26 June 2026
Question
A friend was recently admitted to an emergency room here in Sydney. Part of the intake process is asking if you want to state your religion. In the past, saying “Jewish” was a no-brainer. No fear, no hesitation. These days, however, there’s a creeping anxiety that identifying as Jewish in a hospital could put a target on your back. We want to be proud, but in this current climate, is it just safer to say nothing?
I won’t lecture anyone from the safe distance of my desk. When you are lying on a hospital bed, vulnerable and wearing one of those flimsy gowns that never quite closes at the back, you don’t need grand speeches about bravery. You need good care and peace of mind.
In Judaism, the preservation of life overrides almost everything. If you ever face a real and immediate threat, protect yourself and do what you must to stay safe.
The question becomes, what defines a real danger? Is being Jewish in an Australian hospital life-threatening?
A few years ago, such a question would have sounded absurd. But not today. We all saw the disturbing footage of Australian nurses making hateful remarks about treating Israeli patients. It understandably shook the Jewish community. Thankfully, despite isolated incidents and disturbing rhetoric, Australian hospitals remain places where Jewish patients overwhelmingly receive professional care.
This doesn’t mean it can’t happen. The threat was real, and must be taken seriously. But what may be more dangerous than the threat is the way we respond to it.
If we conceal our identity to avoid any risk, we are passively accepting the insane idea that a hospital is a place where a Jew should be afraid. We take someone else’s dysfunction and make it our new reality.
Hospitals ask because religion can matter. It helps staff understand dietary needs, end-of-life issues, and whether you'd like a visit from a priest, imam or rabbi. Identifying yourself as Jewish is not making a statement. It can help ensure your needs are respected.
Simply stating your Jewishness is how you put the problem back where it belongs. If a staff member has an issue with your identity, that is not a Jewish problem. That is a hospital problem. You do not accommodate someone else’s pathology by shrinking yourself.
If you genuinely feel unsafe in a specific setting, take precautions. Ask family to be present. Speak to hospital management. Contact your rabbi and local community organizations. Jewish law never asks us to ignore our feelings. It asks us to distinguish between a concrete danger and a frightening possibility.
So ask yourself: am I responding to a real threat in front of me, or am I letting fear decide how Jewish I am allowed to be?
Don't let fear hold the pen for you. Write the truth. Say you are Jewish. And if someone has a problem with that, then they should be checking in to the hospital, not you.
