A Jewish consultant doctor in Sweden has alleged that he was subjected to antisemitic abuse by a colleague before losing his consulting role after reporting the incident to management, reports The Jerusalem Post.
Gregory-Zvi Wirschubsky, 69, described the events in an interview with the Swedish newspaper Expressen, claiming the incident occurred in the cafeteria of a Meliva health clinic in Stockholm.
According to Wirschubsky, a colleague publicly asked whether he was Jewish. After he confirmed that he was, she allegedly accused him of „killing Palestinian children.”
He said he replied that he had moved to Sweden when he was seven years old, did not live in Israel and had no connection with the Israeli military.
Wirschubsky further alleged that the colleague then told him, „Go to hell, you damn Jew,” while several other staff members witnessed the exchange but did not intervene.
Believing he had experienced religious discrimination, he reported the incident to his manager. He said employees had previously agreed not to discuss the Israel–Hamas conflict in the workplace.
„I felt that it was discrimination,” Wirschubsky told Expressen. „The manager said they would deal with the matter themselves. Then I found out I was no longer allowed to stay. It was very strange.”
Wirschubsky worked at the clinic through a staffing agency rather than being employed directly by Meliva. According to a copy of the consultancy agreement reviewed by Expressen, the client was entitled to end the assignment with one month’s notice without providing a reason.
Although Wirschubsky said he does not believe his assignment ended simply because he is Jewish, he believes the decision was connected to the workplace dispute surrounding the incident.
Meliva has denied that religion played any role in its decision.
Linn Christiernin, the company’s Communications Manager, confirmed that Meliva was aware of a conflict between the two individuals but said decisions regarding consultancy contracts are made solely on operational grounds.
She stated that the company had reviewed the matter carefully and found no evidence that Wirschubsky’s Jewish background or religion influenced the decision not to extend his assignment.
Christiernin also said that neither of the individuals involved is still working for Meliva, adding that the company could not comment further on individual personnel matters or differing accounts of workplace events.
The allegations come amid continuing concern over antisemitism in Swedish workplaces.
The case has drawn comparisons with a separate legal dispute involving a Jewish doctor at Karolinska University Hospital. In July 2025, the hospital reached a substantial settlement with the doctor following claims of systemic anti-Jewish discrimination and unlawful retaliation after he reported alleged workplace abuse.
Under the settlement, Karolinska agreed to pay SEK 3 million (approximately US$315,000), bringing to a close one of Sweden’s most prominent recent cases involving allegations of antisemitic discrimination in the healthcare sector.
Photo credit: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
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