Jewish Doctor Fired After Reporting Antisemitic Incident at Swedish Medical Center

A Jewish doctor, Dr. Gregory Zvi Varshevski, 69, was dismissed from the private medical company Meliva near Stockholm after reporting an antisemitic confrontation with a pro-Palestinian staff member. The incident occurred last year but was only recently revealed by Dr. Varshevski. During a break at work, a Middle Eastern colleague asked him if he was Jewish, and upon his confirmation, accused him of killing Palestinian children. When Dr. Varshevski tried to calm the situation, the colleague shouted an antisemitic insult in front of other staff.

Dr. Varshevski filed a formal complaint with the medical center's management, who promised to address the issue. However, shortly after, he was informed that his employment contract would not be renewed, a move he interprets as retaliation for his complaint. This case has sparked public outrage in Sweden due to perceived double standards in the healthcare system, where pro-Palestinian demonstrations by medical staff supporting a Gaza hospital director detained by Israel were tolerated.

Meliva stated it conducted a thorough investigation and found no evidence that Dr. Varshevski’s Jewish identity influenced the non-renewal decision, describing the incident as a personal conflict. The company confirmed that neither Dr. Varshevski nor the colleague involved remain employed there. Meliva emphasized that discrimination and antisemitism contradict its values and are addressed when employees violate principles, but declined to comment further on individual personnel matters.