11h57 PST 2/24/2021
in
Seth Abramovitch
“The writers in this scene check all the boxes of ignorance and harmful negative stereotypes,” says the Simon Wiesenthal Center about a recent episode involving an orthodox patient.
An episode of the NBC medical drama Nurses he was condemned by the Simon Wiesenthal Center for a plot involving an Orthodox Jew who refuses a bone graft from a potentially “Arab” or “woman” donor.
The controversy led NBC to remove the episode from all digital platforms and future exhibitions.
“The writers in this scene check all the boxes of ignorance and negative stereotypes that are harmful to the patient’s name, Israel – payments [sidelocks] and everything, “says a statement.” In one scene, NBC insulted and demonized religious Jews and Judaism. “
The scene – which aired on February 9 in an episode called “Achilles Heel” and was first released on the website Jew in the city – features a young Orthodox Jew named Israel lying in a hospital bed after an accident. His father stands beside his bed, where he insists that “the Creator” will heal him. A nurse counters that “medicine” is the answer to her broken leg.
Soon a doctor informs them that Israel will require a bone graft – requiring that part of a corpse’s leg be surgically inserted into yours.
“Do you want to put a dead leg inside me?” Israel asks.
“A death goyim leg – from anyone. Arab woman, “says the horrified father.
“Or God forbid an Arab woman …” the nurse sarcastically interrupts.
Israel refuses treatment, saying, “It is God who heals what he creates.” Your father watches with approval.
There are no restrictions in Orthodox Judaism regarding cadaver transplants.
In response to the scene, the Simon Wiesenthal Center notes: “Orthodox Jews are the target of violent hate crimes in New York City. Jews are [the] number one target of hate crimes in the USA. This is not a slip of the tongue. It was a cheap and vile attack disguised as TV drama. What is NBC going to do about it? “
Elsewhere, B’nai Brith Canada demanded action during the episode. “The disturbing stereotypes present in this episode of Nurses they are deeply harmful to Jews, especially orthodox practitioners, ”said Michael Mostyn, CEO of B’nai Brith Canada, in a statement. “We ask producers to act responsibly and take responsibility for this outrage.
The Toronto-set Nurses is a Canadian series that was chosen by NBC in late 2020 amid a shortage of original programming due to the pandemic COVID-19.
The anti-Semitic controversy arises in the wake of another issue involving NBC, after Saturday Night LiveMichael Che joked recently: “Israel is reporting that it vaccinated half of its population. I suppose it is half Jewish.”
The comment prompted the Anti-Defamation League to issue a statement saying it had been monitoring the “Weekend Update” segment, which had “misused Jews as a joke” on repeated occasions.
NBC responded to Nurses controversial when removing the episode from the digital platforms and canceling all future exhibitions, according to sources with knowledge of the subject. While the network is talking to several Jewish groups, it has no plans to issue a statement condemning the episode.
The end of the season Nurses aired on February 23. It is unlikely that NBC will order new episodes, as the production of its regular schedule increases again after the closure of COVID-19.
February 24, 1:14 pm Updated to include NBC shares.