Sydney nurses, university lecturer, plead not guilty in antisemitism cases

Two Sydney nurses threatened to murder Israeli patients in one case, while a former University of Sydney lecturer fired for harassing Jewish students during the Sukkot holiday faces charges of harassment.

By World Israel News Staff

Three suspects indicted in two separate cases in Sydney, Australia, involving antisemitic harassment pleaded not guilty in court appearances this week.

On Monday, two former nurses from Bankstown Hospital in Sydney appeared at the Downing Centre District Court for their arraignment on charges of threatening violence against a group and using a communications service to “menace, harass, or offend.”

The two defendants – Sarah Abu Lebdeh, 27, and Ahmad Rashad Nadir, 28 – both entered pleas of not guilty during their court appearance.

The pair were indicted last year in connection with a February 12, 2025, video chat with an Israeli influencer, Max Veifer, in which the two threatened to kill Israeli patients after learning that Veifer is Israeli. Nadir also claimed to have murdered patients in the past.

“You have no idea how many Israeli sh*t dogs have come to this hospital, and I sent them to hell,” he said.

“I won’t treat them, I’ll kill them,” said Abu Lebdeh.

The trial is slated to begin on August 31, lasting an estimated five days.

The defense is expected to challenge the admissibility of video footage from the chat in a case that has been complicated by the fact that the complainant and the suspects were located in separate countries and communicated remotely.

A day after the two former nurses appeared in court, former University of Sydney lecturer Rose Nakad pleaded not guilty at the Newtown Local Court to two charges of harassment and intimidation and one count of offensive conduct for her antisemitic rant against Jewish students on campus during the Sukkot festival last fall.

During the incident in October, Nakad called Jewish students and staff members “parasites” and “filthy f*cking Zionists,” while demanding to know if Jews celebrating the Sukkot holiday identified as Zionists.

Supporters of the former lecturer, who was fired in December following the massacre at a Chanukah event in Sydney, gathered outside the court during the arraignment, with some wearing keffiyehs in solidarity with the Palestinian cause.