Films at TI: "Mourning in Lod" and Discussion with The Abraham Initiatives

Screening and Discussion with The Abraham Initiatives

Mourning in Lod is a stirring documentary filmed during the violent clashes that took place within Israel’s mixed communities in May of 2021. The film opens with the murder of Moussa Hassouna, a Palestinian citizen of Israel, who is shot and killed by a Jewish resident in Lod. Riots break out across the city in Hassouna’s name and turn deadly when a rock is hurled through Yigal Yehoshua’s car window, striking him in the head and killing him. Randa, a Christian Palestinian woman, receives Yigal’s kidney after his death and is moved to cross cultural boundaries to pay her respects to his family. All the while, the families of Moussa and Yigal seek justice for their tragic murders and have vastly different experiences with the Israeli justice system.

Following the screening, Temple Israel will host a conversation with Shahira Shalaby and Amnon Be’eri Sulitzeanu, Co-CEOs of The Abraham Initiatives, a Jewish-Israeli and Palestinian-Israeli organization previously based in Lod. For over 35 years, The Abraham Initiatives has built and tested programs on the ground that promote full social and political equality between Israel’s Jewish and Palestinian citizens, particularly in the mixed cities where residents live and work together. Please join us for a discussion on how lessons learned from the intercommunal violence of May 2021 were applied in the aftermath of October 7th, and how we can work together toward a different vision for Israel’s future.

 

Join us on December 5th at 7:00 p.m. onsite. Register Here. Please contact cajl@tisrael.org with any questions.

 

The Abraham Initiatives is a Jewish-Israeli and Palestinian-Israeli organization that advances social inclusion and equal rights for Israel's Palestinian citizens by influencing public policy, shaping public opinion and demonstrating practical models for a shared society.

Shahira Shalaby is Co-CEO of The Abraham Initiatives. She is the former Deputy Mayor of Haifa, a former city councilor, and was among the founders of the Palestinian Feminist Movement in Israel. She has established several initiatives and organizations working to improve the status of Arab women in Israel and has consulted for social change organizations on issues of leadership, strategic thinking, teamwork, developing and managing resources, and community work. She is also a group facilitator, specializing in dialogue, conflict resolution, and facilitator training. She holds a master’s degree in religious studies and a bachelor's degree in social work.

Amnon Be'eri Sulitzeanu is Co-CEO of The Abraham Initiatives. Previously, he directed marketing and communications for the Jerusalem Foundation and served as an adviser to and spokesman for Israel’s Ministry of Immigrant Absorption. He previously served as the Director of Marketing Communications at the Jerusalem Foundation, where he worked to initiate and develop educational, cultural, and social enterprises in Jerusalem. Prior to that, he worked as the Adviser to the Minister of Immigrant Absorption and as the spokesperson of the Ministry. Among other tasks, he was active in designing public policy during the massive waves of migration from the Former Soviet Union and Ethiopia.