Please join us for a conversation between Palestinian activist Aziz Abu Sarah and Israeli activist Elik Elhanan on Israel and Gaza. Both speakers have lost siblings to the conflict and are both members of the grassroots group Combatants for Peace and the Parents Circle-Families Forum. Their shared experience will inform a thoughtful if sobering discussion of the horrifying events in Israel/Palestine and where we might go from here.

The event will be in person and livestreamed on Zoom. Please register to receive the link.

Aziz Abu Sarah is a peace builder, cultural educator, entrepreneur, author and international speaker. Aziz’s educational and conflict resolution work throughout the world has earned him the titles of National Geographic Explorer and Ted Fellow. He has been named one of the 500 most influential Muslims in the World by the Royal Strategic Centre in Jordan each year since 2010. His book, Crossing Boundaries – A Traveler’s Guide To World Peace, was released in July 2020. Co-author of the 2018 publication, Strangers, Neighbors, Friends: Muslim-Christian-Jewish Reflections on Compassion and Peace, Aziz continues to be at the forefront of peace and reconciliation efforts in conflict zones.  Aziz has worked in 60 countries, including Afghanistan, Colombia, Syria, and the Balkans. He has served as Executive Director at the Center for World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution, George Mason University and as the Chairman for the Parents Circle Family Forum representing the organization at international governmental organizations such as the European Parliament. He is the co-founder of InterAct International, a nonprofit advancing sustainability, education, and cross-cultural connections.

Elik Elhanan served in a  special forces unit in the Israel Defense Forces from 1995 – 1998, serving extensively in south Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza. In 1997, his 14-year old sister was killed by a suicide bomber in Jerusalem. Elik is also a military refuser. He joined Courage to Refuse in 2002 and in 2005 was a co-founder of the Israeli-Palestinian group Combatants for Peace.  Elik served as the Israeli director of the group in 2006-7
Besides Combatants for Peace, Elik’s peace activism included many other initiatives and organizations. A longtime member of the Parents Circle-Families Forum, Elik joined following his father Rami Elhanan in 2000. in 2012 Elik participated in the attempt of the Swedish boat S/V Estelle to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza. Elik received his PhD in Middle East studies from Columbia University and is currently teaching at City College in New York.

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