Michal Halev, an Israeli American and former facilitator of women’s circles and emotional counseling, is a mother. After Oct. 7, I joined a family nobody wants to belong to.
Time since October 7 is counted in various ways: by months, by days, by seconds, by bodies. I don’t care too much which way time passed since my mother, Vivian Silver, was murdered in Kibbutz Be’eri.
My name is Rami Elhanan. I am an Israeli and a Jew. I am a seventh-generation Jerusalemite. My father was a ‘graduate’ of the Holocaust.
A new educational program promotes empathy through stories of shared humanity
At the beginning of the month, an internal Education Ministry committee convened to consider whether to restore the Parents Circle – Families Forum, an Israeli-Palestinian group of bereaved parents, to the ministry’s database of approved outside providers to schools.
Israel’s Education Ministry has once again barred the Parents Circle – Families Forum, a joint Israeli-Palestinian group of bereaved parents, from inclusion in its database of organizations authorized to provide outside programming for schools.
The organizers of a recent six-day peace march from Shfaram to the Gaza border, that drew much smaller crowds than the previous peace event by the It’s Time movement, refuse to despair.
Georgetown has partnered with an organization of bereaved Israelis and Palestinian families to produce a program that fosters meaningful dialogue about the human side of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Amid conflict, regardless of the root of that conflict, respect and dialogue are fundamental steps toward a peaceful future.
Layla Alsheikh is a Writer and Activist, and member of The PCFF. Robi Damelin is the Spokesperson & International Relations Manager of The PCFF.
We, who all lost loved ones in Hamas’ vicious assault, know the feelings of anger and pain that could push individuals towards acts of revenge.
The Heat: Middle East Conflict CGTN Layla Alsheikh is a Writer and Activist, and member of The PCFF. Robi Damelin is the Spokesperson & International Relations Manager of The PCFF.
Meet two peacemakers who will not let their voices be drowned out by the Oct.7 massacre or the death and destruction of the Israel-Gaza War.
Robi Damelin and Layla Alsheikh, who each lost a son in the decades’ long conflict, are involved with Parents Circle, a joint Israeli-Palestinian organization made up of more than 700 bereaved families.
It is natural during war for opposing forces to hate each other whether they are combatants or not. But there are always exceptions – people who realize that war and its accompanying traumas seldom offer positive solutions
In the face of deep-seated conflict, particularly one as longstanding and bitter as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, many would assume that reconciliation is a distant hope, if not entirely impossible. But there exists a beacon of hope in the form of the Parents Circle.
It’s one thing for Jews and Palestinians who have lost loved ones at each other’s hands to come together and seek a path to peace when things are relatively quiet, but it’s a much more difficult exercise during wartime.
“When you lose a child, at the same time, you also lose your fear. You no longer fear anything.”
The man has the right to defend himself, not to occupy, says Palestinian Basam Aramin, a Muslim and a Peace activist in the Peace Fighters Movement , the main character in two documentaries and a novel.
This week, we hear from our dear friend Robi Damelin, who is a peacemaker, internationally renowned speaker, and mother.
It would be a good idea to award the prize to an organization or person who, despite current developments, is working towards understanding between Israelis and Palestinians.
Amid the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Parent Circle NGO unites bereaved families from both sides, fostering reconciliation through shared grief.
Magen Inon’s world turned upside down when both his parents were killed by Hamas in the horrific October 7 attack. Now, he’s focused on changing reality and calling for an imminent ceasefire.
I’ve found a political reawakening, and learned that the only way this will end is if we turn our enemies into our partners
As conflict escalates across the Middle East, I met two Londoners – one Israeli and one Palestinian – who shared with me their grief and trauma and thoughts for the future, one year on.
“Palestinians and Jews who want peace, security, freedom, justice, and self-determination, who are fighting for a better life and for peace. We need to listen to their voices. These are our allies. They have shown us a path forward.”
Yonatan Zeigen has taken up his mother’s cause of ending conflict between Israelis and Palestinians
author Colum McCann speaks to friends from two sides of the bitter Israeli-Palestinian divide
With the dark plumes of war sweeping across the region, it is hard to find any daylight for dialogue where people dare to reach out across the divide and talk about peace.
Bereaved Israelis and Palestinians discussed the path to embracing their shared humanity at the semester’s first NYU in Dialogue event
As New York City’s college campuses brace for protests marking the first anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel and the ongoing war, administrators are hosting events modeling “respectful, open dialogue.”
Bereaved Israelis and Palestinians Use Their Grief to Advocate for Reconciliation and Peace Together
Two of his close friends, one Israeli, one Palestinian, both lost daughters to violence years ago and have bonded together in their shared pain and desire to help create positive change.
The son of a peace activist brutally killed on Oct. 7 is determined to make sure that her dream for Israel does not die with her.
With conflict seeming more inexorable than ever, victims from both sides tell US audiences understanding and willpower can keep future generations from paying the price they’ve borne
Georgetown has partnered with an organization of bereaved Israelis and Palestinian families to produce a program that fosters meaningful dialogue about the human side of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Two bereaved mothers who know price of war work for peace | Harvard Gazette Layla Alsheikh, Robi Damelin argue path to Mideast reconciliation begins with acknowledging common humanity
On Tuesday, Sept. 17, NYU in Dialogue hosted “Shared Grief, Shared Hope: Holding Onto Humanity” in collaboration with the Parents Circle Families Forum
Bereaved Palestinian and Israeli mothers visit Harvard.
Words of peace echoed throughout the Hastings High School auditorium on Sept. 16, as bereaved Palestinians and Israelis discussed their paths toward reconciliation.
Magen Inon lost both his parents Bilha and Yakov in the Oct 7th massacre, and was given a standing ovation after speaking at the conference in Brighton
‘It’s really difficult to talk to your occupier, or your enemy, or your jailer’, says a Palestinian member of the Parents Circle-Families Forum; ‘I am here to learn,’ says an Israeli teen
Join us to hear from a group of individuals profoundly affected by the conflict as they share their stories of loss and their unwavering belief in our shared humanity.
The photos of Abir and Smadar are projected on the stage at the Rimini Meeting. These two young girls resemble each other in the freshness of their youth, both with tied back hair and deep gazes.
In defiance of a Jerusalem District Court order, Israel’s Education Ministry has frozen a ‘Dialogue Encounters’ program run by an organization that brings together bereaved Palestinian and Israeli families
Two daughters die in the Middle East conflict. Their fathers Bassam Aramin and Rami Elhanan are examples of how to find a future perspective. They speak with Udy Levy at the Goetheanum about conflict, grief, solidarity and peace.
As the Rimini Meeting draws to a close, Rami Elhanan, an Israeli, and Bassam Aramin, a Palestinian, share their stories of losing their daughters in the decades-long conflict in the Holy Land, calling for reconciliation to transcend the war between Israel and Hamas.
The Irish author Colum McCann participated in the meeting together with the protagonists of his book “Apeirogon”
Yasmeen Eshtaya is a Palestinian teacher whose life has been deeply affected by the brutal violence of the Israeli state. But she is committed to reconciliation and forming bonds through teaching Arabic
Despite opposition, a group of Palestinian and Israeli teens have recently come together in Cyprus on a mission for peace and reconciliation.
The AFT has partnered with Parents Circle to launch the program, which will be available for free to all public school educators.
It is not naive to know that the only route to justice and equality is peace.
Eetta Prince-Gibson explores how Combatants for Peace and the Parents’ Circle are mourning for Israelis and Palestinians amid the war.
More than 4,000 young people and families have joined the March for Peace, 1,500 people participated in the three-day event, 400 attended panels and workshops, and 200 children took part in the Peace Citadel.
Sunday May 12 from Jerusalem a sliver of hope streamed through the world from the U.S.to Australia even Afghanistan–who knew there were Jews there?
As the conflict in Gaza continues, reconciliation may seem a distant dream, but on both sides there are those working for peace
The common stage for the re-telling of their stories is the 19th annual joint Israeli-Palestinian memorial ceremony. The ceremony consists of story-telling and singing in Hebrew and Arabic.
The 19th annual joint Memorial Day ceremony, presented Sunday at the start of Israel’s national day of honoring fallen Israeli soldiers and victims of attacks, offered an alternative commemoration of both Israeli and Palestinian victims.
Last month, the Jerusalem District Court ordered the Israeli government to allow the ‘Parents Circle – Families Forum’ to continue holding meetings between students and Israeli and Palestinian bereaved families, but the Education Ministry refrained from doing so until now
Bereaved Israelis and Palestinians have come together to hold a joint Memorial Day ceremony and call for a “different future” for those in the region.
I am Kholoud Houshiya and I live in the village of Al Yamun near Jenin. Originally my family is from Haifa. I wasn’t able to experience childhood due to the occupation, which forcibly displaced my family to Jenin under oppression and humiliation.
Later, I married and I gave birth to my first child, whom I named Mohammed. I raised him with all my love and effort.
Mohammed was a young man who loved life dearly, and he loved me even more. He was both my son and my friend, thanks to our close bond.
Mohamad was 23 years old. He worked in Israel and helped his father.
On January 2, 2024 Mohamed took a picture of the Israeli army tearing down my neighbor’s house. The army thought otherwise and they shot him. Just because he was Palestinian.
I always dreamed of seeing my son as a groom, just like any mother. But now, I am left with him buried in my garden. I had hoped to see him, his wife, and his children in my house, but now, every day, I look at his grave from the window in my room.
My message to the world is this: Enough. Enough killing, enough injustice, enough destruction, enough oppression. Enough violence on both sides.
It is not easy for a mother to recount the story of her son’s death—the pain is indescribable. I cannot bear the loss of another child. This is why we must raise the voice of the mothers for a better future for all children and young generations – Palestinians and Israelis.
I am Hala Al-Bukhari, living in Jerusalem.
My daughter, my sister and her large family, children and grandchildren live in Gaza. Despite the distance, before the war, I used to communicate with them daily, checking on their health via video call.
On the morning of October 7th, my son told me to watch TV to see what was happening in southern Israel. From that day, fear has overwhelmed my heart.
Then came the morning of October 18th, bringing the harsh news: My sister’s house was bombed, and she, her husband, her children, and grandchildren were in the house—33 innocent lives lost in this horrific massacre. Since then, my fear for my daughter has grown. I have pleaded with human rights organizations, seeking any means to get her out of the hell of war and the horror of the massacres. Eventually we succeeded to get my daughter out of Gaza.
With every word I write, I struggle to express the extent of my pain. Our hearts bleed with grief for those we have lost and continue to lose. Our sorrow is profound, and our souls yearn for the peace we all dream of.
Let us all live in peace and build a better future for our children. War brings only destruction and ruin to everyone involved, whether Palestinian or Israeli. It is always the innocent people who suffer the most.
I am Liat Atzili from Kibbutz Nir Oz.
My partner, Aviv and I built a life and a family in Nir Oz. We were an inseparable part of this little community, which fulfilled our aspirations and needs. Mine as an educator, and Aviv’s as a farmer and an artist.
On October 7th, our kibbutz was attacked, conquered, and destroyed by Hamas. A quarter of the residents were either killed or kidnapped, including me. The time I spent as a hostage in Gaza was of complete despair, unending fear for my friends and family, and long days. I was nervous that I wouldn’t survive.
After 54 days in captivity, I was returned home. The following day, my family and I were told that Aviv was killed on October 7th. Aviv had hundreds of friends, he traveled and created, and made the most of every opportunity; he truly loved life.In his final year, Aviv fulfilled many dreams, the greatest being to share his art publicly. While managing the kibbutz’s agricultural garage, he painted on tractor parts and scrap metal, blending his love for metals and the Negev fields into his creations. Our children looked up to him and I feel like I had the greatest privilege to share my life with him.
I always believed that war is not our destiny, and that any conflict, including ours, can be solved. This war has proven to me beyond a doubt that we cannot continue fighting, that we have no right to impose the continued suffering of war on future generations on either side. I am ready today, more than ever, to do everything in my power so that our children can live here in peace and security.
I am Mazen from Bethlehem. Many of my family members live in Beit Lahiya, Gaza. They lived in a beautiful house and went on about their lives, despite the siege.
It all stopped on October 10, 2024, when, my uncle, his three sons, and his son-in-law were outside near the house. Israeli aircraft targeted them with bombardment and gunfire. My aunt managed to bring their bodies into the house. With trembling hands, she was forced to gather what remained of them, unable for over a week to lay her husband and three sons to rest.
I cannot believe that so many of my family are dead, and that I cannot go there to help them and cry with them.
The depth of pain in Gaza is beyond description and cannot be fathomed by the human mind. How much longer will this hatred on both sides continue? How much longer will we endure this nightmare? All the Palestinian people desire is a dignified life free from occupation—a fundamental right, just like that of any other people in the world.
The suffering will not cease until we collectively seek pathways to peace and understanding. Revenge will not forge a shared future; we must strive to find common ground and solidarity. Let us unite for a brighter future for the generations to come, and let us raise our voices for peace, so that together we may end this cycle of violence and finally live in safety and harmony.
