I encourage our readers in the Washington, DC area to attend an upcoming event that supports peacemaking co-sponsered by Daughters for Life and Eastern Mennonite University’s  Center for Justice and Peacebuilding

Daughters for Life was founded by Nobel Prize nominee Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish, whose daughters, Bessan, 21, Mayar, 15, and Aya, 13, were killed when Israeli tanks shelled his family’s home in Gaza in 2009.  In 2011, an interview with Dr. Abuelaish appeared in the Journal for Hate Studies. In his interview (which you can find here: 157-483-1-PB), Dr. Abuelaish speaks about how we have hope in the face of tragedy and how we inculcate children against hate.

Above, the cover of I Shall Not Hate: A Gaza Doctor’s Journey on the Road to Peace and Human Dignity shows daughters Bessan, Mayar, and Aya tracing their names in the sand on a beach. 

The organization that he founded after this violence focuses on empowering girls and young women from Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria by awarding them scholarships to study in Canada, the UK, and the US.

On September 16th, Daughters for Life and EMU are hosting a dinner honoring women working in peace building: Nobel Peace Prize winner Leymah Gbowee, Peabody Award-winning social entrepreneur and media producer Ronit Avni, and the executive director of Just Vision, Suhad Babaa. Tickets are available to support this work and celebrate these women.

Rebecca