Meet Rasha and Arnon, one of 800 Israeli and Palestinian alumni who are part of our Alumni Solidarity Project. Israeli and Palestinian Graduates of the Parallel Narrative Experience (PNE) program like Arnon and Rasha learn to become agents of change and advocates for solidarity and peace.

We’ve committed to raising $65,000 by the end of 2017 to support this program to train and support Israeli and Palestinian agents of change. Learn more.

My name is Rasha, and I’m a Palestinian from Beit Jala. I participated in the Parents Circle’s Parallel Narrative group for women in 2016. In this project, I and the other women– both Palestinians and Israelis together– shared our feelings, and talked about the cultural and personal narratives that shape our lives and the way we view “the other side.”

Together we visited Lifta, a Palestinian village destroyed in 1948, and together we visited Yad Vashem and learned about what happened during the Holocaust. These experiences were so moving for me.

I am now a part of the Alumni program, and I work with Israelis and Palestinians to plan solidarity activities. These activities inspire us that we can actually do something towards peace together.

Help support the solidarity actions of activists like Rasha and Arnon! Donate now!

My name is Arnon, and I’m from Hod Hasharon, Israel. I took part in the Parallel Narrativegroup for bereaved people from both sides. My uncle was killed in the Six Days War. I was named after him, and even though my family lost him before I was born, I have carried his memory with me my whole life.

The Parallel Narrative group was truly life changing for me. It was the first time I met someone from “the other side,” that I heard a Palestinian and that a Palestinian heard how I feel. But even when we come together to speak, there is still this huge gap between us. Being part of this Parents Circle group helped me to understand that and to start thinking about ways to bridge that divide between Israelis and Palestinians.

For the first time in my life, I became an activist and I am proud of it. I am now part of the Alumni Steering Committee, which leads and coordinates all of the 1,000 Israeli and Palestinian Alumni in education and activism.

We need your help! The Israeli and Palestinian Narrative Alumni who participate in this program become stronger agents of change, strengthen civil society and bring messages that there is another way to their home communities.