Following Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s admission that his country's “civic compact is failing Jewish Canadians” amid a sharp rise in antisemitism, it has emerged that one of Canada’s leading cardiac surgeons is leaving Montreal for the United States because of antisemitism.
Dr. Emmanuel Moss, Chief heart surgeon at Jewish General Hospital, is expected to move to Atlanta with his family. According to people close to him, one of the main reasons for the decision is a growing sense of insecurity amid what they describe as a hostile atmosphere toward Jews in the city. The Montreal Gazette reported that the senior surgeon felt deep disappointment over the increase in antisemitic incidents in Montreal and what he viewed as an inadequate response from authorities.
2 View gallery
Dr. Emmanuel Moss, Chief heart surgeon at Jewish General Hospital
(Photo: Institut de cardiologie de Montréal)
Dr. Moss, 45, is considered one of Canada’s leading cardiac surgeons. Over the past decade he has led the field of robotic cardiac surgery at the hospital and has also served since 2019 as director of the cardiac surgery residency program at McGill University. He is among a small number of surgeons in Canada who routinely perform bypass and mitral valve procedures using robotic systems.
Although he declined to speak publicly about his decision, sources close to him told the Montreal Gazette that Dr. Moss and his family have become increasingly concerned about the sharp rise in antisemitic incidents in Montreal in recent years. These include attacks on Jews, vandalism of Jewish-owned businesses, firebombings of synagogues and even a shooting at a yeshiva.
According to the report, Dr. Moss was particularly shaken by footage published last week from an anti-Israel protest in the city showing a mock hanging display of a figure wearing a kippah, believed to represent National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir. Two additional effigies were reportedly of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump.
2 View gallery
An anti-Israel protest in the city showing a mock hanging display of a figure wearing a kippah
(Photo: Section 27A, from social media)
A source close to the senior physician said that while Quebec’s ongoing healthcare crisis also played a role in his decision, “antisemitism was most likely the final straw.” The source added, “The healthcare system has had problems for years. What changed is the sense that the city has become a less safe and less familiar place for Jews.”
According to the Canadian newspaper, Dr. Moss had recently warned publicly about a severe shortage of technicians operating heart-lung machines, a situation he said was threatening the continuation of the hospital’s cardiac surgery program.
Dr. Lawrence Rosenberg, President and CEO of the Integrated Health and Social Services University Network for West-Central Montreal, said the hospital had prepared in advance for the possibility of Dr. Moss’s departure and developed a plan to ensure continuity of care without significant disruption to services. However, Dr. Louis Perrault, president of the Quebec Association of Cardiac Surgeons, warned it would be a significant loss for the provincial health system. “He is at the peak of his career, with unique expertise in robotic surgery, and his departure is a major blow to the field,” he said.
Dr. Moss’s departure follows last month’s announcement by Canadian Jewish scholar Gad Saad, who said he would leave Concordia University for a position in the United States. According to the Montreal Gazette, Saad also linked his decision to a hostile environment toward Jews and pro-Israel voices on campuses and in public spaces in Canada.
Members of Montreal’s Jewish community fear this may signal a broader trend of prominent Jewish professionals and academics leaving the city amid growing concerns over safety.