The 2023 Joint Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day Ceremony

The 2023 Joint Israeli-Palestinian
Memorial Day Ceremony

Monday, April 24, 2023

The Joint Memorial Ceremony, organized by Combatants for Peace (CfP) and The Parents Circle – Families Forum, is the largest Israeli-Palestinian jointly organized peace event. The Joint Memorial Ceremony provides a unique opportunity for Israelis and Palestinians to grieve together and stand strong in demanding an end to the ongoing violence.

The Ceremony takes place every year on the eve of Yom Hazikaron (Israeli Memorial Day). In Israeli mainstream culture, the ceremonies that are most often held to honor this day serve to reinforce cultural narratives of pain, victimhood, and hopelessness. Our Joint Memorial transforms this narrative by bringing Palestinians to the Memorial alongside Israelis.

Joining together to mourn each other’s pain, we aim to challenge the status quo and set the foundation for a new reality based on mutual respect, dignity, and equality for all. In mourning together, we seek not to equate narratives, but rather transform despair into hope and build bridges of compassion. We remind ourselves and society that occupation, oppression, and violence are not inevitable.

History of the Ceremony

Since the first ceremony in 2006, the number of people who attend has grown tremendously. In 2022, 300,000 people participated in the live broadcast event and over one million people streamed it.

Throughout the years, participating guests have included leading intellectuals and artists such as: Mubarak Awad, Yoni Rechter, Professor Yehuda Ne’eman, Alon Oleartchik, Achinoam Nini (Noa), Mira Awad, Professor Eva Illouz, Eliezer Yaari, Dr. Amal Abu Said, David Grossman, Dr. Sami Shalom Shitrit, Richard Gere, and many others.

The theme of this year’s ceremony is “WE ACKNOWLEDGE”: bringing to light what has already been known but was suppressed, denied, or muted.

WE ACKNOWLEDGE each other’s humanity and every human’s right to security and freedom.

WE ACKNOWLEDGE the oppressive system that fuels injustice, violence, and trauma.

WE ACKNOWLEDGE our personal suffering, the suffering of our neighbors, and our part in this pain.

WE ACKNOWLEDGE our shared vision of a land where the inherent dignity and equality of all is fully realized.

WE ACKNOWLEDGE our power to transform, collectively heal, and unite to end the occupation.

Quotes from ceremony speakers

"Our steadfastness turns our pain into action. We must resist the systems that want us to be enemies, to kill the sense of humanity, systems that build walls and prisons, polarize and antagonize, and give a voice to hope, peace, and justice and equality for all. Without faith in our work, the light goes out and the darkness will rule, and our mission is to carry the torch of hope. Our responsibility is to building a space for our children to grow and thrive in peace, a peace we must build together now."

"We must put an end to the violence, which only brings more pain and loss. I know there is no difference between the pain of a Palestinian mother and an Israeli mother, and that the feeling of loneliness that loss brings is the same. The bereavement that unites us in the Parents Circle-- Israelis and Palestinians-- carries a message a message of unity based on the pain and longing that we all share. And just as we act together, so must the leaders of the two nations, and reach an agreement for the safety of both peoples."

"Violence breeds violence, and the greatest loss is the loss of life. Man is the most most precious creature. You can compensate for everything except people. You can compensate for everything except a person who has died."

"My message to you and to the whole world today is to stop the bloodshed of the innocent. We should all enjoy freedom, justice, and peace."

"I hated and refused to see any Israeli for 16 years, until one day I met people who had lost loved ones, like me. I was invited to attend a Parents Circle meeting. That was the first time I felt that they were people like me, and that we all had the same pain, the same suffering, the same tears."

"I am not betraying my people by participating in the Parents Circle. I harnass everything my brother and I had together for the sake of a long-awaiting reconciliation with the other side. We seek what's best for our country, and that is to say: let's put an end to hate."

"Nonviolence is not a tactic; it's a way of being, of courage. We haven't seen the end of the story of your people. That chapter hasn't been written yet. You can write it. Your courage is extraordinary and your hearts are wide open."