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Post by jewishnurse on Dec 6, 2009 19:53:04 GMT -5
i worked in a hospital for over a year where i was the ONLY jewish nurse on my floor and the only white nurse on the floor  when making the schedule my coworkers would harass me to work on Saturday and sometimes on friday... i found it to be very offensive being that i was working every sunday and they all rotated to take an extra sunday off. Once this nurse who worked part time on my floor made a very anti-Semitic comment about "those jews all they talk about is the Messiah" then she saw i was there and made a nerves laugh.. i kinda ignored it.... are all hospitals like that?  I recently quit my job (and found another BH) |
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Post by Rivka P on Dec 7, 2009 0:03:15 GMT -5
because I am busy with a dumb family assessment paper, I will just post a quick response:
NO! Not all hospitals are like that! Hope your new job is more flexible and more diverse. By the way, you could/should have reported those coworkers for discrimination!
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Post by achot on Dec 7, 2009 0:36:37 GMT -5
For starters, I am so sorry you had to endure that kind of abuse, it can be quite typical depending on the area where you are from, I personally would be nervous being the only white nurse on the floor...
You did the right thing in leaving, certainly showed them and probably left a hole on Sundays that those nurses had to fill...
While complaining is the right thing to do theoretically, I find voting with your feet to be more effective and prevent backlash.
A friend once complained antisemitic behavior and suffered from the backlash...I think it is hard for one to fight against a whole bunch....
However you could have answered her in a light hearted attempt to reduce the antisemitism.
sometimes that works, For example...." Yes, I personally am waiting for the Messiah, aren't you holding out for better times, world peace , no hunger, happiness all around, Its all the same thing"
But I know its hard to think of good comebacks on the spot
BOttom line, I think you did the right thing!!
Welcome to the forum!
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Post by medic09 on Dec 7, 2009 10:52:05 GMT -5
First off, WELCOME to the forum! I hope we'll see lots of you, and benefit from your participation. I agree with Achot's comment. Especially about voting with your feet, and her suggested response at the end. Many places our non-Jewish colleagues really really don't get it about not working Shabbat and Yom Tov. Remember, in their culture(s) there is no such concept as issur m'lacha/prohibition to do m'lacha on a 'holy day'. So their initial response is 'well, I'd like a day off on the weekend, holiday, etc. too...'. The degree to which Torah obligates or prohibits behaviors is just not in their experience. Then again, try working in the boonies where I am. Folks don't even know what a Jew is or that we have a calendar in some places. One of my first job applications out here was at the EMS service in Taos. The then director was already to move to hire me, when I brought up that I can't work on the 'Sabbath or Jewish holydays.' She very innocently looked at me and said, 'what's a Jewish holiday?'. She had never met a Jew before (that she was aware of), and had no idea that our religious culture exists beyond ancient Bible stories. Granted, that's extreme even for out here; but it does happen.  I have several times simply withdrawn applications when it became clear during the hiring process that there would be problems later on. Mind you, I have the luxury of doing so easily, since our benefits come from my wife's job. |
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Post by jewishnurse on Dec 7, 2009 19:46:52 GMT -5
thank you all i thought of saying "comebacks" but im under the impression that it would cause more harm... i try to get along with most people... i took the job knowing i was the only white nurse as the hospital is 2 min drive from my house, I was prego when i took the job (first job out of school) and wanted to be close to home... now im doing home care, and BH im very happy... of course there are things i miss about the hospital but for now home care works for my family life medic09- lucky you i wish my benefits came from somewhere else  |
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Post by chavamom on Dec 11, 2009 1:25:35 GMT -5
It's funny b/c where I work they joke that they wish they could hire a bunch of my Orthodox friends - and please if they could speak Spanish too, that would be great. Seriously, no one wants to work Sundays, X-mas, New Years, Easter, Mother's Day, etc but us!
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Post by mypprincess on Dec 30, 2009 21:44:03 GMT -5
jewishnurse, it must be horrible to endure such open harassment. It must have been very uncomfortable to say the least. I for one have felt harassed, although it is very hard for me to figure out who the culprits are. Take this Chanukah for example: A day after Thanksgiving, a beautiful tree was set up with decorations, lights with fake gifts underneath. The radio constantly played Holiday music so much so that I can sing them in my dreams  . If that wasn't enough, my desk is right across the tree and I had to stare at it all day. My supervisor very graciously asked me to bring a Menorah. At first I wasn't interested, but then I decided I needed a nice Menorah to counter the festive holiday environment. I brought a nice Menorah from home and inserted long, white, wax candles. Sunday morning, when I came to work I found the Menorah hidden in the back of the dresser with 2 candles broken. I assumed it fell by mistake and placed it back in its place. The next day, when I came to work I found the Menorah upside down with another candle broken. This repeated itself several times. Until the day I came to work to find the candles fixed and placed in a high shelf right across my desk. The sweetest nurse I work with did that for me. Where I work, the black nurses are harassed by patients, although some in a very subtle manner. One patient refused to answer to the nurse's questions complaining, "I don't answer to black people. I'll get stubbed fingers." One story was hilarious. A black patient came to our office for a scheduled haldol injection. The big black nurse came to her with the long, thick needle and asked her to drop her pants. She freaked out and complained, "I don't trust black nurses!" She then pointed to me and demanded, "I want the white nurse to do that." I explained to the patient that she is a great nurse that does a super job and not to worry. Then I told her to apologize because she hurt that nurse's feelings. She did. I asked the patient if she trusts her mother... ;D |
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Post by achot on Dec 31, 2009 2:19:13 GMT -5
HYSTERICAL!!!!!
Funny but I dont have such problems here in Israel....:-)
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Post by Rivka P on Dec 31, 2009 20:21:15 GMT -5
yeh, there is still a lot of racism in my hospital and they attempt to fix it by holding diversity training but they cannot control what comes in from the patient end.
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I have several times simply withdrawn applications when it became clear during the hiring process that there would be problems later on. Mind you, I have the luxury of doing so easily, since our benefits come from my wife's job.
. If that wasn't enough, my desk is right across the tree and I had to stare at it all day. My supervisor very graciously asked me to bring a Menorah. At first I wasn't interested, but then I decided I needed a nice Menorah to counter the festive holiday environment. I brought a nice Menorah from home and inserted long, white, wax candles. Sunday morning, when I came to work I found the Menorah hidden in the back of the dresser with 2 candles broken. I assumed it fell by mistake and placed it back in its place. The next day, when I came to work I found the Menorah upside down with another candle broken. This repeated itself several times. Until the day I came to work to find the candles fixed and placed in a high shelf right across my desk. The sweetest nurse I work with did that for me.