11 March 2019

By Rabbi Nathan Godleman
South London Liberal Synagogue

South London Liberal Synagogue (SLLS) in Streatham welcomed Bassam and Robi (pictured) from the Bereaved Families Forum, along with organiser, Sana, on Saturday 9 March.

Of the forty or more people present after the service, who can forget their words?

Robi spoke of the loss of her son, an Israeli reservist killed at a checkpoint on the West Bank; Bassam of his daughter, shot dead outside her school.

Their grief has brought them together with several hundred other such parents to seek an end to the violence, so that no other families are bereaved.

Urging empathy for The Other, the thirteenth century Persian poet, Rumi, was quoted. “Between right and wrong there is a field, and I will meet you there.” A message for life.

• The Bereaved Families Forum is a joint Israeli and Palestinian organisation made up of more than 600 bereaved families, all of whom have lost a close family member to the conflict. Instead of seeking revenge, they have chosen a path of reconciliation.