Should doctors be allowed to bring their religion to work? [View all]

[rug]

Written by Dr. Benjamin W. Corn
4 hours ago

Yesterday, I stubbed my toe on an IV pole. Though not uncommon for someone working in a hospital like myself, this particular IV pole was located not in a cancer ward, but in a synagogue—the synagogue that is part of our hospital.

While living in the US, I expected church to be separate from state. Most US citizens regard religious liberty as a core value guaranteed by their country’s Constitution. Although in practice that may not always be the case, conceptually, this is the American way.

When I moved from Philadelphia to Tel Aviv 19 years ago, however, I realized things were different. As there is no separation of church—er, synagogue—and state in the deeply Jewish nation of Israel, I’ve since given up the inviolable principle of religious liberty. Today, I reside in a country where religion is inserted into government as well as life in general: Buses don’t run here on Saturdays because it’s the Jewish Sabbath, prime minister Netanyahu dines with president Obama exclusively at kosher restaurants, and every one of Israel’s hospitals (each an extension of the ministry of health) contains a synagogue.

I was initially surprised the synagogue in my hospital was not a source of protest for local residents. After all, could you imagine an urban medical center in the US hosting discussions about candle-lighting times for the upcoming Sabbath? Secular Israelis, however, seem to have a live-and-let-live attitude about that sort of thing.

http://qz.com/827785/should-doctors-be-allowed-to-bring-their-religion-to-work/