US cardiologist: Medical union supports terrorists, excludes Israelis

A US cardiologist told a congressional subcommittee that his union, the Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR), publicly supports terror sympathizers and formally endorses the exclusion of Israeli colleagues. Dr. Jacob Agronin, a Philadelphia-based cardiology fellow, testified that the union has declared the State of Israel guilty of apartheid and genocide as a matter of official organizational doctrine.

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I am an American physician. I did not choose this union. It was voted in at my institution; no collective bargaining agreement has yet been signed, and I will soon be compelled by law to fund it.

Agronin, who stated he did not choose the union and will soon be compelled by law to fund it, emphasized that his concerns are "American concerns." He argued that when a union representing 37,000 physicians openly supports figures associated with Hamas and Hezbollah, recommends excluding Israeli workers, and uses compelled dues from federally-funded trainees to advance this agenda, it poses a problem for national security and the integrity of medical institutions.

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I am a Jewish American, but the concerns I bring to this subcommittee are not Jewish concerns. They are American concerns. When a union representing 37,000 physicians openly supports figures associated with Hamas and Hezbollah, formally recommends that hospitals exclude Israeli workers, and uses compelled dues from federally-funded trainees to advance that agenda – that is a problem for every American who cares about the integrity of our medical institutions and our national security.

The CIR, the largest house staff union in the US, passed a resolution in May 2024 titled "Housestaff Against Apartheid." This resolution formally declares Israel maintains an "apartheid occupation against the Palestinian people" and that Israeli actions constitute genocide under the UN definition. It also endorses the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement and rejects conflating antisemitism with anti-Zionism.

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Housestaff Against Apartheid.

Furthermore, the union has publicly supported an organizer connected to organizations linked to Hamas and a physician who expressed sympathy for Hezbollah. Agronin noted that Israeli colleagues feel "directly targeted" by the union's "human capital" divestment language, which formally recommends they not be employed at institutions where they work and train.

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israel maintains “an apartheid occupation against the Palestinian people” and that Israeli actions constitute genocide under the UN definition.