New York, NY, February 24, 2021 ... ADL (Anti-Defamation League) today voiced concern with the stereotypical portrayal of Hasidic Jews in several scenes of the NBC series "Nurses" in an episode that aired on February 9, 2021 and called on senior network executives to review and pull the episode in question.
Jonathan A. Greenblatt, ADL CEO and National Director, issued the following statement:
“The portrayal of a Hasidic Jew making hateful remarks about ‘an Arab, a woman’ is gratuitous and inflammatory, and only validates longstanding antisemitic stereotypes. Additionally, the episode’s entire premise is wrong.
"In Jewish law, anything that is potentially lifesaving or health-preserving is not only permitted but indeed mandated. Unfortunately, myths about Jewish religious beliefs and practices are far-too commonplace, and this episode only serves to amplify such longstanding misperceptions about Jews.
"We have reached out to NBC executives and have requested that they pull the episode and review their standards for approving dramatic content so that this doesn’t happen in the future.”