DALLAS – Two Jewish mental health professionals filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday in Dallas against D2 Counseling and its co‑owners, Dr. Dina Hijazi and Rev. Daniel Gowan. The complaint alleges illegal antisemitic discrimination and retaliation after plaintiffs Yocheved Junger and Jacqueline Katz were prohibited from assisting a colleague in offering culturally competent care to a Jewish client. They were then terminated in violation of Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866.
Jaclyn Clark, counsel for The Lawfare Project, called the conduct “brazen” and stressed that Section 1981’s protections apply even to small employers that misclassify workers. “Discrimination based on Jewish identity is illegal race discrimination,” she said.
Brooke Goldstein, The Lawfare Project’s founder, emphasized the importance of opposing attempts to politicize Jewish trauma. “We will not tolerate attempts to politicize Jewish trauma to justify the denial of competent health care to Jewish patients,” she said, adding that the lawsuit aims both to achieve justice and to deter antisemitism in mental health practice.
The complaint notes that Hijazi cited the “Palestine-Israel topic” while banning further discussion of Jewish trauma, despite no such geopolitical topic having arisen. When Junger and Katz raised objections, Gowan reportedly told them they were “way over the line.”
LeElle B. Slifer of Winston & Strawn, representing the plaintiffs, highlighted precedent affirming Jews as a protected racial group. “The treatment Yocheved Junger and Jacqueline Katz experienced is not only unconscionable, but also unlawful,” she said.
The suit seeks relief including reinstatement, damages, and injunctive measures. It also aims to spotlight what plaintiffs characterize as growing antisemitism in mental health settings.
This article is based on verified information from The Lawfare Project.