About the Ceremony
The Joint Memorial Day Ceremony, organized by Combatants for Peace and The Parents Circle Families Forum, is the largest Israeli-Palestinian jointly organized peace event in history. The Joint Memorial Ceremony provides a unique opportunity for Israelis and Palestinians to grieve together and stand strong in demanding an end to the occupation and ongoing violence. The ceremony occurs yearly 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. The Joint Memorial transforms this narrative by bringing Palestinians to the Memorial alongside Israelis to mourn side by side and model another way forward.
History & Impact
By mourning together we begin to shift public opinion on a massive scale. Since the first Joint Memorial 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 streamed it. In 2023, over 15,000 Israelis and Palestinians attended the Joint Memorial Day Ceremony in person in Tel Aviv. 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.
2024 Ceremony
The lives of everyone connected to Israel and Palestine will never be the same since October 7, 2023. With tens of thousands of lives cut short, families torn apart, and children traumatized, now more than ever we need to continue to show up for one another to mourn and remember. And, as we do every year, call for an end to the violence and demand a political solution that brings freedom, justice, and safety for all. With all eyes of the international community on Israel and Palestine, now more than ever, we need to join together around our grief and stay strong in building hope that another way is not only possible but imperative. This year will be the 19th annual joint Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day ceremony organized by Combatants for Peace and The Parents Circle-Families Forum. The ceremony will take place on May 12, 2024. This year, we will center the ceremony around the stories of children, whose only crime was being born Palestinian or Israeli. What will be the future of the next generation? How can we bring hope amidst so much tragedy?
