Monday, May 20
~ by Joe Masterson

A most powerful witness for a path toward justice, healing and hope came on Monday evening when two bereaved fathers, one an Israeli Jew and the other a Palestinian Christian, sat side-by-side as each told us the story of their excruciating pain when their respective daughters were innocent victims of raging violence between Israelis and Palestinians. Each of these men, and some 600 others, have come together to journey toward reconciliation by talking and listening, really listening, to each other’s pain. By their mutual vulnerability and shared pain, they slowly move through darkness and toward the light of shared humanity.

The Parents Circle/Bereaved Families Forum is an organization directed by two leaders (a Jewish Israeli and a non-Jewish Palestinian). Its members are all bereaved immediate family members who are working to end the occupation and build relations of mutual respect and justice as the road to peace. In this calling they face resistance from all sides, including governments and institutions that profit from blaming and fighting the “other.” They are seeking true transformation and co-resistance rather than “normalization.” That is unlikely to come through politicians.

What can we do? Our guests made several suggestions. We can spread the truth about the destructive occupation of Palestine in our own communities and churches, including through blogs like this one. We can insist that our own government and other institutions actively seek real peace with justice for all people. And we can visit http://theparentscircle.org/en/ to make donations and subscribe to its newsletter.