by Nonviolent Owensboro

NonViolent Owensboro, along with First Christian Church, Brescia University, and Owensboro Area World Affairs Council (OAWAC) hosted a Dialogue Meeting with the Parents Circle—Families Forum on November 9 at Brescia University, Owensboro.

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 600 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. 

There were about 40 people in attendance, as we listened to Robi Damelin and Laila Alsheikh, members of the Parents Circle, relate their stories of loss in the ongoing occupation of Palestine by the Israeli government. Though their own loss was years ago, they still carry the grief of the loss of their sons. The meeting was facilitated by Christopher Beachy, representative of the American Friends of the Parents Circle. In response to the recent war, they continue to work for reconciliation between Palestinian and Israeli parents and family members, as they know that violence will not bring peace.

Learn more about the organization at their website: American Friends of the Parents Circle-Families Forum (parentscirclefriends.org)

Watch the conversation here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CjBwf105LPOL8gTzRZJ1pe6iuXsrioOR/view?usp=sharing