Children’s hospital investigates claim that nurses forced sick Jewish child out of bed

A Manchester children’s hospital is investigating allegations of the mistreatment of a seriously ill-young Jewish patient by nurses wearing ‘Free Palestine’ badges.

The British-born, Israel-based uncle of the unnamed nine-year-old boy with an auto-immune blood disease claims the child, while visibly wearing his kippa and tzitzit, was “kicked out of his bay” at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, by a nurse allegedly “covered in Pro-Palestine badges and stickers” and claims he was forced to “lie on the floor with a canula in”.

In the story, which has been widely shared across social media by appalled members of the public including TV presenter Rachel Riley, the uncle says: “As a religious Jewish family, my nephew wears his black Kippa (yamulka, religious hat whatever you want to call it) and his tzitzit proudly. Not today. Why you ask? The nurses (NHS employees) are all walking around wearing “Free Palestine” pins and he was scared. Beyond that, the last few times he went in he was denied correct medical care by the same couple of nurses every time”.

The young boys’s rare blood disorder means he needs a blood transfusion “every month or 2” and “he spends (alongside his mother, my sister) many days and hours in hospital”.

He adds: “The damage is done and my proudly Jewish nephew (and his parents) is scared to not get treatment if he wears his Kippa and tzitzit. Coincidentally, today when not visibly Jewish, he received quick care. Also worth noting, prior to the conflict he received excellent care. Is this the world we will live in? Is it 1940 again? It is terrifying to be a Jew in the world again”.

In response to the distressing allegations, the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester announced on Twitter/X that it had today written to the chief executive officers of Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust to “voice our grave concern and demand action is taken immediately. We have further asked for clarification regarding the Trust’s policy of staff wearing political statements on their uniforms and are very concerned about Jewish patients feeling intimidated whilst accessing care”.

A spokesperson for Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust told Jewish News: “We are aware of images and very serious claims which are circulating on social media. We are rapidly investigating these to establish the situation and are discussing them with the family involved. Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital is committed to providing high quality care to all of our patients.”