by Yoav PeckDirector of Community RelationsParents Circle – Families Forum November 3, 2022 I bear no uplifting message this evening, no rallying cry, no optimistic fervor to drown out the screaming sirens calling our ship onto the rocks on which we will break apart, if we give in. We hear the hysterical celebrations, we’re assaulted … Continue reading A Long Way Home
The first signs of what’s at stake following Israel’s right-wing government election results are already making themselves known. Yesterday, Galili High School in Kfar Saba, amidst pressure and threats, cancelled its Dialogue Meeting with the Parents Circle after many years of successful programming. Donate now to support our peace education programs Right wing activists on … Continue reading First signs of what’s at stake with Israel’s new government
After right-wing activists shared posts on social media saying the school was arranging ‘encounters with terrorists,’ Kfar Sava school cancels annual event with bereaved families forum
Our Tears Are the Same Color Dialogue Meeting with Bereaved Palestinian and Israeli Peacemakers December 1, 2022 https://youtu.be/STA_Is-_dds American Friends of the Parents Circle invites you to a Dialogue Meeting with bereaved Palestinian and Israeli daughters, Ikhlas Ishtaya and Meytal Ofer. Dialogue Meetings like this one are under threat from the new right-wing government taking … Continue reading Webinar – Our Tears Are the Same Color
by Yuval Rahamim Bereaved member and Israeli co-Director Parents Circle – Families Forum November 2, 2022 Tuesday’s elections may change the game for the Parents Circle. The results are not yet final, but it looks like a clear advantage to the right. The next Israeli government will have a strong, radical, religious and hateful axis. … Continue reading How the elections results will impact our work
by Osama Abuayyash Bereaved member and Palestinian co-Director Parents Circle – Families Forum October 28, 2022 For the first time in years, a government was formed in Israel that was made up of parties whose slogans were to reach a political settlement with the Palestinians, stop the construction and settlement of settlements, and fight against … Continue reading A Palestinian Peacemaker on the Israeli Elections
Learn more about our campaign to stand in solidarity with Palestinian communities affected by settler violence On Saturday, October 22, Israeli and Palestinian members of the Parents Circle participated in a solidarity event in the village of at-Tuwani to pick olives, as we did in 2021. This event is central to the south and will … Continue reading 2022 Olive Harvest in at-Tuwani
It’s not often that we celebrate. We are far too often focused on death, bereavement and violence. But today, we are celebrating 20 years of youth peace education. It was 20 years ago we held our first Summer Program for youth. For 20 years we have held Dialogue Meetings with Palestinian and Israeli youth in … Continue reading 20 Years of Youth Peace Education
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by Yuval Rahamim Bereaved member and Israeli Co-Director Parents Circle – Families Forum September 17, 2022 When I was invited to join the trip to the U.S. South to explore the history of slavery, civil rights and racial justice, I was reluctant. After all, my concern is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and not a remote story of … Continue reading What I learned about the conflict on a southern plantation
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.
