Opthalmologists help us see straight

I say this in earnest. The story of the Israeli professor who was invited, disinvited, and then – spoiler alert – reinvited to speak at the Ophthalmological Society of South Africa (OSSA) conference is one of significant significance. Not just for South Africa, but for Jews and supporters of Western democratic values worldwide.

If I had a soap box that was strong enough to support me, that I could climb on to with my injured knee, and that I didn’t fall off because I get dizzy when standing on something higher than my New Balances, I would be on one right now, imploring you to hear this.

“Hear ye!” I would say. And then I would repeat it, “Hear ye!” in case there were some “ye” who weren’t listening.

The simplified facts are as follows. A few months ago, Professor Ido Didi Fabian, an Israeli ophthalmologist based at Sheba Medical Center was invited to speak at the OSSA conference taking place in Johannesburg in February. On hearing of his invitation, the Islamic Medical Association (IMA), supported by a few other like-minded Israel haters, issued a statement condemning it. They started putting pressure on the organising committee and the OSSA executive committee to withdraw Fabian’s invitation because of his Israeli nationality. First indications were that the OSSA would withstand the bullying, but then the pressure started building up and he was disinvited. It sadly goes without saying that the “pressure” was in the form of threats, bullying, and intimidation.

The OSSA, which was inexperienced in this sort of situation, was clearly out of its depth, and without consulting its members, did what it thought would make the matter go away.

It didn’t. Because of members like Dr Dory Neu-Ner who refused to accept the outcome. Along with others, he approached the OSSA and made it clear that this discrimination wouldn’t be acceptable to members. It prompted OSSA to reach out in the form of an anonymous poll to ask the simple question whether Professor Fabian should speak at the conference.

The result? Eighty-one percent said yes. And so, Professor Fabian was reinvited, graciously accepted, and will get to share his knowledge.

Great story. Awesome result. But why the soap box?

We so often assume that the loud and negative noise means support. We often think that as Jews and supporters of Western democratic values, we’re on our own. We so often give power to the IMAs of the world who have betrayed their stated mission and rather focus on Israel hatred. We often think that by letting it slide “this time”, they will get it out of their system so that next time will be different. We think that by not making a fuss we’re not “giving them oxygen”.

None of this true.

Eighty-one percent of members supported having Professor Fabian speak. Whereas it doesn’t mean that this percentage can be extrapolated through all areas and across all countries, it does tell us that we might not have been dealing with things the right way.

The OSSA story isn’t uncommon. The IMA has publicly stated that it intends to infiltrate the board of Discovery to focus on an anti-Israel agenda. Other organisations have threatened “Jewish” owned stores and companies. And in most cases, the strategy is one of quiet diplomacy.

We need to learn from the ophthalmologist and see the bigger picture. We need to stare down the bullies and make others see what might be blurred. The story is important because it teaches us that we have friends. That they stand with us in numbers. And that maybe it’s us who are as blind as those who will not see.