Boston Medical Center (BMC) is under federal scrutiny after a complaint alleged it isolated a Jewish Israeli intern and retaliated against her for reporting antisemitic posters in a shared workspace. Filed by the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law with the Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (HHS OCR), the complaint claims the hospital allowed clinical staff to harass and ostracize the mental health counseling intern, causing academic and professional harm.
Complaint Alleges Retaliation and Isolation
On her first day in May 2025, the intern noticed posters at a colleague's workspace bearing the slogans "They killed our babies" and "They stole our lands," visible from her desk. After reporting them, supervisors initially acknowledged the posters might violate BMC policy. However, upon returning from a trip to Israel, she found herself physically separated from her clinical team, with a supervisor allegedly stating the move was to ensure "everyone feels safe." Colleagues later formed an "alliance" against her, including one who stopped communicating entirely and failed to deliver patient briefings, impacting both her training and client care.
The intern met with supervisors in July 2025, who admitted BMC had warned her team in advance about her Israeli identity and reassured them she held no "unacceptable political views" on Gaza. After human resources responded vaguely to her concerns, she remained isolated for the rest of her internship. The retaliation peaked with a negative September 5 evaluation criticizing her "ability to function as part of a team" and suggesting she "expand her trauma-informed approach" to include colleagues' experiences.
Broader Implications for Healthcare and Federal Funding
The complaint highlights growing concerns about antisemitism in healthcare settings, particularly as BMC receives tens of millions in federal grants, including from HHS in 2025 and 2026. Kenneth Marcus, CEO of the Brandeis Center, warned that such incidents pose risks beyond individual cases: "When a student reports offensive conduct and is penalized, serious civil rights concerns are raised for the future of healthcare." This case aligns with broader federal efforts targeting federally funded organizations that fail to address antisemitism.
The Brandeis Center has also targeted other institutions, including filing complaints against the American Psychological Association over "Decolonial Therapy" practices and the National Education Association for alleged harassment of Jewish members. The intern, meanwhile, faced lasting consequences by April 2026, omitting BMC supervisors from reference forms and dealing with faculty rumors about a "cultural disagreement" at her internship site. BMC has not responded to requests for comment.