The memory of the Holocaust plays a significant role in the fraught relationship between Israeli Jews and Palestinians, and it is undoubtedly a factor in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. So it is part of the ‘painful hope’ of Roots/Shorashim/Judur to delve into what the Holocaust means not only for Jews but for Palestinians as well. In this program, Khaled and Noor, two Palestinians connected to Roots, talk about their perspectives on the Holocaust. They discuss their own and their community’s relationship to the Holocaust, and the role that they see the Holocaust playing in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 

Khaled is among the foremost figures in the Palestinian community working toward peace and reconciliation between Palestinians and Israelis. He has been a part of the founding of three groundbreaking organizations, has been awarded various international prizes for his projects including the UNESCO Madanjeet Singh Prize for the promotion of nonviolence and tolerance in 2011, and was named one of the 500 most influential Muslims in 2010 by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center. Khaled’s family has been greatly affected by the conflict, which has shaped his beliefs and actions. His mother and his brother Ali were jailed during the First Intifada for extended periods, and Khaled himself spent a total of 18 months in confinement. In 2000, his brother Youssuf was killed by Israeli soldiers, two years later another brother, Said, died ten days after being wounded, and his son Muayyad was seriously wounded and left handicapped. In 2009 his son Muhanad was arrested and jailed for several years. Muhanad was jailed again at the end of 2015 and was released in July 2017. With everything that he has faced, Khaled remains dedicated to nonviolence and communication: “To anyone who says that it is only by war or by force or by eradicating the other side that rights can be won or dreams achieved, I say, ‘That is not so.’ For one side cannot eradicate the other. We cannot kill their dreams and they are unable to kill ours. We must divide this place among us all and live in peace or all of us will live in hell.”

Noor’s family moved from Amman, Jordan to Beit Sahour following the signing of the Oslo Accords. There, he began thinking about his identity as a Palestinian refugee. While studying to become a tour guide, Noor travelled to Israel and for the first time saw Israelis beyond the frame of “occupying soldiers.” In 2012, Noor was licensed by the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism. After meeting Rabbi Hanan Schlesinger and Ali Abu Awwad in 2016, Noor joined Roots, where he currently organizes joint Palestinian-Israeli activities and speaks to visiting groups about his personal experiences living through the conflict as a Palestinian who has seen much tragedy, and in such conditions is motivated to work toward a political solution. Noor resides in Bethlehem today, where he guides English-speakers on geopolitical tours of the region. Noor is one of the leading Palestinian activists at Roots, speaking for international and Israeli groups regularly about his experiences as a Palestinian, and he also coordinates the alumni of our Young Adults Program.

There is no fee, but please RSVP for planning purposes. This event is held virtually on Zoom. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the event. For more information, contact Program Director Ilene Tatro at itatro@cbisd.org.

CSP Partners: Beth Israel (San Diego, CA), Brotherhood Synagogue (Gramercy Park, NYC), Congregation Beth Shalom (Seattle, WA), Congregation B’nai Tzedek (Fountain Valley, CA), Congregation B’nai Israel (Tustin, CA), Jewish Collaborative of Orange County, CA, Shomrei Torah Synagogue (San Fernando Valley, CA), Temple Bat Yahm (Newport Beach, CA), Temple Beth El of South Orange County (Aliso Viejo, CA), Temple Beth Emet (Anaheim, CA), Temple Beth Ohr (La Mirada, CA), Temple Beth Tikvah (Fullerton, CA), Temple Beth Shalom (Needham, MA), Temple Beth Sholom (Santa Ana, CA), Temple Emanuel (Newton, MA), Town & Village Synagogue (NYC, NY), University Synagogue (Irvine, CA), Valley Beth Shalom (Encino, CA) & Walnut Street Synagogue (Chelsea, MA)