Recognizing Shared Values in One Palestinian Family’s Quest for Peace

“The Words of My Father: Love and Pain in Palestine” — A book talk with author Yousef Bashir presented by the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC), Thursday, February 24 at 7 p.m.

By Laurel Grauer

Elu V’Elu: openness to multiple perspectives; B’Tselem Elohim: value humanity in each person; and Darchei Shalom: pursuit of the paths of peace, are inherently Jewish values, and at the same time, they are not valued by Jews alone. In his book “Words of My Father,” Yousef Bashir recalls his adolescence in Gaza during the Second Intifada and his father’s unshakable dedication to peaceful coexistence. Bashir’s emotional memoir embodies these three vital Jewish tenets and reminds us of our obligation to understand the “other” and to find ways to come together for the sake of each other.

The Palestinian-American activist recalls his adolescence in Gaza during the Second Intifada when he was shot in the spine by an Israeli soldier, leaving him in a wheelchair, paralyzed from the waist down for a year. Although an Israeli soldier had shot him, it was Israeli doctors who saved Yousef and helped him learn to walk again. This experience forced Yousef to reconcile with the words of his father, whose belief in coexisting peacefully with his Israeli neighbors was unshakeable and whose commitment to peace, absolute. Yousef became an outgoing activist for peace, dedicating his life to understanding the people he had once hated and empowering his own people to use peace to bring about change.

Bashir earned a bachelor’s degree in international affairs from Northeastern University and a master’s degree in coexistence and conflict from Brandeis University. He served as a member of the Palestinian Diplomatic Delegation to the United States and is a vigorous advocate of Israeli-Palestinian peace.

Join the Federation’s Jewish Community Relations Council on Thursday, February 24 at 7 p.m. for an online dialogue with Yousef Bashir. This event is free and open to the community. For more information or to submit your questions, contact the Jewish Federation’s Director of Community Relations and Israel Affairs Laurel Grauer at laurel. grauer@jewishcharlotte.org.

Praise for “The Words of My Father”

“At one of the darkest times in the elusive effort to end the conflict in the Middle East...[comes a] remarkable new memoir ... full of youthful exuberance, unlikely adventures, and raw discovery ... captivating.” (Robin Wright, The New Yorker)

“To experience love and humanity on many levels, read this story. Beautifully told by a young man whose voice deserved to be heard — even if the world is not yet ready to listen.” (Diana Darke, author of “My House in Damascus: An Inside View of the Syrian Crisis”)