US Jewish doctor who refused to sign anti-BDS pledge wins payment for work

A Jewish doctor in the US, who made headlines earlier this year for refusing to support an anti-BDS state law, has been granted payment for his work.

Steve Feldman, a dermatologist from North Carolina, did an online Zoom lecture in February for the University of Arkansas for which he was promised compensation of US$500. He was then told that he would be required to sign an anti-BDS pledge to receive payment for his work. 

Feldman refused to sign the anti-BDS pledge, arguing that it violated his constitutional right to free speech. The Arkansas state law requiring Feldman to sign the anti-BDS pledge demands that state contractors earning more than US$1,000 make the anti-BDS pledge, meaning that Feldman's payment would not fall under their own law. 

After weeks of publicity, including Feldman vowing to take his case to the US Supreme Court, he was finally given his US$500 compensation, which he decided to donate to the Jewish Voice for Peace.

"Dr Feldman's brave commitment to Palestinian rights is inspirational, and we are thrilled that his constitutionally protected right to boycott was legally upheld," Stefanie Fox, executive director of Jewish Voice for Peace, said in a public statement. 

"We all have the right — and obligation — to withhold our complicity in injustice. Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions were key tools in historic social justice victories and are just as critical for building economic pressure to end Israeli apartheid. We are so grateful for Dr. Feldman's generous donation to our work – and will use it to continue our efforts toward a future of justice, equality and freedom for Palestinians, and for all people."

For his part, Feldman invoked his family's history of struggling against oppression and how that has shaped his views on present-day injustice.

"The lesson I learned from my family's suffering in the Holocaust is to stand up against all injustice. Making and keeping so many families refugees from their homes and inflicting violence on them is not something we should be supporting, nor is it consistent with our values," he said in a public statement.

"I'm no lawyer, but I can't imagine that it is constitutional for the state to punish someone for speaking out against such horrible injustice. Hopefully, this obvious violation of our First Amendment rights will have a beneficial outcome, making more Americans realize how wrong our support for the mistreatment of Palestinian families has been," he added.