Parents of murdered Israeli and Palestinian children formed
The Parents Circle in search of reconciliation and forgiveness. Citizens from
those countries are forming nongovernmental peace initiatives. “When things
get so bad, people are bound to look for alternatives,” says Andy Shallal, founder
of The Peace Café, a forum for Arab and Jewish dialogue.
Shallal, 48, resides in Washington, D.C., but lived the first 11 years of his life in Iraq. He travels the world as a peace activist speaking about social and political issues, such as Israeli-Palestinian aggression, and working with such groups as The Parents Circle. This winter, he’s going to Jerusalem with the Seeds of Peace, a non-profit organization that trains teenagers from war-torn lands to resolve conflict and promote peace.
This Wednesday, Nov. 5, Shallal will be speaking at Lincoln Library’s Carnegie
Room North, Seventh and Capitol. His talk, “Where are we Now? Conflict and Reconciliation
in Iraq, Palestine and Israel,” starts at 7 p.m. The event, which is sponsored
by Pax Christi Springfield, the Iraq Peace Coalition, and the Mary Wood Branch
of Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, is open to the public.
This article appears in Oct 30 – Nov 5, 2003.
