Elie Wiesel famously stated: “the opposite of love is not hate, but indifference.” Better to feel passionately one way or the other, than to feel nothing at all.
When we met with Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish this past fall, we were moved by his intense love for his family, and understood that while there is anger towards those who took the lives of those he loves, there is not hate. Dr. Abuelaish makes a personal distinction between hate as a fire that burns you from the inside, and anger which can fuel your passion for positive change. Both men agree that indifference is not the answer in the face of challenge, and both have suffered incomparable tragedy.
As Izzeldin Abuelaish prepared for one of his regular media interviews on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on January 16, 2009, Israeli shells hit his home, killing three of his daughters and his niece before his eyes – Besan, 20, Mayar, 15 and Aya, 14 – and Nour, 14. His painful cry was heard round the world as he faced this tragedy head on, live in the media. “It opened the eyes of the Israeli public. The secret about the war in Gaza was disclosed,” he says.
Two days later, the Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, announced a ceasefire.
This weekend is the anniversary of the tragic deaths of his daughters, and marks the consummation of an Israeli statute of limitations. As a result, Abuelaish filed a lawsuit against the Israeli government in December for an apology and compensation. The compensation would go towards his Daughters for Life Foundation, in his daughter’s memory.
Abuelaish, “The Gaza Doctor,” has built his reputation as an advocate for a peaceful coexistence between Israeli and Palestinian people with mutual respect for each other, both before and after the tragedy of his family.
Dr. Abuelaish was born and raised in poverty in a refugee camp. Fortune and hard work earned him scholarships, degrees in Cairo, London, and subsequently his Masters in Public Health (Health Policy and Management) from Harvard University. He specializes in infertility and fetal medicine, with a strong belief in health healing in many ways, and has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. The attack on his home happened just months after Dr. Abuelaish lost his wife and his daughters their mother, to leukemia.
His story is overwhelming and incredible. He has faced a life that is remarkable in its success and pain. And yet he continues not to hate, but to have faith and hope in a better world for all. And what can we do? Abuelaish states:
“You can do a lot. You can support justice for all by speaking out loudly to your family, friends, community, politicians and religious leaders. You can support foundations that do good work. You can volunteer for humanitarian organizations. You can vote regressive politicians out of office. You can do many things to move the world toward greater harmony…
“I know that what I have lost, what was taken from me, will never come back. But as a physician and a Muslim of deep faith, I need to move forward to the light, motivated by the spirits of those I lost. I need to bring them justice… I will keep moving but I need you to join me in this long journey.”
Dr. Abuelaish is currently on tour with his recently released book: I Shall Not Hate, garnering rave reviews for his honest personal story and approach to peace, and raising money for his Daughters for Life Foundation. The foundation began in memory of his daughters, to provide education and health access to women and girls in Gaza and the Middle East to support their leadership development.
Read more about Dr. Abuelaish and media coverage of the tour.
