On Wednesday, June 10, the University of Missouri announced that it was canceling a controversial class planned for Fall 2015. The class was widely contested by pro-Israel organizations and students. George P. Smith, a biology professor at University of Missouri and extreme anti-Zionist was preparing to teach a course entitled “Perspectives on Zionism,” an ironic title considering his singular perspective. Smith, who has no formal degrees in history, political sciences, or Middle Eastern studies, is known for heckling IDF soldiers who came to MU to talk about their experiences and Israel’s commitment to upholding the international laws of warfare and going above and beyond to ensure the safety of non-combatants. Smith interrupted the soldiers, talking over them and asking questions such as “Why do you kill Palestinians?” and “How many U.N. schools have you attacked?” George Smith Smith writes articles touting the Nakba as the defining moment in Jewish history while ignoring the expulsions of Jews from Iraq, Iran, and other Middle Eastern countries. Smith fancies himself another Conrad, casting every Israeli and Zionist in the role of Kurtz in a modern day Heart of Darkness. Smith wisely protects himself from being called anti-Semitic by signing off on his articles with reminders that he is a “nonreligious member of Congregation Beth Shalom” and is married to a Jewish woman. He uses phrases to support his arguments such as “well-documented facts tell a less flattering story,” while leaving out said documentation. StandWithUs CEO Roz Rothstein, along with other pro-Israel organizations, sent strong missives to the MU administrators in charge of the honors courses requesting that they cancel the course. The letter listed the reasons Smith is unfit to teach the class, not least among them that Smith is a biology professor: “Professor Smith, a biologist, has no scholarly expertise in Middle Eastern Studies, the social sciences, or the history of Zionism. This tutorial is the only one taught by someone with no formal training in the topic of study. However, Professor Smith does have extremist political views against Zionism and the state of Israel. His op-eds and statements are anti-Israel polemics which distort facts, deny counter evidence, eliminate context, garble history, demonize Israel, and cite writers known for their animosity to the very existence of a Jewish state. Smith himself contends that Jews must “liberate themselves from Zionism,” and argues that the powerful “Israel Lobby” directs America’s Israel policy.” The letter ended saying, “We urge you to cancel this course which will be a stain on your University’s reputation and a disservice to students or, at the very least, demand that it be co-taught with a professor who has expertise in the field and has very different political views,” offering help in creating a better curriculum. The university was reluctant to give any ground, insisting that the course underwent the same review process as all the other courses taught at the university. However, no students signed up for the course and it was cancelled. The efforts of the pro-Israel organizations and a student-led letter writing campaign raised awareness about the issue and exposed the farce that would have been this class. Its cancellation is a win for honest academic society.