An Ohio hospital is being sued by the US government for firing a surgeon for "being Jewish," according to the newly filed lawsuit. The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has filed a lawsuit against Mercy Health in Youngstown for violating federal law by subjecting a Jewish orthopedic surgeon to unfavorable terms and conditions of employment and "firing him because of his religion and race, shortly after the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks in Israel." The surgeon - named in other media as Dr Ian Walton - had a successful practice with Mercy for many years and performed well, "including exceeding Mercy’s productivity goals", according to the lawsuit. However, Mercy reportedly subjected Walton to antisemitic remarks throughout his employment and ultimately fired him in November 2023, advising him that he was "being terminated for a reason other than work performance." “After years of antisemitic harassment, shortly after Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel, the charging party faced a barrage of comments in the workplace blaming ‘the Jews’ for the attack," said EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas. Mathilda Heller, Jerusalem Post