Help Hayf rebuild after a wrongful termination

Hi Everyone,

We have set up this fundraiser to support our close friend Hayf Abichahine cover his bills and be able to rebuild himself after an abrupt and problematic termination from his job as the director of Diversity, Equity and Justice at Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH). Hayf lost his job due to politically-motivated and seemingly racist complaints from a group of employees at VCH.

The complaints against Hayf were related to posts made on Hayf’s personal social media accounts advocating for peace in Palestine and sharing pro-Palestinian sentiments. The complaints filed against Hayf labeled these posts (and Hayf) as antisemitic and having caused fear and harm to Jewish staff at VCH. These accusations were devastating to Hayf, who has a long history of unwavering personal, professional, and public commitment to standing up against antisemitism and all forms of discrimination. As Jews, we are well aware of the dangers in conflating pro-Palestinian sentiments with anti-semintism and we can clearly identify that these complaints were leveled as part of a campaign from pro-Israeli voices to silence pro-Palestinian sentiment and support. Hayf was, in the end, let go without due process or any kind of review of the offending posts or of the complainants motivations.

Hayf’s termination and public silencing has meant that Hayf has now lost his career, his financial security, and it has deeply shaken his foundation and sense of purpose. It is also a stark reminder that pro-Palestinian voices that speak out against genocide will be silenced in our public institutions in favour of a status quo that supports a larger colonial agenda.

Hayf is a parent to two young children and despite working tirelessly to build up his photography and apparel business, he is still struggling to catch up. Hayf is someone who has always been there for others, we have both seen and experienced how Hayf can be a support to so many members of his community - and now it’s our turn to lend a hand. Please consider donating to help Hayf through this transition period and support him and his family to be able to remain in their Vancouver community. Any contribution, no matter how small, will make a difference and bring him one step closer to stability and peace of mind. If more money is raised than needed, Hayf will donate the remaining funds to the Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA)

Cora & Dan

The detailed story is below:

Background:

Hayf Abichahine is a Palestinian-Lebanese-Canadian who lives with his two children on the unceded, traditional lands of the Musqueam, Tsleil-Watuth, and Squamish Nations (Vancouver, BC). After being hired and announced as the Director of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) in February 2024, a group of physicians working for or associated with VCH began a coordinated campaign to have him fired. They submitted six letters referencing social media posts related to Palestine that Hayf shared online before working at VCH in November 2023. The complaints did not identify any actual instances of antisemitism and appeared to be motivated by anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab racism.

When VCH brought the complaint to his attention on March 4th, he was led to believe that: (1) VCH was working with him to resolve the complaints, (2) that the organization fully stood behind him, and (3) that it did not agree with the allegations that he was antisemitic. Hayf was given no indication that VCH was working on a course to terminate his employment. VCH leadership repeatedly reassured him that the organization supported him and believed he was the right person for the role.

Hayf then participated in a thorough, sincere, and painstaking process with VCH leadership to co-develop a written response to the complaints.

As painful as it was for Hayf, he also agreed to remove all Palestine-related content on his social media. At that time, he explained in a detailed email to VCH leadership that this decision was spiritually and emotionally painful. He explained that by agreeing to this request, he was participating in silencing their own voice in the context of a humanitarian crisis affecting his own family and people. At the same time, he acknowledged a concern that this manufactured controversy would distract from his EDI work at VCH. Hayf reaffirmed his commitment to combating antisemitism; He also reiterated that taking complaints of antisemitism seriously does not justify refusing to recognize the racism that imbued these particular complaints. He highlighted the need to ensure that Palestinians working at VCH also felt safe and included. Hayf shared that he was committed to finding a way forward so that he could continue to do the important EDI work he believed in at VCH and was reassured that VCH shared this commitment.

What followed was an agonizing two-weeks working directly with VCH leadership while also trying to come to terms with how his calls for human rights, peace, and an end to bloodshed could be misconstrued as antisemitic and hateful.

Despite his wholehearted cooperation and assurances from VCH, Hayf was terminated on March 15, 2024.

In the termination letter, VCH said that it had lost confidence in Hayf’s ability to neutrally and safely provide a sense of belonging for everyone through the Office of EDI, and that therefore he could not fulfill the essential elements of his role. These conclusions were wrong and unfounded. They are based on harmful stereotypes of Arabs as angry, violent, and dangerous.

VCH did not take any actions that would clear Hayf of the accusations of antisemitism. On the contrary, Hayf’s sudden departure, shrouded in secrecy, lent credence to the allegations against him and tarnished his reputation. Allegations of racism are particularly harmful to the professional reputation of a person working in the field of EDI. EDI is a small field. Being hired as Regional Director of EDI for VCH was widely noted in the professional EDI community. Hayf’s sudden departure, similarly, has attracted attention. This very short service with VCH will hinder their ability to find another job in their field as it will raise questions with prospective employers.

Hayf has a young family based in Vancouver and is not able to move to find a comparable role. Staying in his community is particularly important to him and his family.

Hayf is still coming to terms with the magnitude of the personal, emotional, and professional toll that this has had on his life and on his family. He has suffered extreme mental distress in addition to economic loss due to his termination and the way in which it was done.

The goal of this Go Fund Me is to allow Hayf to be able to support his children while he works to rebuild his career and heal from such a deeply hurtful and personal attack. Please note: no legal support or advice is needed at this time - Hayf and VCH have completed a legal process.