ByJennifer Lipman, Jennifer Lipman
A psychotherapist whose parents sought refuge in Britain during the Holocaust has won a racial discrimination case after a senior hospital manager made a Nazi jibe.
Judy Williams, 52, lost her job at the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital on the grounds of acting inappropriately to a vulnerable patient. She appealed the decision and won £80,000 payout for unfair dismissal.
But at a meeting last July to discuss whether she could return to her post, a senior human resources representative said: “If someone was of strong Jewish faith then you would not expect them to work in the Gestapo as they would not fit.”
Ms Williams said she considered the remark shocking in light of her Jewish identity. “It was an appalling analogy for her to have used.
“I feel physically sick - I had refugee parents and I am very proud of who I am. The comment was about Jews and the Gestapo and not having a place to fit. It was vile, really.”
The judge at the tribunal ruled that Ms Williams should be paid another £4,500 in compensation.