"Better the Pains of Peace than the Agonies of War," was the motto printed on the pamphlet given to those who attended The Parents' Circle last Tuesday evening. This group of Palestinians and Israelis, all of whom lost family members in the conflict in Israel, travel around the world telling their stories and why they chose peace, rather than violence and revenge. Brandeis was one of the stops on their journey.The Parents' Circle was started in 1995 by Yitzhak Frankenthal after his 19 year old son was killed by the Palestinian terrorist organization, Hamas. Frankenthal was able to garner the support of 44 other Israeli families who were grieving for lost children as well and create a forum to share grief and work to accomplish peace. Soon after, the organization was extended to include Palestinian families as well.

Through educational work, a media campaign and general outreach, this group of over 400 families hope to remind people that "there is just a human voice on both sides of this conflict and the that a continued religious and tribal blood feud need not be the future of the Middle East."

Perhaps the human voice was what was most moving at Brandeis that night. Done in a question-and-answer format, participants were able to hear the voices and stories of two Israelis and one Palestinian.

Rabbi Allan Lehmann, the Jewish Chaplain and Hillel Executive Director at Brandeis, asked the opening question, but most of the subsequent questions were asked by Israeli and Palestinian students. Participants were able to see the range of feelings these parents felt, how they dealt with them, and the methods they use to deal with their pain. Instead of seeing the Palestinian Israeli rift, participants saw the similarities between the two.

"We share the pain. We share not only the same piece of land but we share also what's lying underneath this land. The graves of our children ... We have lost our children but our hearts hold no vengeance. We hold no joy at the suffering of others. Our hearts hold only peace," Frankenthal said,