Jewish doctor wins religious exemption from union membership and dues over the union's anti-Israel, pro-BDS stances

A Jewish physician at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia no longer has to join or pay a union whose stances on Israel he said violate his religious beliefs, Fox News Digital reports.

Dr. Jacob Agronin got the accommodation after America First Legal took his case to the Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR), SEIU Local 1957. The union's contract with the hospital required covered employees to join or pay agency fees. AFL pointed to CIR's 2024 resolutions accusing Israel of apartheid and genocide, backing the BDS movement and refusing to endorse candidates who take donations from "the Israel lobby."

In an Oct. 9 letter, the union confirmed it had granted the accommodation. "No fees will be taken out of his paycheck, his employer will honor that and he does not have to be a member of the union at all," AFL counsel Megan Redshaw said. Agronin's request cited Jewish law and belief.

Agronin testified to a House Education and Workforce subcommittee in May that CIR's statement after Oct. 7 did not name Hamas and treated "the perpetrators and victims of October 7th as equivalent parties." Redshaw said other doctors with similar objections may be able to get full exemptions, depending on their state. CIR and Temple University Hospital did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital.