I Shall Not Hate: A Dr. Jean Mayer Address by Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish

Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish, MD, MPH, a Palestinian medical doctor born and raised in the Jabalia refugee Camp in the Gaza Strip, will be giving a lecture about peace, healing and forgiveness, followed by a book signing.

Dr. Abuelaish is a passionate and eloquent proponent of peace between Palestinians and Israelis. He received his elementary, preparatory and secondary education in the refugee camp schools. He received a scholarship to study medicine in Cairo, Egypt and then a diploma in Obstetrics and Gynecology from the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynecology University of London.

Before his three daughters were killed in January 2009 during the Israeli incursion into Gaza, Dr. Abuelaish worked as a researcher at the Gertner Institute at the Sheba Hospital in Tel Aviv.

Abuelaish has been an important figure in the Israeli-Palestinian relations for years, working in Israeli hospitals, treating Israeli and Palestinian patients and fully believe that health is an engine for the journey to peace.

This horrific tragedy did not harden Abuelaish’s heart; neither did it weaken his resolve to act for humanity. He continues to live up the description bestowed upon him by an Israeli colleague, as a magical, secret bridge between Israelis and Palestinians.

Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish currently is Associate Professor of Medicine at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health; University Of Toronto. 

Dr. Abuelaish will be receiving a Dr. Jean Mayer Global Citizenship Award for 2012 from the Institute for Global Leadership.

Sherman Teichman, the director of the IGL, sits on the Board of Directors of Dr. Abuelaish's Daughters for Life Foundation.