Metropolis Council Speaker Julie Menin known as for a probe Thursday into the Mayor Zohran Mamdani-led Division of Well being over its “World Oppression Working Group” and whether or not taxpayer funds have been misused.
“Our well being care officers must be preventing infectious illnesses and addressing skyrocketing well being care prices as an alternative of spending public time debating geopolitics on metropolis time,” Menin (D-Manhattan) informed The Publish.
“An intensive investigation into the usage of taxpayer assets is critical to guard the general public belief and tackle the unacceptable rise in antisemitism throughout New York Metropolis.”
As The Publish completely reported, the DOH group was created by staffers accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza, with members assembly in the midst of the workday Tuesday on the company’s headquarters in Lengthy Island Metropolis and remotely.
Council Member Lynn Schulman (D-Queens), the well being committee chair, ripped into the politicization of the company as fanning the flames of antisemitism.
“This incident is very troubling given the alarming rise of antisemitism we’re seeing in New York Metropolis — together with a number of antisemitic reported in current weeks,” Schulman stated.
“Internet hosting a gathering that promotes inflammatory accusations whereas ignoring antisemitism solely solely deepens and alienates Jewish workers and residents.”
Each Menin and Schulman are Jewish and signify districts with a lot of pro-Israel Jewish constituents.
“Metropolis workers are public servants, and with that comes a accountability to make use of taxpayer-funded time and assets appropriately,” Schulman stated. “Politicizing a public well being company undermines belief, morale and the core mission of the division.”
Schulman stated she spoke to DOH brass in regards to the Israel-bashing group, and was happy to study that “an investigation is underway.”
Mark Treyger, the CEO of the Jewish Neighborhood Relations Council, stated the creation of a well being division group to demonize Israel was past the pale.
“That is clear political exercise in a metropolis company throughout work time, which additionally made employees really feel unsafe and unwelcome,” Treyger stated.
“Along with the Well being Division’s management guaranteeing accountability, Metropolis Corridor must remind all businesses about metropolis guidelines and rules, together with guaranteeing all employees really feel welcome, protected, and supported,” he stated. “That’s non-negotiable.”
Jewish employees in different metropolis businesses — together with the Division of Schooling — stated they have been alarmed by the politicization of the DOH.
“Antisemitic and Anti Israel shows are taking place throughout metropolis businesses. Working in NYC, whether or not it’s the DOH or DOE [Department of Education] could be very troublesome,” stated Moshe Spern, president of the NYC United Jewish Academics.
“Jewish metropolis employees are struggling and actually all businesses are turning a blind eye. That’s the reason we’re all collaborating collectively. They can’t and won’t divide the Jewish neighborhood anymore. We can not enable this bias in NYC to proceed.”
The working group’s mission assertion, included as a part of the slide presentation on the assembly, stated its formation was a “cross-divisional effort led by Division Fairness Liaisons (DELs) and motion groups from Illness Management.”
“Developed in response to the continued genocide in Palestine, the working group goals to handle the rising curiosity amongst well being division employees to study present and ongoing international oppression in its many varieties and the way it influences the development of well being fairness,” the group assertion stated.
GOPH stated its objectives have been to raised perceive the affect of world oppression on “the well being and well-being of precedence communities in NYC vis-à-vis trauma, violence and discrimination” in addition to “supporting colleagues negatively impacted” by it, in keeping with a slideshow offered on the assembly.
