Chief medical officer for Israeli Defense Forces canceled after pressure from CAIR
Citing “potential safety concerns,” the University of Maryland’s medical school canceled a planned talk by an Israeli Defense Forces physician. The decision came after a Muslim group demanded the event’s cancellation.
The University of Maryland School of Medicine planned to have Dr. Elon Glassberg “speak to faculty, fellows, residents and students at the school on Jan. 16 as part of the ‘surgery grand rounds academic sessions,’” according to Jewish News Service. The news outlet spoke to the university for its story.
Glassberg serves as the chief medical officer for the IDF.
“Two days before the planned event, we became aware of potential safety concerns, and it became clear that they could not be sufficiently addressed in such a short time frame to allow us to proceed,” the university told JNS. Due to the “concerns” “surgical leadership decided to postpone this grand rounds session.”
Caren Leven, a local Jewish leader, criticized the university. “This move feels like a surrender to political pressure rather than a commitment to academic freedom and open dialogue,” the Baltimore Zionist District director told JNS.
The cancellation followed a pressure campaign from the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which issued a “GOOD NEWS ALERT,” following the announcement.
The group stated:
Responses to a letter campaign led by CAIR and the Islamic Maryland Action Network (IMAN Network), a statewide crisis response working group comprised of 30+ mosques and organizations, led to over 6,000 emails delivered in a matter of hours to the University’s Surgery Department Chair and Dean urging them to rescind this speaker invitation.
“We commend UMSOM for listening to their students and campus community and retracting this invitation,” CAIR Maryland’s Director, Zainab Chaudry stated.
Chaudry called it “egregious” for the med school to allow an IDF representative to speak, saying the “entity [is] directly responsible for the ongoing genocide and targeting of healthcare workers in Gaza.”
“This swift community response demonstrates the power of collective action to uphold justice and accountability,” Chaudry stated.
The university said it plans to set a new date for the event.
“The School of Medicine has invited Dr. Glassberg to speak at a future date while working to ensure a safe learning atmosphere for our surgical teams,” spokeswoman Deborah Kotz told Jewish Insider. “We are committed to hearing all voices when it comes to saving lives.”
MORE: Check out the Campus Cancel Culture Database
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