NEWS RELEASE
Citizens For Justice In The Middle East
6100 W. 52nd Street
Kansas City, Missouri
For Immediate Release
Contact: Andrea Whitmore with CJME, 816-561-2729 or write whitmoreandy@kc.rr.com
Beyond Revenge: Supporting Peace, Tolerance, & Reconciliation
Palestinian and Israeli Family Members Seek Resolution Through Dialogue
Two members of Parents Circle- Families Forum, Nadwa Sarandah and Robi Damelin, will be in the Kansas City area as part of a national a speaking tour on May 19-21, 2005.
Nadwa Sarandah and Robi Damelin, two women from the Parents Circle (Israeli and Palestinian Bereaved Families for Peace), will speak in Kansas City, Lawrence and Columbia from May 19-21. The Parents Circle is a group of 500 Israeli and Palestinian families who have lost loved ones to violence in the current conflict. Instead of harboring revenge and anger, grieving members work to promote reconciliation and understanding that seek ways to foster a peaceful end to the conflict.
Nadwa Sarandah lives in Shuafat in East Jerusalem. She is the manager of a large cement factory and the mother of two adolescents. Nadwa's sister, Naila, was a professional public health consultant and devoted her life to improving the health of Palestinians. After Naila's death, Nadwa refused to speak to anyone of her sister and her pain. Members of The Families Forum reached out to Nadwa who ultimately came to value sharing her pain with others. She now spends a great deal of time and energy conveying the message of reconciliation to people on both sides of the conflict and around the world.
Robi Damelin lives in Tel Aviv. Her son David was studying for his Masters Degree in the Philosophy of Education and was an active member of the peace movement when he was killed at the age of 28. Following David's death, Robi closed her successful PR firm and devoted all her energy to The Families Forum in efforts to promote dialogue, tolerance and reconciliation.
During their visit Damelin and Sarandah will tell how the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has tragically touched their lives and describe their hopes for a peaceful future in the region.
Like other Parents' Circle members, the women have united to promote reconciliation and understanding between Israelis and Palestinians and to spread the message that the Middle East is not just about violence and war.
Despite the horrific way in which their relatives died, Sarandah and Damelin have embraced a vision of peace and co-existence, not vengeance.
"Revenge so often destroys the person who is the avenger," Damelin said in an Associated Press story. "I would rather spend my time looking for a way to reconcile and prevent more people from joining this terrible club of bereavement."
Citizens for Justice in the Middle East, Kansas City Tikkun-Brit Tzedek v’Shalom, Kansans for a Just Peace in the Middle East and 12 co-sponsors are making the Parents' Circle visit possible. Some organizers hope Sarandah and Damelin will change people's attitudes and perceptions about those who call the Middle East home.
SPEAKING EVENT INFORMATION:
Israeli Robi Damelin and Palestinian Nadwa Sarandah, both of whom have lost relatives in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, will speak at four locations in the Kansas City area during their visit. Here is their schedule:
Information
about Parents Circle-Families Forum (http://www.theparentscircle.com
):
Parents Circle-Families Forum strives to end violence in the Middle
East, bringing its message of peace and forgiveness. Their long-term goals are
to promote reconciliation between the Israeli and Palestinian societies. Parents
Circle-Families Forum aims to play a crucial role in a reconciliation process
between Israelis and Palestinians. The reconciliation process will provide a
firm basis for the difficult measures a future agreement will including,
recognizing the responsibility of both sides for the past.
Information
about Citizens for Justice in the Middle East (http://www.cjme.org
):
Kansas City-based Citizens
for Justice in the Middle East (CJME) seeks to educate the American public about
the issues involved in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to end U.S. support
for the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories. CJME believes U.S.
policy should recognize the rights and aspirations of both Israelis and
Palestinians, only by respecting the need to provide both parties in the
conflict with security and self-determination can a viable and just peace be
assured.
Information
about Kansas City Tikkun-Brit Tzedek v’Shalom (http://www.btvshalom.org/chapters/kansas_city/
):
Kansas City Tikkun-Brit
Tzedek v'Shalom, is a local chapter of the Jewish Alliance for Justice and
Peace, which is a national organization of American Jews deeply committed to
Israel's well-being through the achievement of a negotiated settlement to the
long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Other
sponsors of this speaking tour:
Broadway United Methodist Women (Kansas City); Broadway United Methodist
Outreach Committee (Kansas City); Kansans for a Just Peace in the Middle East
(Lawrence, Kansas); Students for a Just Peace in the Middle East (Lawrence); KU
Peace and Conflict Studies program (Lawrence); Lawrence Coalition for Peace and
Justice (Lawrence); Plymouth Congregational Church (Lawrence); St. John's
Catholic Church (Lawrence); Tikkun (Columbia, Missouri); Congregation Beth
Shalom (Columbia); Islamic Center of Central Missouri (Columbia); MU Muslim
Student Organization (Columbia); MU Peace Studies Department (Columbia)