Supporting our Jewish Communities

 

Dear Colleagues,

As leaders of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals and the BCH Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Anti-Racism Council, we must lend our voices to the condemnation of escalating attacks against Jewish communities in the United States and abroad. At BCH, we do not tolerate discrimination, prejudice, or hatred in any form, and we stand in solidarity with all targeted communities as one.

According to a recent survey conducted by the Anti-Defamation League, the rise in acts of physical violence and hate-filled commentary against Jewish Americans doubled in 2021 compared to 2020, and nearly one of every four Jewish Americans has been subject to antisemitism over the past year. Earlier this month, four people were held hostage at a Texas synagogue, eventually escaping unharmed after a 10-hour siege. And most recently, flyers with antisemitic language falsely claiming that the public health response to COVID is being orchestrated by Jewish people have been distributed in neighborhoods across several states, including the San Francisco Bay Area.

We recognize the emotional toll these events and actions take and stand in solidarity to support and protect all members of our BCH community in accordance with our PRIDE values, to ensure every individual feels safe, included, and heard.

At BCH Oakland, we recently added the capability for employees to submit direct concerns about harassment and discrimination, similar to the process at BCH San Francisco. We also want to share resources that detail ways to support Jewish American communities, as well as resources to support your physical and emotional well-being, available on the BCH DEI website.

On this year’s International Holocaust Remembrance Day, let’s come together as a united community, to nurture cross-racial alliances, and to recommit our efforts toward building an organization rooted in justice and equity.

Sincerely,

Matt Cook
President, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals

Brandie Hollinger, MSN, RN
DEI Co-Chair, BCH San Francisco

Marsha Treadwell, PhD
DEI Co-Chair, Oakland