'I'm Highly Educated!': KPMG Employee Put on Leave After Calling Jewish Man a 'Zionist Pig' in Viral Video

A KPMG (Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler) manager has been placed on administrative leave after she was filmed calling a Jewish man a 'Zionist pig' at a Manhattan gym, in footage that spread quickly across social media and drew a public demand for action from billionaire investor Bill Ackman.

The woman, named by the campaign group StopAntisemitism as Yuen Lee, was recorded on Wednesday, 16 September, at Chelsea Piers Fitness in the Flatiron district of Manhattan. The group posted the video the same day, and it was widely viewed and shared on X as users tagged her employer.

The moment that gave the clip its charge came when the man behind the camera told Lee she knew nothing about him. Rather than soften the language she had used, she insisted she was well read and 'highly educated'.

StopAntisemitism said Lee had been placed on administrative leave, and KPMG US confirmed the step.

A spokesperson said the firm was 'committed to fostering an inclusive culture that is free from discrimination,' and that 'there is no place for discriminatory rhetoric in our firm.' The manager had been suspended while the firm followed its 'process and procedures', the spokesperson said.

What the Gym Footage Shows

The footage picks up partway through the confrontation, and the portion before recording began has not been released. In it, the man says the abuse was unprovoked. 'You're just recording me. You're not doing anything with that. I didn't say anything about you, you called me a Zionist,' he tells her.

Lee gives a different account of how the dispute started, saying the man had approached her over what she was wearing. 'This man came up to me to comment on my outfit today,' she says, appearing in the video to have a black-and-white keffiyeh tied around her waist.

The exchange sharpens when the man says, 'You called me a Zionist pig, you don't even know anything about me.' Lee doubles down rather than backs away. 'I actually do, I read books, I'm actually highly educated!' she replies.

Asked plainly what she had called him, Lee repeats it. 'A Zionist pig', she answers, before adding, 'Okay yeah there you go. Basically.' Chelsea Piers Fitness has not commented on the incident or on Lee's membership.

Bill Ackman Tags KPMG and Calls for Action

The clip reached a far wider audience once Ackman, the founder of hedge fund Pershing Square Capital Management, reposted it to his millions of followers. He added a caption tagging the firm and its US arm, writing simply, '.@KPMG and @KPMG_US?'

His post drew thousands of likes and replies within hours. Many users questioned how Jewish colleagues and clients would feel working with Lee, and some urged Chelsea Piers to cancel her membership.

The response was not uniform. A number of accounts accused Ackman of trying to get a stranger sacked without knowing what had happened before the camera was switched on, an objection he has faced before when amplifying similar videos.

Ackman, who is Jewish, has become one of the most prominent voices in American business willing to name individuals and institutions over antisemitism. His public campaign against Harvard helped force the resignation of its president, Claudine Gay, in January 2024, and he has since turned the same approach on other companies and universities.

What the Case Means for KPMG

KPMG, one of the so-called Big Four accounting and professional-services firms, condemned discriminatory conduct in general terms but did not say what its inquiry might conclude. Administrative leave, where it is used, is normally a temporary measure while an employer investigates, and does not in itself point to a final decision.

Public listings for a Yuen Lee variously describe her as an assurance or advisory manager at KPMG US in New York; StopAntisemitism identified her as an assurance manager. Lee has not responded publicly to the criticism.

The episode is the latest in a run of filmed public disputes tied to the war in Gaza that have drawn employers into the fallout. Workers in several industries have been suspended or dismissed in recent years after being recorded making inflammatory remarks in public.