NEW YORK. A nurse was terminated by a New York City hospital after she referred to Israel’s actions in Gaza as a “genocide” during her acceptance speech for a compassion award.
Hesen Jabr, a Palestinian American labor and delivery nurse, received recognition from NYU Langone Health for her dedication to caring for mothers who had lost babies. During her speech on May 7, she drew parallels between her work and the suffering of mothers in Gaza.
“It pains me to see the women from my country going through unimaginable losses themselves during the current genocide in Gaza,” Jabr stated in a video of the speech she posted on social media. “This award is deeply personal to me for those reasons.”
Jabr later detailed on Instagram that she was summoned to a meeting with the hospital’s president and vice president of nursing upon her return to work on May 22. They discussed how her comments “put others at risk,” “ruined the ceremony,” and “offended people.” After working most of her shift, Jabr was brought back to an office, read her termination letter, and escorted out of the building.
NYU Langone spokesperson Steve Ritea confirmed Jabr’s firing and mentioned a prior warning. “Hesen Jabr was warned in December, following a previous incident, not to bring her views on this divisive and charged issue into the workplace,” Ritea said. “She instead chose not to heed that at a recent employee recognition event that was widely attended by her colleagues, some of whom were upset after her comments. As a result, Jabr is no longer an NYU Langone employee.” Ritea did not provide details about the previous incident.
In an interview with The New York Times, Jabr defended her remarks, asserting their relevance given the nature of the award. “It was an award for bereavement; it was for grieving mothers,” she explained.
The Gaza Ministry of Health reports that more than 36,000 people have died in the territory since the war began following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel. Approximately 80% of Gaza’s 2.3 million population has been displaced, and U.N. officials report parts of the territory are facing famine. Critics argue that Israel’s military campaign constitutes genocide, a charge South Africa’s government formally supported in January, requesting the United Nations’ top court to order a halt to Israeli military operations in Gaza. Israel denies these accusations, asserting it is making every effort to protect Gaza’s civilian population.
Jabr is not the first NYU Langone employee fired over Middle East conflict-related comments. Previously, biologist Benjamin Neel, who directed the hospital’s cancer center, was terminated after posting anti-Hamas political cartoons. Neel has since filed a lawsuit against the hospital.
Jabr, who previously sued a Louisiana public school for being forced to accept a Bible as a child, remarked, “This is not my first rodeo.”
Paraluman P. Funtanilla
Paraluman P. Funtanilla is Tutubi News Magazine's Marketing Specialist and is a Contributing Editor. She finished her degree in Communication Arts in De La Salle Lipa. She has worked as a Digital Marketer for start-up businesses and small business spaces for the past two years. She has earned certificates from Coursera on Brand Management: Aligning Business Brand and Behavior and Viral Marketing and How to Craft Contagious Content. She also worked with Asia Express Romania TV Show.
