JOHN COHN,M.D.: A MEDICAL MISSION TO ISRAEL….SEE NOTE
DR. COHN IS AN E-PAL -A PHYSICIAN AND ARTICULATE WRITER WHOSE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR NEVER FAIL TO PACK A SERIOUS PUNCH…..PLEASE READ THIS AND CIRCULATE IT….RSK
Friends,
Like you, I am disturbed by the senseless violence in Israel and the surrounding Middle East, which did not start in June but which has been going on for years.
Especially troubling is the abuse of civilian populations for political goals. No doubt the people of Gaza have suffered, as have Israelis. But the people of Gaza have for the most part been harmed by leaders who have used them as human shields, squandering humanitarian aid on weapons, attack tunnels and fortifications.
As a physician I am particularly bothered by the use of hospitals as military command posts as occurred in Gaza. I have also been distressed by the politicization of medical science for political means, which reached a new low with “An open letter for the people in Gaza” that The Lancet published online on July 22. That letter can be found here.
This resulted in an outpouring of articulate and well-supported responses by physicians, who were appalled by The Lancet’s substitution of distortion and bias for science. This included a response by the Israel Medical Association, published by The Lancet and written by Leonid Eidelman and Arnon Afek. In a single page they pointed out so much of what was right with Israel but was being missed by not just the original letter’s authors, but by the mainstream media and their readers. A copy of that letter is attached.
But one or even a handful of letters is not enough of a response. What is needed is to bring physicians and other healthcare providers to Israel so they can see see the facts on the ground for themselves. This will enable them to better participate in the debate and engage with their colleagues, having been there and seen for themselves what is really taking place.
Attached is a brochure outlining in more detail a unique educational medical mission planned for five days in late October early November. If you are a physician or other healthcare provider, I hope you will come to Jerusalem on October 31 and join us. Please share this with your friends and colleagues as well.
John R. Cohn, M.D.
Professor of Medicine & Pediatrics
Thomas Jefferson University & Hospitals
Asthma Allergy & Pulmonary Associates
1015 Chestnut Street
Suite 1300
Philadelphia, PA 19107
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