Dr. Ellen Kriesels, a pediatric specialist and clinical director at Whittington Hospital in London, part of the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), has been suspended following revelations of antisemitic social media posts.
Kriesels described Hamas terrorists as “oppressed resistance fighters, not terrorists,” claimed Jews “always frame themselves as victims,” and wrote that “almost every Jew harbors feelings of superiority.”
On September 6, she attended a pro-Palestinian protest in London, carrying a sign with Israel’s flag, its Star of David labeled with words like “rape,” “steal,” “lie,” and “kill.” The images sparked outrage online, prompting an internal hospital investigation.
A Whittington Hospital spokesperson said, “The employee is not currently assigned to work. There is no place for discrimination or antisemitism in our hospital.”
The incident coincides with a sharp rise in antisemitism in the UK since October 7. A YouGov poll commissioned by the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) found that 45% of Britons believe Israel treats Palestinians as Nazis treated Jews, while 21% hold four or more antisemitic views, up from 11% in 2021.
Kriesels’ posts included remarks on the October 7 massacre, saying, “It’s ridiculous, agonizing, and exhausting how Jews always try to present themselves as victims.” Responding to Jews protesting Israel’s actions with “Not in My Name” signs, she wrote, “This highlights their exclusivity. Jewish superiority is everywhere.”
Jewish organizations condemned Kriesels’s rhetoric. A CAA spokesperson said, “Her rhetoric seeks to whitewash Hamas, which murdered 1,200 Jews and took 250 hostages. It relies on antisemitic tropes of Jewish superiority and unjustified killing in Judaism’s name.”
They added, “The time it takes to address such cases and their feeble outcomes embolden doctors to disgrace their profession without consequence.” The Community Security Trust (CST) told Jewish News, “The antisemitism problem within the NHS risks becoming an epidemic.
“It is blatantly obvious that if these racist comments were made about any other minority, both the hospital and the General Medical Council would immediately act with severe professional consequences for Dr Kreisels.”
Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who previously addressed rising NHS antisemitism, vowed a “zero-tolerance approach to those using the Middle East conflict to attack communities.”
In May, he banned NHS staff from wearing uniforms at protests or displaying pro-Palestinian pins at work. Whittington Hospital emphasized patient care, saying, “There’s no place for discrimination, racism, antisemitism or Islamophobia. Employees’ private views don’t reflect our stance.”
The case raises concerns about regulatory oversight, with Jewish groups warning it reflects a broader issue of antisemitic rhetoric infiltrating the UK’s healthcare system.