474 | Grounds for Peace | Holocaust Remembrance Day and Making Peace in Palestine and Israel
Rami Elhanan is an Israeli graphic artist whose father survived Auschwitz. He lost his daughter Smadar in 1997. Two weeks off being 14 years old, Smadar was blown up by three Palestinian suicide bombers. She was out that afternoon buying books for school.
Bassam Aramin was a Palestinian prisoner for seven years for throwing grenades as a 17 year old at some Israeli soldiers that fortunately did not injure anyone. One day, on Holocaust Remembrance Day, he watched a film on the Holocaust and found himself weeping for the Jewish victims. After prison, he married, settled down, and engaged in reconciliation work with Palestinians and Israelis who refused to fight anymore. Then Abir, his 10 year old daughter was shot in 2007 by an Israeli soldier early in the morning outside school on her way to buy sweets/candy at a nearby shop.
Today Bassam and Rami work together telling their stories and inviting people to take the side of peace and end the occupation. They conclude this podcast with a peace invitation to each one of us, answering the question, “What can we do?”
Further Resources
The stories of Bassam and Rami are told in Apeirogon by Irish author Colum McCann (Bloomsbury, 2020). The book is a masterpiece with the testimonies of Bassam and Rami at its heart but then the wider story is cleverly and movingly novelized.
You can find out more about Parents Circle, a grassroots group of 600 Palestinian and Israeli parents who have lost a loved one - see their webpage https://www.theparentscircle.org/en/
Also, see Amnesty International’s February 2022 Report referred to in the podcast: Israel’s Apartheid Against Palestinians – A Look into Decades of Oppression and Domination
Host: Andrew Bolton
Guests: Rami Elhanan and Bassam Armin
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Intro and Outro music used with permission:
“For Everyone Born,” Community of Christ Sings #285. Music © 2006 Brian Mann, admin. General Board of Global Ministries t/a GBGMusik, 458 Ponce de Leon Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30308. copyright@umcmission.org
“The Trees of the Field,” Community of Christ Sings # 645, Music © 1975 Stuart Dauerman, Lillenas Publishing Company (admin. Music Services).
All music for this episode was performed by Dr. Jan Kraybill, and produced by Chad Godfrey.
NOTE: The series that make up the Project Zion Podcast explore the unique spiritual and theological gifts Community of Christ offers for today's world. Although Project Zion Podcast is a Ministry of Community of Christ. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are those speaking and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Community of Christ.