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Jewish patients were so fearful of the treatment they would receive in hospitals following antisemitic remarks allegedly made by two Sydney nurses that they requested their religion be removed from medical records, the royal commission into antisemitism has heard.
Two Bankstown Hospital nurses were sacked over a February 2025 video in which they allegedly threatened Israeli patients. Their case is before the courts.
Rabbi Mendel Kastel, whose brother-in-law was one of the 15 people killed at the Bondi terror attack in December, told the commission on Tuesday there was a “real sense of feeling unsafe” among the Jewish community following the incident.
“[We] were taking calls from patients all through the hospital saying, ‘Please, please take my religion off my record’,” said Kastel, who is a chaplain with NSW Health.
“These were different things that really put fear into people … People are a lot more nervous.”
He was also aware of one instance where a patient at an unnamed hospital refused a Jewish doctor’s treatment, labelling him a “Zionist pig”.
However, Kastel, who is also chief executive of crisis support group Jewish House, said staff at Bankstown Hospital treated him with warmth and kindness.
Department of Home Affairs head of immigration Clare Sharp was asked about government powers to cancel visas of those who may hold antisemitic views.
In November last year, neo-Nazi Matthew Gruter had his visa cancelled and was deported back to South Africa after taking part in an anti-Jewish protest outside NSW Parliament House. Sharp said the government investigated Gruter after receiving questions from this masthead.
Sharp said the federal government proactively identifies people with controversial views. “We put that into our system so we’re aware should they apply for a visa,” she said.
New laws meant the government could cancel or revoke a visa for those who might incite discord, and increasingly used powers to cancel visas where a person might be a risk to safety or good order of the community, Sharp said.
“Since October 7, the environment has been very fractious and challenging, and we don’t need additional voices espousing hate.”
Sharp was also questioned why US rapper Kanye West’s 2025 visa was cancelled using general cancellation powers, instead of using the character test, given he had posted on social media threats to the Jewish community, praised Hitler and expressed Holocaust denialism.
“Following the release of [the] song Heil Hitler the decision was made to cancel that visa,” Sharp said, but couldn’t elaborate further.
The commission also heard some federal public servants were sanctioned for signing an open letter on Israel and Palestine.
The letter, addressed to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and federal parliamentarians, was signed by more than 2000 public sector workers and stated the government was complicit in the genocide in Gaza.
Australian Public Service Commission acting deputy commissioner Joanne Talbot said the letter appeared to be a breach of employees’ obligations.
“It is highly concerning, and it does border on being not apolitical,” she said.
The Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion will resume on Wednesday in Sydney.
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Amber Schultz is a crime and justice reporter with The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.From our partners
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