Holding Shared Humanity: A Conversation with Parents Circle Families Forum

Tuesday, March 19th 7-8:30pm, in JRC’s Main Sanctuary and via Zoom

American Friends of the Parents Circle – Families Forum shares the human side of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with the American public in order to foster a peace and reconciliation process. The Parents Circle – Families Forum is a joint Israeli-Palestinian organization made up of more than 700 bereaved families. Their common bond is that they have lost a close family member to the conflict. But instead of choosing revenge, they have chosen a path of reconciliation.

Through the different works of the PCFF, these bereaved members have joined together to take tens of thousands of Palestinians and Israelis on their personal journeys of reconciliation. It is often raw and always emotional. But out of these interactions, comes change. Not the kind of change that makes headlines, but a more personal and profound shift in perspective. These bereaved members, armed with the credibility of their loss and the uncommon path they have chosen, have opened a crack in the psyche of a hardened populous. They have begun to stir an awareness about the conflict that transcends history and politics. For many, it is the first time they have seen “the other side” as human.

The PCFF hopes for the day that political leaders reach agreement for peace. But they strongly believe that reconciliation between the Israeli and Palestinian people is essential to ensuring that peace is sustainable.

Join members of JRC’s Israel-Palestine Working Group to hear about this organization’s mission and story.  Together, we open to our shared humanity.

For

For JRC’ers: take a couple of days to digest the Parents Circle Presentation. Then join a facilitated Zoom discussion to share your aha moments and learnings on Thurs, March 21st, 7-8 pm. 

Please RSVP By Clicking Here.

To Participate via Zoom:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83982420709?pwd=Y2pPRzFhT3k3UndESlU1ZXEvWnZEQT09 

Meeting ID: 839 8242 0709
Passcode: 933065

Speaker Bios:

Yuval Rahamim’s father, Abraham Rahamim, was killed in 1967 while serving in the Six Day War. Yuval was 8 years old at the time. He joined the Parents Circle in 2010 and served as President of the board from 2011-2014. Since December 2015, Yuval has chaired the Israeli Peace NGOs Forum, an association for empowerment and cooperation of more than 120 Israeli and bi-national Peace organizations. He has served as the Israeli co-Director of the Parents Circle – Families Forum since 2020.

Mohamed Abu Jafar lives in Jenin, in the Occupied West Bank, Palestine. He has been a member of the Parents Circle since 2016. On October 24, 2002, when Mohamed was 14, his 16-year old brother was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers, who then opened fire around the body, injuring 10 others and preventing others from aiding Mohamed’s brother. This tragedy led Mohamed to study nursing. Today he works as a Quality Manager at the Palestinian Ministry of Health. He has taken part in the Parents Circle’s Young Ambassadors for Peace Program, and as a facilitator and manager for the organization’s Youth Summer Camp.