Posted to Crown Heights News on

Just Blocks From The Center of Crown Heights, SUNY Downstate To Host Anti-Israel Panel…..During the Downstate Public Menorah Lighting

by CrownHeights.info

Crown Heightsers, students, and faculty of Downstate Medical School are in an uproar after students received an invitation to a panel on “Medical Catastrophe in Gaza”, which will discuss “Medical Apartheid” and highlight the “current attack on the Healthcare system in Gaza”.

Email sent to the students of SUNY Downstate.

While the panel itself was bad enough, the timing chosen for the panel is of even more concern. It is scheduled to take place just as the many students and faculty of the school gather for a public Menorah lighting on campus, and people are worried that the panel will ignite tensions within the school.

Read the Letter sent to the school administration below and sign the petition to cancel the school endorsement of the event HERE.

Dear President Riley and Downstate Administration,

We are writing to express our deep concern regarding the email sent out to official Downstate student lists titled “PHR Panel: Medical Catastrophe in Gaza on Thursday 12/7”. Not only was this event designed to coincide with the Public Menorah lighting scheduled for Thursday at 5:30 pm, but its content and timing are also particularly troubling given the recent surge in antisemitism on college campuses.

The Anti-Defamation League reports a disturbing 400% increase in anti-Semitic incidents following the October 7 Hamas attacks. Incidents at institutions such as Cornell, Columbia, and many others, where Jewish students have faced violent threats and physical assaults, are stark reminders of the growing unease in our academic environments. In this context, the scheduling of this event, which is deliberately overlapping with a Jewish religious ceremony, seems particularly insensitive and provocative.

The event’s focus on what is described as “medical apartheid,” without a balanced and comprehensive context, will deepen campus divisions on an already sensitive and complex issue. Such a portrayal, especially against the backdrop of the recent horrific events of October 7th, and resulting increased tensions, will exacerbate feelings of alienation and insecurity among Jewish students and staff.

This type of event, particularly when it conflicts with significant religious observances, threatens the very fabric of educational harmony and mutual respect that should define our academic institutions. Specifically Downstate, which houses a very large Jewish student body and which has always prided itself in promoting an environment of tolerance and acceptance to all. It sends a disconcerting message about the administration’s priorities and sensitivities towards its diverse student body.

The guest speakers of this event include Dr. A. Kayum Ahmed, PhD, who has made public antisemitic remarks accusing Jews of becoming perpetrators of violence against Palestinians.

It also includes Dr. Omar Al-Dewachi, MD, PhD, who is one of the signatories of an open letter titled “Palestine and Praxis, Open Letter and Call to Action” which accuses “Jewish-Zionists” of racial supremacy. In addition, this call to action has the expressed intent of “In the classroom and on campus” committing to “pressuring our academic institutions and organizations to respect the Palestinian call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions of Israel by instating measures that remove complicity and partnership with military, academic, and legal institutions involved in entrenching Israel’s policies.” 

https://palestineandpraxis.weebly.com/

We urge Downstate to cancel the sponsorship and scheduling of this event. It is imperative to uphold a campus environment where all students, irrespective of their background or religion, feel safe, included, and respected. While academic freedom and the exploration of global issues are crucial, they must be balanced with the need for sensitivity and inclusivity, as well as the physical and emotional safety of all students, including Jewish students. 

Furthermore, Downstate administration had already assured students in no uncertain terms that official Downstate student lists and Downstate campus rooms/ hallways wouldn’t be used for political speech, so as not to stoke tensions and promote antisemitism. 

We urge Downstate to take immediate action to address these issues, thereby maintaining its standing as a respectful and inclusive academic community.

Sincerely,

Concerned member of the Jewish Community

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18 Comments

  • andrey kesler

    This is no discussion or dialogue this is pure bashing
    Where is Israel side not represented which is the only democracy in that region

  • Jay

    It would be nice if CH & EF showed up at the Thurs 5:30 pm SUNY Downstate Public Menorah lighting to show support and thereby implicitly protest the Thurs 5:30 pm anti-Israel panel, whose timing is meant to disrupt the Jewish Menorah lighting.

  • Downstate Alumna

    HUGE shame for SUNY Downstate. The wild antisemitism we have seen from the Muslim student groups is wild. Nothing about medicine, ethics or goodwill just old fashioned hatred masked behind “social justice.” We need to SHOW UP at the Menorah lighting for Rabbi Holzman, the Jewish students and the Jewish nation!! Show Downstate that light trumps darkness and their idiotic student panels!!

  • Anonymous

    It is a mistake for SUNY to let this event corniced with the public menorah lighting due to the increased change of concern of conflict. But the matter of the fact is it should not be canceled ,but rescheduled for a different time. All people In this country have the the right to freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of opinion. When conversations end violence begins.
    Stay safe

    • AH

      None of which requires SUNY to provide them a platform. They can go around and rant like the homeless druggies do.

  • Ellen katz

    I emplore you to please cancel this event. This will only lead to more violence. Do the right thing and don’t cause more clashing. At the very least don’t allow it happen at the same time as the menorah lighting. And carefully monitor what happens so there is no vandalism

  • J

    I encourage everyone who can to show up at the menorah lighting. I don’t think they would cancel the event, but I don’t think many will attend either. Co-sponsoring an event about Arab Israeli doctors in Israel would be impactful counter to apartheid language. Few people in US know that more than half of doctors in Israel are Arab Israelis.

  • Marci Rosenfeld

    I went to Downstate 30 years ago. I don’t ever recall feeling uncomfortable there as a young Jewish students and I had so many wonderful professors. Since when is it ok to host controversial talks especially in such a sensitive time when there is antisemitism running rampant on so many New York campuses. I’m not sure what happened to NY to turn it into a hotbed of antisemitism. So sad ?

  • Anonymous

    Just to clarify some misinformation on the part of this headline and the attached petition; this panel was never intentionally scheduled to coincide with the menorah lighting. It was initially on the schedule before Thanksgiving, and was pushed back by the school due to space demands. Hope that helps!

    • Jay Sorid

      But once there was a decision to change the original date/time, was it a coincidence that they picked the first night of Chanukah at a 5:30 pm start time ? Most conferences do not start at the middle of the hour. Why not reschedule once the potential conflict became known ? The timing seems like an attempt to add insult to injury. Would the school choose to host the KKK?

  • Julia Ostropolsky

    Colleges should not sponsor terror sympathizers and allow use of educational platforms by antisemites

  • Leslie Schechter

    This event should be canceled. Hate and intimidation, as we are seeing in many universities, should absolutely not be allowed.

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