Jewish Doctor Apologizes For White Nationalist Writings
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
By Aiden Pink July 26, 2018
A Jewish doctor in New York City who has been “placed off duty” by his hospital after being accused of writing hateful comments on a white nationalist website has apologized.
“I am filled with remorse and take full responsibility for my actions, which will long be an embarrassment to my family, friends, colleagues, and community,” Dov Bechhofer wrote in a statement shared with the Forward.
Bechhoffer advocated for a white ethnostate and the deportation of Muslims, mused about the possibility of armed racial revolution, expressed disgust with interracial relationships and wrote what he called “A Jewish Defense of Anti-Semitism.”
Bechhofer’s online identity, including his comments on the blog of the white-nationalist publishing house Counter-Currents, was revealed in an article that briefly appeared on the website Medium on Monday before being taken down because it also shared his home address and contact information.
Paper copies of the since-deleted original article were distributed in Bechhofer’s building on Tuesday by an unknown party, a resident of that building told the Forward.
The person who revealed Bechhofer’s identity told the Forward on Tuesday that the investigation was done “so his neighbors know who he is and who they’re living near. Just like child sex offenders get registered.”
Bechhofer’s statement went on to denounce bigotry and violence and said he is “actively seeking long-term professional help to deal with these issues, which must be confronted honestly and completely.”
“While I have much soul-searching and work to do on myself, I intend to take actions for the rest of my life that promote the dignity of all humanity,” he concluded.
Bechhofer’s hospital, Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, said in a statement that Bechhofer would remain off duty pending the results of an investigation. The hospital made a point to clarify to the local news site Gothamist that being taken off duty was different than being suspended.
Next Monday, the hospital will be the site of a protest calling for Bechhofer to be fired and have his medical license revoked, organized by a self-described “revolutionary mass organization” called SPARC.
Contact Aiden Pink at [email protected] or on Twitter, @aidenpink
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
