Law & Justice
Trial of Two Former NSW Nurses Over Antisemitic Comments Postponed to November
By Today News Hours Editorial Desk
A trial involving two former NSW Health nurses accused of making antisemitic remarks to an Israeli influencer has been delayed. Ahmad Rashad Nadir, 28, and Sarah Abu Lebdeh, 27, pleaded not guilty to charges of menacing and offensive conduct after allegedly stating they would refuse to treat Israeli patients and threatening violence against them. Abu Lebdeh also denies a charge that she threatened a group. The trial was scheduled to begin on Monday but was vacated on Thursday morning due to a constitutional issue. The court has rescheduled the proceedings for November 19 in Parramatta. This is not the first postponement; the case has been delayed previously. Initially, videos and other recordings of the alleged antisemitic conversation were barred as evidence, with the nurses’ lawyers arguing the recordings were taken without consent and constituted an illegal invasion of privacy. The Court of Appeal overturned that decision, allowing the evidence to be used in the District Court trial. The alleged threats were made on an online video chat platform in February while the nurses were on a night shift at Bankstown‑Lidcombe Hospital in south‑west Sydney. In the footage, Nadir says, “You have no idea how many Israeli … came to this hospital and … I send them to [hell].” Nadir has apologized through his lawyer for the comments, describing them as a “big mistake.” Israeli national Max Ilinsky, known as Max Veifer, recorded a video of his conversation with the nurses on the platform ChatRoulette in 2025. The platform, called Chatruletka in Israel, randomly matches people from around the world for conversations. -AAP