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In 2002, Layla Alsheikh’s 6-month old son Qussay became ill and died after Israeli soldiers prevented her from getting him from their home in the West Bank to a hospital. From that moment, she says she was filled with hatred for Israelis, who she felt were responsible for Qussay’s death. Years later, she attended a Parents Circle meeting to share her story; as she listened to the personal stories of other Israeli people who had also experienced a devastating loss because of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, she realized they shared a common experience of pain and grief.
Also in 2002, Robi Damelin’s son David was killed by a Palestinian sniper while guarding a checkpoint near a settlement during his army reserve service. Wanting to do whatever she could to ensure that no other mothers experienced the same pain, Damelin began sharing her story and speaking about reconciliation and peace. But after the night three soldiers knocked on her door to tell her they had found the person who killed David, sharing her story became more difficult. She knew, she says, that now she actually had to “walk the talk.”
These and many more heartbreaking stories are at the core of the work of the American Friends of the Parents Circle, an organization of more than 750 families who have all lost a close family member to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict—but instead of revenge, they seek restorative justice and reconciliation. To that end, they have developed an educational program, “Listening from the Heart,” to help educators and schools engage students in meaningful dialogue about the conflict that generates empathy, challenges binary views and encourages students to see the humanity in each other. The AFT has partnered with Parents Circle to launch the program, which will be available for free to all public school educators. To learn more about the program and review the facilitation guide and learning materials, visit parentscirclefriends.org/listening.
[Lesley Gonzalez/photos by Pam Wolfe]