09/16/2024
This Thursday 9/19/2024 Jazz nonprofit Gotham Yardbird Sanctuary presents a fundraising event with nonprofit American Friends of the Parents Circle - Families Forum Holding Onto Humanity: Breaved Israelis And Palestinians For Peace at Cafe Ornithology on 1037 Broadway from 7 to 8pm followed by music performance by Yaala Ballin trio with Ari Roland (b) from 8:30pm to 11pm and Nadav Nazarathy and Dan Y von Weisselberg Duo hosting jam session from 11:30pm to 1:45am.
The Parents Circle - Families Forum is a joint Israeli-Palestinian organization made up of more than 750 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. Through their educational activities, these bereaved members have joined together to take tens of thousands of Palestinians and Israelis on journeys of reconciliation. It is often raw and always emotional. But out of these interactions, comes change. Not the kind of change that makes headlines, but a more personal and profound shift in perspective.
As a joint Israeli-Palestinian peace organization, the PCFF models constructive dialogue around shared values. Even since October 7th, 2023, its staff, members, and thousands of participants are still committed to peace and a way forward that centers around empathy and humanization. The PCFF focuses on the shared value of the sanctity of human life. This conversation brings our attention to the values that Palestinians and Israelis can agree upon even in the darkest of times.
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.
Here is the information of two speakers one Palestinian and one Israeli mother who lost their sons in the conflict.
Layla Alshekh lives in Bethlehem in the West Bank. In 2002, her 6 months old son, Qussay, became ill and Israeli soldiers prevented Layla from taking him to the hospital for more than five hours. Qussay soon died from the lack of timely treatment. �Laila joined the Parents Circle in 2016. Following her son’s death, she never thought of revenge, but rather has devoted her time and energy to ensuring a better, more peaceful future for her children.
Robi Damelin, spokesperson and director of International Relations for the Parents Circle - Families Forum joined the organization after her son was killed by a Palestinian Sniper. All her work on the ground in Palestine, Israel, and internationally is geared towards non-violence and reconciliation as a means to end the occupation. Robi was named as a 2015 Woman of Impact by Women in the World.
Also this event will be a kick-start event to begin GYS Peace Talk Session Campaign from 9/20 to 12/30/2024 with
nonprofit Anera for fundraising toward humanitarian crisis for Palestinians and beyond.
GYS for-profit business headquarters Ornithology and Cafe Ornitholoygy will have couple of QR code that is connected to ANERA website for donation for their amazing works for humanity.
https://www.anera.org
During this campaign, on 10/25 from 7pm to 8pm, another GYS Peace Talk Session will be co-produced with nonprofit Archipelago Books for reading of legendary Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish’s last work “In The Presence Of Absence” by poet/translator Sinan Antoon to also introduce his own poetry.
He will be joined by Gazan poet Hazem Fahmy to recite his poetry with talks and Q and A followed by live music concert.
Cafe Ornithology
1037 Broadway
Bushwick NYC
Right next to Ornithology Jazz Club
