Bereaved Israeli and Palestinian mothers share stories with UK Jews and Muslims

Bereaved Israeli and Palestinian mothers told more than 70 Jewish and Muslim women about losing loved ones to the conflict.

Robi Damelin and Layla Alshekh from the Bereaved Families Forum attended an event held by Nisa-Nashim, the Jewish-Muslim Women’s Network, last week.

Israeli mother Robi lost her only son David to a sniper, while Layla lost her six-month old baby during the second intifada, when Israeli troops refused to allow access to hospitals.

Discussing the recent flare up between Israel and Hamas, Robi said “we cannot afford to have kids grow up with so much hatred”.

Laura Marks, co-founder of Nisa-Nashim said “With so much pain around the conflict playing out here, our job is to challenge the narrative of hate, and to believe in the ability of our women to hear the pain of the other side.  Even if we can’t agree on the politics, we can try to find a way forward together”

Ahmereen Reza, trustee, said “To see so many people attend a zoom event which competed with England vs Germany and supper time, attested to the importance and power of Robi and Layla’s stories.  They made a huge impact on everyone in the room and showed what determined, loving and forgiving women can achieve.”