We’ve submitted our application to Israel’s Ministry of Education. Now, we wait to see if Israel’s right-wing government will allow us to continue holding our Dialogue Meeting program in Israeli high schools. While we wait, we are gearing up to fight back. Even before the Ministry’s decision, Israeli schools have become scared to bring the … Continue reading Our application is in, now we wait.
Tuesday, May 30th, 20237:00 – 8:00 PM CST Fourth Presbyterian Church North Michigan Avenue at Delaware Place Chicago, IL 60611 Hosted by American Friends of the Parents Circle invite you to a Dialogue Meeting with bereaved Israeli mother, Robi Damelin, and bereaved Palestinian mother, Laila Alsheikh. Join us to hear their stories of loss, of … Continue reading Our Tears Are the Same Color: Dialogue Meeting with the Parents Circle
by Robi DamelinBereaved Israeli motherSpokesperson and International RelationsParents Circle – Families Forum Passover, Ramadan, and Easter remind us of the importance of the struggle for freedom. In Israel and Palestine we are facing frightening challenges to our freedoms. Despite these threats, we remain dedicated to our mission. There is an element of miracle in the … Continue reading Will you stand for freedom with me?
Join the largest Israeli-Palestinian peace event in history. On April 24th, we will gather to call for peace, freedom, and human rights for all. The Joint Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day Ceremony is hosted by Combatants for Peace and The Parents Circle–Families Forum. Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day, is a solemn day on which Israelis remember those … Continue reading The 2023 Joint Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day Ceremony
The meeting was canceled at the request of the mother of one of the students, and under pressure from right-wing activists. This is the third time such an event was canceled in the central city of Kfar Saba in the last six months
Wednesday, March 29th, 2023 Reconstructing Judaism, Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association, and American Friends of the Parents Circle invite you to a Dialogue Meeting with bereaved Israeli mother, Robi Damelin, and bereaved Palestinian mother, Laila Alsheikh. Join us to hear their stories of loss, of reconciliation, and of hope. You will also have the opportunity to learn … Continue reading Our Tears Are the Same Color: Virtual Dialogue Meeting with the Parents Circle
by Laila AlsheikhBereaved Palestinian motherWomen’s Group MemberParents Circle – Families Forum March 8, 2023 Life in Israel and Palestine is devastating and troubling these days. Yet there are glimpses of hope in unexpected places. Despite the violence, upheaval and death, last week 50 bereaved Palestinian and Israeli women came together in East Jerusalem to mark … Continue reading Palestinian women still have hope – do you?
NPR’s Michel Martin speaks with Robi Damelin and Bassam Aramin, bereaved Israeli and Palestinian members of the Parents Circle, about the current unrest taking place in Israel and Palestine.
Join us together with special guest, Randi Weingarten, President of American Federation of Teachers, for a webinar on the status of the threats to our peace education program in Israeli schools and why this issue of critical importance — now, more than ever. The Israeli government has recently announced its intention to restrict the Parents Circle’s public … Continue reading WEBINAR – Safeguarding Peace Education: Israeli Government Threatens to Expel Bereaved Israelis and Palestinians From Schools
by Efrat GeriBereaved Israeli daughter and memberParents Circle – Families Forum February 2, 2023 (written in response to “A new restriction by the Ministry of Education is intended for one organization: the Parents Circle Family Forum“, by Shira Kadri-Ovadia) Dear Mr. Minister of Education, My name is Efrat Geri, I am a teacher and educator … Continue reading Bereaved Israeli daughter responds to Education Ministry’s attack on Parents Circle
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.
