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About the Ceremony: The Joint Memorial Ceremony, organized by Combatants for Peace (CfP) and The Parents Circle Families Forum, is the largest Israeli-Palestinian jointly organized peace event. The Joint Memorial Ceremony provides a unique opportunity for Israelis and Palestinians to grieve together and stand strong in demanding an end to the ongoing violence. The Ceremony takes place every year 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. Our Joint Memorial transforms this narrative by bringing Palestinians to the Memorial alongside Israelis. Joining together to mourn each other’s pain, we aim to challenge the status quo and set the foundation for a new reality based on mutual respect, dignity, and equality for all. In mourning together, we seek not to equate narratives, but rather transform despair into hope and build bridges of compassion. We remind ourselves and society that occupation, oppression, and violence are not inevitable. 

History of the Ceremony:  Since the first 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 people streamed it. 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.

2023 Ceremony:

This year, the Joint Memorial Ceremony will be held on April 24, 2023. You can join the live stream from wherever you are in the world (8:30pm Jerusalem | 6:30pm London | 1:30pm New York | 10:30am Los Angeles).

The theme of the ceremony is WE ACKNOWLEDGE”: bringing to light what has already been known but was suppressed, denied, or muted. 

WE ACKNOWLEDGE each other’s humanity and every human’s right to security and freedom. 

WE ACKNOWLEDGE the oppressive system that fuels injustice, violence, and trauma. 

WE ACKNOWLEDGE our personal suffering, the suffering of our neighbors, and our part in this pain.

WE ACKNOWLEDGE our shared vision of a land where the inherent dignity and equality of all is fully realized. 

WE ACKNOWLEDGE our power to transform, collectively heal, and unite to end the occupation.

February 21, 2018

Why NonViolent Civil Resistance Works

February 21, 2018

Construction instead of destruction

By Tuly Flint, Israeli Coordinator of CFP On Friday, we were in Hamam el-Malih. When I say “we”, I mean Combatants for Peace. Palestinians and Israelis […]
February 16, 2018

Building Playgrounds for Bedouin Children

 
February 14, 2018

An Interview with our Nobel Peace Prize nominees

  When warriors stop fighting and start talking: Combatants for Peace Photo Credit above, with Souli & Chen: Petar Mitrovic (One Word Project)
January 31, 2018

2018 Nobel Peace Prize Nomination

It has been confirmed by the Nobel Peace Prize Nominating Committee… Combatants for Peace has been nominated for the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize!! Here is the […]
January 26, 2018

An Interview with CFP Activist Moran Zamir

American Jewish Peace Archive, Presents: Moran Zamir on Trauma, Binational Peace Activism, and International Solidarity  Moran Zamir is an Israeli activist with Combatants for Peace (CFP), a joint […]
January 22, 2018

University of New Mexico Press Release

by Iris Keltz Combatants for Peace: Beyond Combat–A Reason to Hope A Palestinian and Israeli member of Combatants for Peace will speak at the SUB Ballroom […]
January 18, 2018

Non-Violent Activist Training Report

The objective of this document is to summarize the activities carried out by the “Combatants for Peace” movement in the second half of 2017 concerning non-violence […]
December 9, 2017

Movie Screening in New Hampshire

American Friends of Combatants for Peace wants to invite you to be involved in the Combatants movement! One of the easiest ways to do this is […]
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