What's New - Page 2 of 5 - Parents Circle Friends

“Breaking the Walls between Us”

By Robi Damelin

Early Friday morning, buses left from all over Israel and Palestine and some 200 women came to be together and discover the humanity in the other in honor of International Women’s Day. It was thrilling to arrive and see how many new faces, friends of the bereaved members chose to spend the day together. This was such an opportunity for the Parents Circle to share our message with those who had never heard it.

This year we marked international Women’s Day in the West Bank so that Palestinian women from Jenin, Nablus, Beit Omar, Deheisha Refugee Camp and many other villages would be able to attend without having to ask for permits. After all, freedom of movement is a basic human right.

“The Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day Ceremony comes to remind us that war is not inevitable”

Dear friends,
On April 30, 2017, thousands of Israelis and Palestinians will come together to remember the shared pain experienced on both sides of the conflict. The Israeli-Palestinian Alternative Memorial Day Ceremony, which has been held following Israeli Memorial Day for the past twelve years, comes to remind us that war is not an act of fate but one of human choice.

This powerful ceremony will be streamed online live from Tel Aviv, and we are inviting you to participate:

Invite your community and constituents to a selected venue on Sunday, April 30 to watch the livestreaming of the Israeli-Palestinian Alternative Memorial Day Ceremony. English subtitles will be available.

Learn more about the ceremony and how you can share it in your community here.

Parents Circle Visits The US

Last month, two Parents Circle’s members– bereaved mother, Robi Damelin, and bereaved son, Mazen Faraj– visited the US to share their stories of loss and reconciliation. Here are some of the highlights from their speaking tour:

A Conversation With Peacemakers and Silent Walk

In North Carolina, Robi Damelin and Mazen Faraj spoke together at events at UNC Chapel Hill and Duke University, sharing their individual stories of loss and their shared vision of a way toward peace.

Following the events on both campuses, Robi, Mazen, and students held silent walks for peace. Students and speakers alike, wearing patches from our Taking Steps project, marched in silence to show solidarity with bereaved Israelis and Palestinians.

Silent Walk for peace at Duke University, February 21, 2017

J Street 2017 National Conference

We were honored to attend and speak at this year’s J Street National Conference. This incredible conference brings together speakers and social justice activists from around the world to discuss the way toward a two-state solution.

Robi, Mazen, and Elik Elhanan speaking in a J Street session moderated by Craig Zelizer.

Robi and Mazen were joined by bereaved brother, Elik Elhanan, for their speaking session on Sunday, February 26, where they discussed their uncommon path of forgiveness in the face of loss, and how their work humanizes the conflict.

Watch a recording of their session here.

In peace,

American Friends of the Parents Circle

Children’s Deaths Unite Moms Across Cultures

Atlanta Jewish Times

by Patrice Worthy

An Israeli-Palestinian movement of mothers who have lost sons to the conflict is connecting with American mothers whose sons have been killed to form a united front against gun violence.

Israeli Robi Damelin founded Parents Circle Families Forum, an organization for bereaved Palestinian and Israeli families, after a Palestinian sniper killer her son David. She was angry, but she’s trying to channel that energy to do good.

“Right now is the most important time to use your voice for change,” she said. “You have to talk to people you don’t like or agree with; if not, they only become more radical.”

Damelin brings together other mothers who have lost sons to gun violence and hate.

She recently spoke about PCFF at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights with Lucia McBath, the mother of Jordan Davis, the 17-year-old killed in Florida by Michael Dunn in 2012 for playing loud music at a gas station.

Meet Rami and Mazen

My name is Rami Elhanan. I am a graphic designer and a 7th generation Jerusalemite. I am a Jew; I am an Israeli, and before everything else, I am a human being.

Rami Elhanan and George and Najwa Sa'adeh — Rami Elhanan, PCFF Israeli General Director, speaking in Madison, WI, October 2016

On the first day of the school year in 1997, a few days before Yom Kippur, my daughter, Smadar, and her friends went to Ben Yehuda St. in Jerusalem to buy books. There, they met their death. They were killed by two Palestinian suicide bombers who murdered 5 people that day, among them three little girls aged 14.

When someone murders your 14 year-old little daughter, the one and only thing you have in your head is unlimited anger and an urge for revenge that is stronger than death.

During my first experience with the Parents Circle, I saw something that was completely new to me. I saw bereaved Palestinian families: men, women and children, coming towards me, greeting me for peace, hugging me and crying with me.

From that day on I have dedicated my life to one thing only: to go from person to person and loudly tell all that this is not our destiny! Nowhere is it written that we must continue dying and sacrificing our children forever in this difficult holy land.

Read Rami’s Full Story

My name is Mazen Faraj. I grew up in the Dheisheh Refugee Camp in the West Bank. I was 16 during the First Intifada when I, like my five brothers, was put into an Israeli jail for the first time.

Mazen Faraj and Rami Elhanan, PCFF’s Palestinian and Israeli co-Directors

In 2000, it was the Second Intifada. The situation became worse with more bloodshed. In April 2002, my father was killed by the Israeli army when he was working in Jerusalem and crossing back to the West Bank. Israeli soldiers shot him for no reason. He did not have any gun. He did not have any stone. He did not have any fault. So the hospital called us at home and said there was someone, a 62 year-old man with more than 60 holes in his body. They found on his ID that his name was Ali Faraj. My father. He didn’t have a gun. Didn’t have a suicide bomb. Just a human in the street.

I joined the Parents Circle in 2005. I wanted the two sides– the Israelis and Palestinians– to understand each other, not necessarily to agree with each other. We don’t have to be friends.

My father is with me all the time. Something I can’t forget: myself and my heart. He is a big part of my soul.

Read Mazen’s Full Story

6 Highlights from 2016

As we approach the beginning of a new year, we want to share some of the highlights from 2016 with you, a partner in our work:

1. Launched Taking Steps – Bereaved parents Robi Damelin and Bassam Aramin visited U.S. Congress to officially launch our new social business, Taking Steps in the Path for Peace, on International Peace Day. This event was hosted by Rep. Diane DeGette, with support from more than 20 other congressmen and women

2. Held Silent Walks – Groups across the U.S held Silent Walks in solidarity with messages of peace and reconciliation. Participants wore Taking Steps patches, laces, and shoes– hand-embroidered with the Bird of Peace. Silent Walks were held at Tufts University (Medford, MA), Congregation Kol Ami (White Plains, NY), and as part of the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom’s 2016 Muslim & Jewish Women Leadership Conference.

Find out how you can host a Silent Walk in 2017!

3. Trained Peacemakers – The Parents Circle brought together more than 100 alumni of our Parallel Narrative

Experience (PNE) project, to design and implement joint projects, including a Hebrew-Arabic phrasebook, a Palestinian rights website, a culture club, and an Internet-based cross-border program for families.

4. Represented by Youth Peace Delegations – We were honored to send 3 groups of Israeli and Palestinian youth/young adult peace leaders to serve as representatives to Koyasan, Japan, where they met the Japanese Prime Minister, and to Italy, where Israeli and Palestinian youth met and engaged with Italian youth. Learn more about our Young Ambassadors for Peace.

5. Increased Female Facilitators – This year, we saw a 70% increase in the number of female facilitators for our activities, including delegations abroad, narrative groups, and dialogue meetings. The remarkable growth in the number of bereaved female leaders in the Parents Circle owes much to the great success of our 2015 Indiegogo campaign, Israeli and Palestinian Women Become Peace Leaders.

6. Midwest Tour & New Israeli General Director – We were honored to speak to groups in Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois. Our bereaved speakers were hosted by churches, synagogues, and other groups in the Midwest to share their powerful stories of loss, peace, and reconciliation. We were delighted to have Rami Elhanan, the new Israeli General Director of the Parents Circle, as one of the speakers. Rami lost his 13-year-old daughter, Smadar, when she was killed in a suicide bombing in Jerusalem in September, 1997.

All of these amazing accomplishments were made possible by contributions made by our friends and supporters. Thank you for your help and support this year!