Jewish mothers in the UK are hiring doulas to protect themselves and their babies from antisemites in the country's healthcare system during childbirth, the Jewish Chronicle reported.
London doula Shoshana Maurer revealed that since the October 7 massacre, about a dozen Jewish women have hired her specifically because they fear being treated by antisemitic medics while in labor.
Mauer stated: “There is no question that nearly every Jewish client I’ve had since October 7 has had the same anxiety about antisemitism in hospitals: are they going to be treated the same way as everyone else, will they be treated badly?”
Multiple Jewish women who gave birth over the last two years described how the explosion of antisemitism that accompanied and followed the Hamas massacre in southern Israel made them "nervous" about giving birth without a Jewish doula. One woman changed her choice to a Jewish doula after seeing anti-Israel posts made by her original choice.
However, Jewish organizations downplayed the phenomenon, insisting that it remains safe for Jewish women to give birth and that only a small minority of women feel it is necessary to seek out Jewish doulas.
A representative of Shifrah UK, an organization that assists Jewish women during pregnancy, said that a "minimal number" of Jewish mothers feel the need for Jewish doulas for safety.
Despite these reassurances, Jewish Leadership Council spokesman Russell Langer said that there is a worrying degree of antisemitism among British healthcare workers: “Antisemitism in the NHS has been out of control. We have seen doctors describe hospitals as cesspits of ‘Jewish supremacy’ and praise Hamas as 'legends.'
“That some Jewish mothers-to-be feel anxious to give birth in NHS hospitals and are turning to private Jewish doulas to feel safe highlights the unacceptable reality that many Jewish patients feel unable to trust that their healthcare providers will treat them without prejudice," Langer said.
Last month, following the deadly terrorist attack on a Manchester synagogue on Yom Kippur, British Health Minister Wes Streeting told The Times that NHS is “completely failing to protect Jewish patients.”
“Two years on from the horrific events of October 7th and just days after a despicable attack on our nation’s Jewish community, we must be unequivocal that antisemitism has absolutely no place in our NHS, or anywhere in our society," Streeling said.