Palestinian Peace Advocate, Grieving Father, speaks with Bay Area Jews

A Palestinian physician, whose three daughters and niece were killed on January 16 by Israeli shelling in Gaza, will speak to the Bay Area's Jewish community about the reasons for his unwavering hope for peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish will address an audience at Kehilla Community Synagogue at 7PM on Sunday, April 26th, an event co-sponsored by Kehilla, Americans for Peace Now, and the Bay Area chapter of Brit Tzedek v'Shalom.

The story of Abuelaish's personal loss was viewed when he called Israeli TV about the loss of his family members.

Resolved to turn his grief into intensified efforts to promote Israeli-Palestinian peace, Dr. Abuelaish has included a number of Jewish community venues for his speaking engagements across the US. In a recent interview, Dr. Abuelaish said, "For me, Israel is a fact, Israel is a reality; it is there. And Palestinians are there. No one can deny the other. We are here. We were created to live together. No one can turn his back to the other." (http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3674373,00.html )

Dr. Abuelaish has been a long-time peace advocate. A colleague at Soroka University Hospital, where Dr. Abuelaish worked, calls him a "magical, secret bridge between Israelis and Palestinians." (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7838465.stm) In response to an attempted suicide bombing at Soroka Hospital in 2004, he wrote a letter to the Jerusalem Post calling the attempt an "aggression and a violation against humanity." (http://www.beyondimages.info/b146.html) Dr. Abuelaish sent his eldest daughter, Bessan, to a peace camp in New Mexico for Israeli and Palestinian adolescent girls. Bessan, 20, was among the members of his family killed in the January attack. Rabbi Art Donsky, a Brit Tzedek chapter leader in Pittsburgh, PA where Dr. Abuelaish spoke on April 13, says "Dr Abuelaish is simply awesome."