Jews. According to her, the surgeon was also not invited to scheduled meetings and had his allocated operating time reduced, after which his contract was terminated.

The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio after the EEOC attempted to settle the dispute out of court through an administrative conciliation procedure. According to the agency, the actions described in the lawsuit violate Title VII of the U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on religion and race.

The lawsuit states that the surgeon's Jewish identity was known at work: his office contained family photographs showing relatives wearing kippahs and prayer shawls.