Here’s what you see in the headlines lately: A spate of stabbings and shootings across Israel, starting with the death of an Israeli motorist stoned by Palestinian terrorists on September 13, and escalating into daily terror attacks in multiple cities. Here’s what you do not see in the headlines: Israeli Jews and Arabs, and residents … Continue reading In trying times, the will for peace still flickers | Israel21c
Webinar Parents Circle Families Forum invites you to join us for a unique webinar: 200 Israeli and Palestinian Peace Activists Launch 2-Year Solidarity Plan Tuesday, September 19 at 2:00pm EST Register here Israeli and Palestinian activists will share their 2-year plan launched this month to promote solidarity and non-violence as a means towards ending the occupation and … Continue reading Webinar: 200 Israeli and Palestinian Peace Activists Launch 2-Year Solidarity Plan
By Shiri Ourian, Executive Director, American Friends of the Parents Circle Last week, while Camp Solomon Schechter, a Jewish summer camp outside of Seattle, hosted Palestinian and Israeli youth from Kids4Peace to engage in dialogue and shared learning, another summer camp took place in Israel with bereaved and non-bereaved Israeli and Palestinian youth who also engaged … Continue reading A Palestinian Flag at Jewish Camps: No Need for Apologies
By Robi Damelin, bereaved mother and International Relations Spokesperson of The Parents Circle- Families Forum Translated from op-ed piece in Ha’aretz [dropcap]H[/dropcap]ere we go again; how many people have to die before the cycle of violence finally turns for the last time? Revenge being the main tool, we kill, they kill, more force, more troops, and … Continue reading This Road Will Only Lead To More Graves
There is still availability for speaking engagements in the New York City area from September 20-30, 2017. E-mail us today to bring two speakers to your community to share their narratives and messages of reconciliation.
Despite the growing tensions and violence in Jerusalem and the region these past two weeks, our Youth Summer Program has started this week. Our Indiegogo campaign to support the program has reached its goal. Thanks to many of you, 40 Israeli and Palestinian youth are spending the week learning about each other’s narratives, about empathy and reconciliation, … Continue reading Amidst Tensions, Our Work Carries On
We made our goal! The Israeli and Palestinian Youth Summer Program is now 127% funded. Thanks to everyone who contributed to the campaign and who helped spread the word, we are now able to send 34 participants to the joint Israeli and Palestinian Youth Summer Program. Our work doesn’t end here. We can still bring more Israeli and Palestinian … Continue reading We made our goal!
“They’re people, not just a ‘side.’ I met new people, so I learned new things.” –2016 Summer Program Participant Our Israeli and Palestinian Youth Summer Program starts in 13 days! We still need to raise $12,000 to provide support for 8 more Israeli and Palestinian youth to attend. Donate now! Our program provides a rare and vital opportunity for young … Continue reading Only 13 days left to support our Youth Summer Program!
“In the dialogue meetings there are moments that it feels like everyone is together: there is no Israeli or Palestinian side. Everyone is listening together to the same pain and to both sides.” -Inbal Harel, 14 year old Israeli participant, 2016 PCFF Youth Summer Program The Parents Circle is gearing up for its 2017 Youth Summer … Continue reading Israeli and Palestinian Youth Gearing Up For Summer Program
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.
