Our Power is Our Pain

Friday, 8th March 2019 | 18:00 - 20:00

The event presents an opportunity to hear the inspiring personal stories of bereaved Palestinians and Israelis who choose reconciliation over retaliation.

Bassam Aramin, PCFF Spokesperson.

Bassam, father of 6, lives in Anata- East Jerusalem. Bassam started his struggle against the Israeli occupation when he was 13 years old. In 1985 at the age of 17, he was imprisoned and spent 7 years in Israeli jails between 1985- 1992. While in jail, Bassam came to learn and understand the Jewish narrative underlying the Israeli state. He went on to study history and holds an MA in Holocaust studies, from University of Bradford, England. Bassam has been a member of the PCFF since 2007, after losing his 10-year-old daughter Abir, killed by an Israeli border policeman in front of her school in Anata in 2007. As spokesperson for the Parents Circle – Families Forum, Bassam devotes his time and energies to his conviction for a peaceful, non-violent end to the Israeli occupation of Palestine and to Israeli-Palestinian reconciliation.

Robi Damelin, PCFF Spokesperson. 

Robi was born in South Africa and immigrated to Israel in 1967 as a volunteer on a kibbutz. In South Africa, Robi was very active in antiapartheid activities. Her uncle Judge Maisels defended Nelson Mandela in the treason trials. She lost her son David in March, 2002, when a Palestinian sniper shot him while David was on Israeli Defense Force (IDF) reserve duty. David was a student at Tel Aviv University studying for his MA in the Philosophy of Education and an active member of the peace movement. Since 2003 Robi has been making use of her personal pain for reconciliation rather than revenge and thereby creating a ray of light for peace in the Middle East. As the person responsible for Parents’ Circle’s Public Relations, Robi gives many interviews to international and local media, thereby using the media as a tool to promote peace.