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Israeli ophthalmology expert faces down SA bullies

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A renowned Israeli expert in ocular oncology will speak at the Ophthalmological Society of South Africa (OSSA) Congress next month despite facing a campaign of bullying and intimidation which forced the withdrawal of his invitation.

Professor Ido Didi Fabian’s reinstatement at the congress this week, following a vote by OSSA members, comes after weeks of controversy instigated by the Islamic Medical Association (IMA) and condoned by the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC). They not only called for a boycott of the congress, but launched a deeply offensive campaign likening the Israeli doctor to a Nazi wartime physician, a comparison particularly grotesque and hurtful given Fabian’s family history.

Fabian, who has spent decades successfully treating children with life-threatening retinoblastoma, including Palestinian patients from Gaza and many from a number of African and other low-resource countries, has chosen to attend the congress despite the hostility.

“As doctors, our role is to build bridges, not deepen divides,” he told the SA Jewish Report this week.

“I have decided to come to South Africa so that I can share my knowledge and thank and meet the many people who have supported me these past few weeks.”

One of them, Professor Grant McLaren, said the bullying tactics adopted by the anti-Israel lobby and its efforts to hijack the congress were “evil and shameful”.

“It’s puerile and infantile behaviour,” said McLaren, who has also come under attack for being an Israel supporter.

The IMA criticised the OSSA not only for inviting Fabian, but for awarding McLaren the prestigious DJ Wood memorial lecture and medal for lifetime service to South African ophthalmology. It labelled McLaren “a very public Zionist supporter on social media”.

“I do pray that Professor Fabian attends the congress. He is a decent, humane person and delegates will gain hugely from his impact. Without him, it will collapse. Many colleagues will withdraw, including myself,” he told the SA Jewish Report.

“You cannot exclude people on the basis of their religion or nationality. It’s offensive to Christians as well.”

At Sheba Medical Center in Israel, where Fabian serves as an ocular oncologist, he treats children from all backgrounds, irrespective of their religion, nationality, or political context. He has also spearheaded global initiatives, including the Global Retinoblastoma Study Group, which unites nearly 1 000 professionals worldwide to improve care for this curable yet life-threatening paediatric cancer.

“There has been a malicious attempt to hijack the conference,” said Dr Dory Neu-Ner of the South African Society of Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (SASPOS), responsible for inviting Fabian as guest keynote speaker at the congress.

“A few months ago, a number of anti-Israel interest groups 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,” said Neu-Ner.

He said that by December, the IMA had escalated the situation, issuing a call for a boycott of the congress and pressuring the OSSA to rescind its invitation.

The campaign quickly devolved into a series of aggressive and offensive tactics. The IMA and MJC vowed to involve political parties such as the Economic Freedom Fighters to denounce the congress and disrupt its proceedings. Sponsors and trade delegates were also pressured. OSSA and SASPOS members who stood by Fabian faced a backlash, creating fear and division.

Faced with these threats, Neu-Ner said OSSA “shamefully capitulated”, rescinding Fabian’s invitation on 12 January 2025, citing concerns about safety and potential disruptions.

The decision to disinvite Fabian sparked widespread condemnation. Critics accused OSSA of bowing to pressure and compromising its principles with many participants, Jew and non-Jew alike, threatening to withdraw attendance.

Amid this backlash, OSSA held an emergency executive committee meeting on 16 January 2025, where it resolved to put the matter to a vote among its members. The results were resounding: 81.8% of members voted to reinstate Fabian’s invitation.

OSSA later issued a statement reaffirming its commitment to non-discrimination and calling for unity. “OSSA remains a non-political organisation that doesn’t discriminate based on race, gender, nationality, or religion. We ask all members to respect the outcome of the vote,” it said.

Fabian’s personal story adds poignancy to the saga. In an earlier letter to OSSA recounting his family’s history, he said his father had narrowly escaped Poland in 1938, less than a year before the Nazi occupation. “My maternal grandmother, an orthopaedic surgeon, served in the Red Army during World War II, while my grandfather died in the war. My mother and grandmother eventually fled Europe as Jewish refugees, arriving in Israel in 1948.

“I have dedicated my career to caring for patients with ocular tumours, particularly children with retinoblastoma, a curable yet deadly paediatric malignancy. My focus has been specifically on improving care in low-resource countries.”

The OSSA Congress 2025, scheduled to be held from 12 to 15 February at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, will proceed with Fabian as one of seven distinguished international speakers from the United States, United Kingdom, and India.

“While the reinstatement marks a victory for fairness and professionalism,” said Neu-Ner, “the incident highlights the persistent challenge of combating antisemitism and discrimination in professional spaces.”

“These are challenging times,” said Fabian. “I have to deal with the fact that I’m Jewish, I’m Israeli, and I collaborate with doctors from many countries, some of which are the enemies of Israel such as Iran, Yemen, Pakistan, and others. I have to face up to anti-Israel groups in different parts of the world, including South Africa. But I feel that my passport is a medical passport. As a medical doctor, my goal is to help people, especially little children, no matter who they are and where they come from.”

Despite the ordeal, Fabian has expressed hope for future collaboration. “I’m happy to work with colleagues from all backgrounds, including those in South Africa. Let’s set aside boycotts and disputes to focus on what matters: saving lives and advancing medicine.”

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4 Comments

4 Comments

  1. Bendeta Gordon

    January 23, 2025 at 5:51 pm

    Dr Fabian and the ophthalmologists that voted in favour of his attendance at the conference deserve a standing applause! Thanks Nicola for sharing the outcome!

  2. Gary Selikow

    January 24, 2025 at 3:00 pm

    anyone who denies this anti-semitism is a Jew-hater second to none

  3. Gary Selikow

    January 24, 2025 at 3:09 pm

    So the Muslim community openly say all Israelis are Nazis. The ones who want to destroy Israel are the real Nazis and ntheir anti-Zionist Jewish friends the Judenrat

  4. yitzchak

    January 25, 2025 at 6:11 am

    so the vote went 4:1 in favour of having Dr Fabian come to the OSSA conference. that seems to represent 500 people who voted?
    This is an accurate poll of average South Africans’ view of the conflict.
    Those in the Islamic Medical Association have shown how they have violated the Hippocratic Oath: “My colleagues are my brothers” and a complaint to the HPCSA is in order against these bigots who are amaurotic,with no in”sight” fore”sight”, and whose vision is prejudged by religious dogma..with the emphasis on dog.or maybe its homonomous hemianopia they suffer from and should consult Dr Ayeesha Soni who also failed to see the atrocities of 7.10.2023 . They all need Rorshag tests and a Minnesota minimental to diagnose and establish sanity.and mental competencies
    On principle they must boycott this conference and can only be expected to cause trouble at the conference if they attend. They should stick to the occult in their religious beliefs.
    There have been impressive advances in ophthalmology in the recent past and they are the losers.

    One thing seems certain…President Assad( an ophthalmologist) won’t be attending. He saw the light and transcended to Russia.

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