You are warmly invited to join in the experience online or in person at Bonnevaux Abbey for a 24-hour global meditation dedicated to peace. From midday Saturday, September 21, to midday Sunday, September 22 (including through the night), you are welcome to come whenever you like and stay for as long as you wish. Together, we will share in silence and prayer, sending a universal message of peace that transcends politics, race, and beliefs.
Everyone is welcome.
24-Hour Meditation for Peace
Join Our Global Initiative for Inner and Outer Peace
We warmly invite you to Bonnevaux Abbey for a 24-hour meditation dedicated to the universal right to peace and dignity for all, especially for those in areas of armed conflict around the world, and in hope for an end to all forms of violence. This event is free and open to everyone, whether you join us in person or online.
At Bonnevaux Abbey, you can light a candle, meditate or share the sacred silence for as long as you wish, and explore the beautiful natural surroundings. Simple refreshments will be provided.
For our online participants, we invite you to light a candle and aim your camera at it. Together, we can bring light into the darkness and create a powerful global signal of peace.
Opening Event Schedule (September 21, at noon):
- 1 - Talk by the Parents Circle Forum
- Parents of people who lost their lives on both the Palestinian and Israeli sides. Personal stories and reflections on loss and the path to reconciliation.
- 2 - "Spring", original song by Jemima
- 3 - Testimony by Anna, a Canadian Nurse in Rafah
- 4 - Gregorian Hymn by Joseph
- 5 - Testimony by Mariah from Ukraine on the effects of war and the role of meditation in the pursuit of peace
- 6 - Prayers of peace by children from Muslim, Orthodox , Catholic and Jewish traditions
- Father Laurence Freeman will offer reflections and then guide us into meditation.
The 24-hour meditation will continue until midday on September 22. Come when you wish and stay for as long as you like. The event will conclude with a contemplative Eucharist at midday.
Everyone is invited to join us in this global signal of peace and dignity.
Speakers
The Parents Circle – Families Forum (PCFF)
The Parents Circle – Families Forum (PCFF) is a unique organization made up of more than 750 Israeli and Palestinian bereaved families. Since its establishment, the members – all of whom have lost a family member to the conflict – have undertaken a joint effort, during ongoing violence, to transform their incredible loss and pain into a catalyst for reconciliation and peace. They choose to convert anger and revenge, helplessness, and despair, into actions of hope. PCFF is a fully joint Israeli-Palestinian organization at all levels. With more than 25 years of experience in implementing reconciliation and peace education programs in Israel and the West Bank, the organization’s bereaved members speak publicly at over 300 reconciliation, dialogue and public events each year, and operate educational, public awareness, and advocacy projects that foster humanization and empathy towards the “other”, both Israelis and Palestinians.
Musa Al-Hattawi
Musa was born in the city of peace, Jerusalem, in 1987 and studied and graduated there. He is a doctor and writer. He has family in the West Bank and in Gaza. Musa joined the Forum in 2023, following his cousin Youssef’s death. Since then, he has lost more than 20 family members in Gaza during the war. Before joining the Forum he struggled to believe in the idea of peace, as he understands bereavement to be a tragically common aspect of Palestinian life – Palestinians have lost not just families, but childhoods, education, and basic freedoms. However, since joining PCFF he is focused on the values that he wants to see, and believes that to move the world towards justice and peace requires determination and hard work.
Yuval Rahamim
Yuval was 8 years old when he lost his father, on the second day of the Six Day War. For years he believed that when he’d grow up, he’d avenge his father’s death, but it never came to pass. In time Yuval recognized that revenge won’t soothe his soul, rather reconciliation and the end of the conflict and the bloodshed . Yuval is Co-General Director of PCFF. He joined the Forum in 2010 and throughout the years took part and hosted many of the dialogue programs and meetings between Israeli and Palestinians. He also served as the Israeli chairman of the executive committee .