U.S. HHS (official portrait; crop).
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. praised Jewish achievements in medicine, science and business in an October 30 statement, saying their contributions to modern life deserve gratitude.
“It takes leadership to speak up. And Secretary Kennedy is demonstrating leadership again and again,” said Duvi Honig, editor-in-chief of JBizNews and Founder and CEO of the Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce.
Honig said Kennedy is speaking up for patients with Lyme disease and chronic illness while recognizing Jewish leadership. He said he and the Chamber are working closely with Kennedy on Lyme disease through their advocacy.
The scale of the problem is substantial: CDC estimates from insurance claims that about 476,000 people may be diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease annually in the United States. That is not a count of people living with chronic Lyme disease or all tick-borne infections, and CDC cautions that billing codes may overstate confirmed diagnoses.
In his Friday statement on X, Kennedy credited Jewish traditions of ethics and thinking with shaping “Western civilization and global progress.” He cited medical research, technology, education, philanthropy and the arts.
“In a rational universe, wouldn’t non-Jews be expected to celebrate these contributions with gratitude?” he wrote.
The statement, posted at 11:46 a.m. Friday, came as Kennedy defended remarks he said he had made at a Grand Rapids event supporting Mike Rogers. He said his criticism of scientific output in Arab nations was directed at Islamism, not Arabs or Islam as a religion. He also praised the scholarship of earlier Muslim civilizations and exchanges among Muslim, Jewish and Christian scholars.
Kennedy’s account identifies its posts as his personal views. His historical comparisons were part of his argument, not findings announced by HHS.
From recognition to public health
Kennedy singled out Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin for their work on polio vaccines and Albert Einstein for his contributions to science. His recognition of Jewish achievements in medicine comes amid a separate federal effort to address Lyme disease and infection-associated chronic illness.
On December 15, 2025, Kennedy convened patients, clinicians and researchers for a roundtable on Lyme disease diagnostics and care. In its announcement of the event, HHS said the meeting fulfilled commitments to address chronic and often unseen illnesses. C-SPAN carries a recording of the Lyme disease roundtable.
“For decades, Americans suffering from Lyme disease have been denied the accurate diagnostics and meaningful care they deserve,” Kennedy said in the HHS announcement.
HHS announced the renewal of the $10 million LymeX Innovation Accelerator with the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation, a partnership established in 2020. The department also said Medicare guidance clarified support for beneficiaries with Lyme disease and related conditions through the Chronic Care Management program.
In a May 29, 2026 announcement, Kennedy outlined further initiatives: a tick-control pilot, up to $2.5 million in innovation challenges and a collaboration to connect patients with experienced providers. The programs seek to improve prevention, testing and care; their announcement does not establish that every patient has benefited.
Honig, founder of Life for Lyme, spoke at the December 15, 2025 HHS Lyme disease roundtable recorded by C-SPAN. Life for Lyme is part of the Chamber’s Health and Medical Alliance.
JBizNews Desk | Washington
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