Anti-semitism in Toronto Hospitals Charged by Rabbi Isserman

“Though Toronto has 40.000 Jews who consitite about one-fourteenth of the population, and though the University of Toronto has had among its most brilliant graduates Jewish students, it is practically impossible for a Jewish student to serve an intership in a Toronto hospital.” states Rabbi Ferdinand M. Isserman, in an editorial published in a current issue of The Canadian Jewish Review. “Those medical students who want experience in addition to their college course must go for that experience in the States or in England. The Toronto General Hospital has no Jewish interns with the possible exception of one woman. It has no Jews on its staff. The Hospital for Sick Children, a large propotion of whose patients are Jewish, has not one Jewish intern and has never had one.

“The Western Hospital has likewise no Jewish interns, Though the institution has two Jews on its staff.” continue the article. “As a result of this practical punishment from local hospitals. Jewish physicians have not has an opportunity to develop their talents freely.

“The investigations of the King’s Country Hospital. Brooklyn. revealed that only three Jewish nurses were found among a staff of 200” chaims the article. “In Toronto it is absolutely impossible for a Jewish girl to follow the nursing profession. To our knowledge no Jewish girl has ever been admitted in a nurse training school in Toronto. Such as state of affairs is not in accord with British justice and fair play.”

Spoken to in reaard to the assertions made in the article. Dr. E. A. Gray. su#### of the Toronto General Hospital declared that the claim that “the Toronto General Hosptial has no Jewish interns, with the possible exception of one woman.” was not correct. Although at the present moment there were no Jewish interns in the General Hospital, there have been in the past, said Dr. Gray Questioned as to whether there existed a prejudice at the General Hospital against Jewish interns. Dr. Gray said that he did not know of any. He declined to make further comment until he had read the article under discussion.

In the absence of Miss Gunn, acting supervisors of the Nurses’ Training School of the Toronto General Hospital refused to discuss the statement made by Rabbi Isserman to the effect that Jewish girls were not readily admitted to Toronto’s nurses’ training schools.

Watson Swaine, superintendent of the Hospital for Sick Children, stated that he was not aware of any difference being made in connection with applications from Jewish interns. There was no Jewish intern at present in the Hospital for Sick Children, but he could not say whether there ever had been or not. He could not recollect having had any applicants among Jews, and was under the impression that there must have been very few such applications to come before the hospital for consideration. There was no discrimination made in regard to Jewish students at the Hospital for Sick Children, he said.

Regarding Jewish girls applying at the nurses training school in connection with the Hospital for Sick Children.Mr. Swaine held that very few eligible Jewish young ladies had ever made application for nurses’ training. He could only recall two Jewish girls applying, and neither of these had possed the necessary educational qualifications.

Asked whether a Jewish girl who might be eligible to enter the Nurses Training School would be rejected because of her nationality, Mr. Swaine stated that he could set no reason why she should not be accepted although he could not speak definitely, since no applications of this nature had come under his supervision for final consideration.

Speaking for St. Michael’s Hospital, authorities last night claimed that while there were at present no Jewish interns in the hospital there had been some in the past. It was not known whether any Jewish girls had applied for admitance to St. Michael’s Nurses’ Training School in Toronto but it was stated that Jewish girls had trained in St Michael’s Hospital in Winning.

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The new maternity hospital which is being erected on the grounds of the Jewish Hospital in Philadelphia and which will shorty be completed and dedicated will be called the William B. and Adeline Hackenburg Maternity Hospital. Announcement to this effect was made by Arthur A. Fleisher, president of the Jewish Hospital, following a meeting of the board of directors.