Earlier this month, NYU Langone Health honored labor and delivery nurse Hesen Jabr for her compassionate care towards mothers who had lost their babies. Shortly after receiving the award, Jabr found herself terminated from her position due to the speech she gave during the acceptance ceremony.
In her speech, Jabr addressed the suffering of Palestinian women amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, which she described as a “genocide.” She drew parallels between her work with grieving mothers in New York and the plight of women in Gaza. “It pains me to see the women from my country going through unimaginable losses during the current genocide in Gaza,” said Jabr, who is Palestinian-American. “Even though I can’t hold their hands and comfort them, I hope to keep making them proud as I represent them here at NYU.”
Following her remarks, Jabr was dismissed from her position on May 22. She detailed the incident in a social media post, stating, “As soon as I walked into the unit, I was dragged into an impromptu meeting with the President and Vice President of Nursing at NYU Langone to discuss how I ‘put others at risk’ and ‘ruined the ceremony’ because a small part of my speech was a tribute to the grieving mothers in my country.”
NYU Langone spokesman Steve Ritea confirmed Jabr’s termination, citing a “previous incident” and a warning given to her in December not to discuss divisive issues in the workplace. “She 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,” said Ritea.
Jabr’s firing has sparked conversations about free speech and the consequences faced by professionals for their public statements on the Israel-Palestine conflict. Other medical professionals at NYU Langone have also faced repercussions for their views on this contentious issue, including a prominent cancer researcher and a doctor-trainee.
Despite the termination, Jabr remains resolute. “The psychological warfare NYU has waged on me as a nurse, Muslim, Palestinian, and woman has only left me resolute,” she posted on Facebook.
