Robi Damelin’s life was transformed in 2002 when she received the bitter news that her beloved son David was gunned down by a Palestinian while serving as a reserve soldier in the Israel Defense Forces. 

In an emotional interview, she tells host Allison Kaplan Sommer about the personal journey that led her to peace activism and leadership in the Parents Circle-Families Forum – a co-sponsor of the annual Israeli-Palestinian Joint Memorial Day Ceremony. 

“I remember sitting around the table and looking into the eyes of the Palestinian mothers for the first time, and realizing that we shared the same pain and that our tears were the same color,” Damelin says. “If we can stand on the stage and talk in the same voice, for reconciliation and nonviolence, surely that can be an example for the whole world.” 

Later in the podcast, Haaretz’s Washington correspondent, Ben Samuels, checks in to discuss the political earthquake sparked by the leak of the Supreme Court’s draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade; the “evolving battle” between AIPAC and J Street ahead of the 2022 midterms; the Anti-Defamation League’s new campaign equating anti-Zionism with antisemitism; and the revelations in a new book by an aide to Sen. Bernie Sanders. 

This episode of Haaretz Weekend was released early in light of Israel’s Memorial Day and Independence Day. 

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