Hesen Jabr, a nurse at New York University (NYU) Langone Medical Center, was fired after delivering a speech decrying the "genocide in Gaza." The university claims she violated its policy against bringing personal views into the workplace, but Jabr insists her speech was relevant to the event's theme of bereavement.
Hesen Jabr, a nurse at New York University (NYU) Langone Medical Center, was fired after delivering a speech decrying the "genocide in Gaza." The university claims she violated its policy against bringing personal views into the workplace, but Jabr insists her speech was relevant to the event's theme of bereavement.
Jabr, a self-described "Palestinian-American Muslim" nurse, delivered the speech on May 7 during Nurse's Week for her work with bereaved mothers who lost their children during pregnancy or childbirth. She described the pain she felt seeing women in her home country going through unimaginable losses during the conflict in Gaza.
According to Jabr, she was terminated on May 22, the first day she arrived back on shift after delivering her speech. She alleges that she was brought into an impromptu meeting with the President and Vice President of Nursing at NYU Langone and was told that her speech had "put others at risk," "ruined the ceremony," and "offended people."
Jabr claims she was escorted off the premises by a plain clothes police officer after being read her termination letter by the director of human resources. In a statement, an NYU Langone spokesperson confirmed that Jabr was terminated following her speech.
The spokesperson stated that Jabr had been warned in December about bringing her views on Gaza into the workplace. Despite this warning, she chose to address the issue again at the employee recognition event, which upset some of her colleagues.
NYU Langone maintains that it is committed to providing a safe and inclusive environment for all employees and patients. It reminds employees of its high standards, Code of Conduct, and Social Media Policy, and expects all employees to adhere to these policies.
Jabr, who had worked at NYU Langone Health since 2015, believes her speech was relevant to the event's theme of bereavement. She has expressed her disappointment and outrage at her termination, claiming that she is being punished for her activism.
Jabr's activism has dated back decades. When she was an 11-year-old growing up in Louisiana, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit on her behalf after she was humiliated when she refused to accept a Bible handed out by her public school principal.
The case highlights the ongoing debate about freedom of speech and the limits of acceptable discourse in the workplace. NYU maintains that Jabr's speech violated its policy against bringing personal views into the workplace, while Jabr argues that her speech was protected under the First Amendment.
