Uniting through tragedy

The photos of Abir and Smadar are projected on the stage at the Rimini Meeting. These two young girls resemble each other in the freshness of their youth, both with tied-back hair and deep gazes. Smadar, 13, was killed by a Palestinian suicide bomber in central Jerusalem, and Abir, 10, was fatally shot outside her school by a young Israeli soldier. Their tragic, violent, and inexplicable fates are part of the larger Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Their families, like many others, grieved and suffered, but today they bear witness to peace and reconciliation. Their fathers, Rami Elhanan and Bassam Aramin, have been active members of “The Parents Circle” for years, an association founded in 1995 by Isaac Frankenthal, whose son Arik was kidnapped and killed by terrorists affiliated with Hamas. On Friday, 23 August, they took the stage at ...