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Two board members resign after Jewish doctor says he was singled out in Ontario Medical Association election
A Jewish doctor who was running for president of the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) says he was singled out and treated differently than other candidates during a recent election that triggered the resignation of two board members.
Hal Berman, a palliative care doctor in Toronto, lost his bid in an election that took place between late February and early March. But he says his candidacy was sunk because the OMA added a warning to his profile over his social media accounts, which mostly consisted of posts about daily life and antisemitism.
In February, Berman was informed that a note had been added to his campaign profile on the OMA website for his candidacy because social media posts he made between late 2024 and December 2025 “used language frequently characterized by a confrontational and combative tone.”
Berman, a former New Democratic Party (NDP) candidate in the Toronto riding of Willowdale, has rainbow flags on his X profile, and on Instagram, he describes himself as the “grandson of Bundists,” a Jewish socialist movement founded in Russia.
His social media posts show a wide range of content during that period, from weighing in on Toronto’s speed cameras and sharing his five-kilometre charity race results, to criticizing NDP MP Heather McPherson for sending a message to the Jewish community on Yom Kippur, a day when observant Jews do not use social media. He called much of McPherson’s commentary on the Israel-Hamas war “tone deaf” and “performative cosplay,” sharing an image of the parliamentarian wearing a keffiyeh wrapped around her shoulders.
He frequently criticized the NDP — “MY party” as he wrote in one post — for its mishandling of alleged antisemitism in its own ranks. Many of his posts refer to the Israel-Hamas war and antisemitism.
“The one thing we can’t let happen is to allow antisemites to drive the narrative of the Israel-Hamas war,” he wrote in August 2025.
The OMA did not respond to his requests for evidence of which specific posts were problematic, he said.
However, “the first time there were complaints made about my social media (that I know of) to the OMA, it was when I said that supporting the campus encampments was not an inclusive position for an organization to take. The OMA didn’t take that position but the Ontario Medical Student Association (OMSA) did and I said that it wasn’t a position that was inclusive of all of their members. I was told that there were a lot of complaints about that,” he told the Post in a follow-up email.
The OMSA had issued a statement in support of peaceful student-led protests .
Berman said he struggled to understand why he was the only candidate who was flagged but assumed it was because of the stances he took against antisemitism. Meanwhile, a candidate — who he says routinely engaged in anti-Israel activism — was not flagged.
“Of all the presidential candidates and the board candidates, mine was the only one that was singled out,” Berman told National Post.
“So if you’re Jewish, you’re combative, argumentative. If you’re not Jewish, then it’s just political views,” he said. “My concern was that the Jewish candidate was not being treated the same as the others.”
The OMA had a third party rate the social media presence of candidates for president elect. Dr. Hal Berman, a Jewish candidate who has been fighting antisemitism online, was described as confrontational and combative. Good.Vote for Hal. He'll fight for you.@BermanPCMD pic.twitter.com/PHtfCCJtBQ
— David Jacobs (@DrJacobsRad) February 17, 2026
The OMA confirmed that Berman was the only candidate flagged during an “independent third-party review,” in a written statement to the Post.
“This screening is part of the standard elections process and is intended to ensure that candidates’ publicly available social media activity aligns with expectations related to professionalism and respectful engagement, as outlined in the OMA’s Code of Conduct and Civility. It is not focused on personal opinions or positions but on interactions that could impact eligibility to hold office. This is a well‑established component of our vetting practice and helps ensure that members have accurate, comprehensive information about all candidates,” the association said.
The OMA said the review was conducted by Promeus , a firm specializing in “executive-level recruitment” with an emphasis on equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI). Promeus initially declined to comment when reached by the Post and sent the request to the OMA. However, after the OMA’s confirmation, Promeus partner Judy Mandelman sent an email clarifying “we did NOT do the social media checks.”
“We use a third party for all background and reference checks, a partnership we have had for 20+ years,” she wrote. “This is important to us in terms of maintaining complete objectivity and validity in the results generated.” Mandelman declined to elaborate which company Promeus contracted for the social media check and which specific posts Berman made that were deemed problematic.
Berman said that he became vocal about his concerns regarding rising antisemitism following the October 7 atrocities in Israel. He was particularly critical of the NDP and international figures such as United Nations special rapporteur Francesca Albanese, the latter for “her persistence in misusing the term genocide,” he said.
He said he has personally “experienced attacks based on the fact that I’m Jewish several times.” His work address was published online, which “led to safety concerns.”
Berman demanded a “formal apology” after his campaign profile was published on OMA’s website on Feb. 17 with a warning that his social posts have a “confrontational and combative tone.”
Berman requested the disclaimer be removed from his profile, according to an email he sent to former OMA president Dominik Nowak, which was shared with the Post. Nowak was overseeing the election. “I do not believe that this is fair, and I believe that it puts me at a disadvantage. I believe that this constitutes election interference and calls into question the integrity of the whole electoral process,” Berman wrote.
The OMA subsequently changed the language several times amid his protests. Berman said that the final version of his campaign profile noted his social media activity “may not align with our code of conduct and civility” and came with a disclaimer that “members should review social media presence to form their own opinions.” Berman was not satisfied with the amendment and told the Post he has considered taking legal action.
Berman ultimately lost the election. The winner, Haroon Yousuf, did not respond to the Post’s requests for comment.
Berman’s treatment also contributed to the resignation of two OMA board members, Paul Conte and Paul Hacker. They both resigned on Feb. 17, the same day Berman’s campaign profile was published with the original warning.
“I want to be very clear: I do not endorse or oppose any specific candidate in this election. My resignation is not about the candidates; it is about the process itself,” Hacker wrote in a Facebook group with medical professionals, according to a screenshot shared with the Post.
“I fundamentally disagree with the approach of publishing third-party commentary on a candidate’s ‘tone’ or ‘style’ as part of the election process,” Hacker continued. “I am resigning because my personal views on fair process and governance oversight are no longer aligned with the current direction of the Board. I cannot in good conscience continue to serve when I fundamentally disagree with these procedural choices.”
Both Hacker and Conte declined to comment when reached by the Post.
The OMA told the Post the resignations were “personal decisions” coming from “individuals nearing the end of their terms,” which did not impact “the ability of the Board of Directors to conduct its work or maintain quorum.”
“We respect the decisions of individual board members and remain committed to continuing effective governance and leadership as part of fulfilling our mandate to represent physicians across the province,” the association said.
The departure of Hacker and Conte was mourned by Sohail Gandhi, who was OMA president from 2019-2020. He blogged about his frustration with the election’s handling. He cast skepticism on third-party reviews, which, he argued, could open the association “up to potential legal action.”
“I’m writing to express my extreme displeasure about how the OMA has handled the elections process,” Gandhi wrote in an open letter the day after Berman’s candidate profile was first published by OMA.
Gandhi went on to describe the resigning directors as members of “extremely high levels of integrity,” adding, “They KNOW when governance is going off the rails, and for them to take this steps (sic) speaks volumes about your leadership,” he continued in a post addressed to OMA chief executive Kim Moran and board chair Cathy Faulds.
Gandhi does not feel that Berman’s treatment was the result of anti-Jewish bias but rather the ineptitude of the medical association.
“The OMA as an organization really botched it with how they handled the President-Elect elections,” Gandhi wrote the Post. “In answer to a question I was asked by others, this was not antisemitism at play, however. It was just plain old-fashioned incompetence.”
The association stood by its handling of the election, explaining it “has a rigorous system in place to ensure that all elections uphold the standards and policies of the Association are applied equally to all candidates.”
“OMA elections give members the opportunity to meaningfully engage with their association and elect representatives in a process that is open, fair, and transparent. The OMA promotes a consistent nomination and voting process that includes external vetting, clear candidate information, and robust governance guidelines so that all eligible members can participate with confidence,” the association wrote the Post.
Lisa Salamon, President of the Jewish Medical Association of Ontario (JMAO) and the former co-chair of the OMA’s governance transformation task force, felt that Berman was treated to a different standard because he is Jewish.
“There was totally a malicious antisemitic undertone,” she alleged of Berman’s treatment during the election. “The only tweets that Hal made were about antisemitism. The rest of his social media is nothing.”
Salamon alleged that it wasn’t the first time Berman was targeted for being Jewish. In late 2024, she said, an OMA staff member requested her to ask Berman “to stop posting stuff about antisemitism on social media as they were getting complaints,” she told the Post.
“He was one of the only Jewish doctors left who was posting anything condemning antisemitism. Everyone else was scared.”
When asked about the alleged incident, the OMA denied trying to get Berman to stop posting about antisemitism. “OMA staff do not censor physician leaders for expressing their views,” the organization told the Post in an email. “The OMA supports its members’ ability to speak on important and sensitive issues, provided those interactions align with the expectations set out in the OMA’s Code of Conduct and Civility.”
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