.svg)
NEW YORK CITY AND JERUSALEM — The Lancet, one of the world’s leading medical journals, has published a letter written by Carol Ann Schwartz, national president of Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, and Yoram Weiss, MD, director general (CEO) of its Jerusalem-based medical center, the Hadassah Medical Organization. The letter denounces the “continued effort to isolate Israeli medical professionals,” which the leaders say is “a thinly disguised attempt to normalise (sic) anti-Zionism and antisemitism.”
The impetus for the letter, which appears in the current edition of The Lancet (August 15, 2026), was a petition being circulated to expel the Israeli Medical Association (IMA) from the World Medical Association (WMA), of which the IMA is a founding member. The petition was the subject of an article in the June 13, 2026, issue of The Lancet entitled “Petition calls for boycott of Israeli Medical Association.”
The Hadassah leaders urge the WMA to reject the petition and to exclude it and any related resolutions from the agenda of the group’s upcoming General Assembly, which will take place in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, from October 7-10, 2026.
In the letter, which can be found here, Ms. Schwartz and Dr. Weiss write that the petition “targets Israeli medical professionals based solely on their nationality and the actions of their Government,” continuing,
“The accusations lodged against the IMA, including the failure to condemn its government's conduct, create a double standard for Israeli health-care (sic) professionals and contribute to the rise in antisemitism experienced by 40% of Jewish practitioners.”
The two leaders praise the WMA “for rejecting the anti-Israel campaign and affirming [the WMA’s] commitment to inclusive.” They add,
“Hadassah's hospitals have long been a bridge to peace for patients and practitioners of every race, religion, or nationality . . . Attempts to politicise (sic) medicine derail potentially lifesaving collaboration among health-care (sic) professionals, compromise global health and, ultimately, harm countless patients.”
Ms. Schwartz and Dr. Weiss end the letter by saying, “Hate has no place in medicine.”
# # #
About the Hadassah Medical Organization:
The Hadassah Medical Organization is one of Israel's leading academic medical centers, combining world-class patient care with pioneering biomedical research and medical education. Owned by Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, and affiliated with The Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, the Hadassah Medical Organization serves as a major referral center for complex diseases while leading research and treatment advances in infectious diseases, precision medicine, transplantation, oncology and other specialties. Through its close integration of clinical care and research, the Hadassah Medical Organization helps translate scientific discoveries into improved treatments for patients in Israel and around the world. Visit us at hadassah.org/our-hospitals.
About Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America:
Hadassah is the largest Jewish women’s organization in America. With nearly 300,000 members, donors and supporters, Hadassah brings women together to effect change on such critical issues as ensuring Israel’s security, combating antisemitism and promoting women’s health. Through the Hadassah Medical Organization, its Jerusalem-based hospital system, Hadassah helps support exemplary care for more than 1 million people each year and pioneering medical research. Hadassah’s hospitals serve without regard to race, religion or nationality and earned a Nobel Peace Prize nomination for "building bridges to peace" through medicine. Hadassah also supports two youth villages in Israel that set vulnerable teens and pre-teens on the path to a rewarding future. Visit us at hadassah.org.