Two fathers, a book, and a dinner

Among the various stops on the Italian tour of Rami Elhanan—an Israeli—and Bassam Aramin—a Palestinian—was the multi-ethnic neighborhood of San Salvario. Both men lost their daughters to the conflict and now travel the world, sharing a message of reconciliation between their two peoples. San Salvario is home to both our Synagogue and the Waldensian Church, which serve as central hubs for the life of our respective communities.
It was therefore highly commendable that the local branch of the ANPI (National Association of Italian Partisans) “Nicola Grosa” organized an evening event last Sunday, October 18, at the *Casa del Quartiere* (Neighborhood House). The event drew participation from numerous institutions and religious communities, including our own. It followed the initiative to nominate the two fathers for the Nobel Peace Prize—a point highlighted at the start of the evening by Augusto Montaruli, President of the ANPI Nicola Grosa chapter, and Paolo Verri, President of the Committee for the Nobel Prize for the two fathers.
The gathering served to present the book *Mio padre, tuo padre – Due uomini contro l’odio israelopalestinese* (“My Father, Your Father – Two Men Against the Israeli-Palestinian Hatred,” published by De Agostini Libri, 2025), with the participation of its authors, Carola Benedetto and Luciana Ciliento, alongside the two protagonists themselves. Unlike the earlier book dedicated to them—*Apeirogon* by Colum McCann (Feltrinelli, 2021), which is quite complex and challenging—*Mio padre, tuo padre* is written for a younger audience, with the goal of sharing the story of Rami and Bassam with as many people as possible. The discussion, skillfully moderated by Sara Platone of the Claudiana Bookstore, also touched upon the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in general, as well as the group through which Rami and Bassam first met: the Parents Circle-Families Forum (which, it was noted, was founded by an Orthodox Jew, Yitzhak Frankenthal). Particularly compelling was Sara Platone’s opening reference to the famous scene in the *Iliad* in which two enemies—Priam and Achilles—recognize each other’s humanity and weep together.
Not everything that was said aligns with my own views; in particular, there was a degree of ambiguity and reticence regarding the actual prospects for peace. Furthermore, Bassam Aramin showed an excessive indulgence toward Hamas—an organization that, in my opinion, is an even greater calamity for the Palestinians than it is for the Israelis. Bassam rightly pointed to the positive relations that developed between Germany and Israel just a few years after the Shoah, yet he failed to consider that this transformation was only possible because Germany was no longer the country it had once been. In any case, I do not believe it is reasonable to expect a Palestinian to think exactly as we do—or to feel free to voice those thoughts—in order for a dialogue to take place; otherwise, we will never be able to engage in dialogue at all.
The presentation was followed by an intercultural, strictly vegetarian communal dinner attended by about eighty people. Among those who offered greetings were Nino Boeti, President of the provincial ANPI (National Association of Italian Partisans); Rosanna Purchia, Councilor for Culture for the City of Turin, who conveyed a message on behalf of the Mayor; and Giampiero Leo, Vice President of the Human Rights Committee and the Interconfessional Coordination body of the Piedmont Region. The dinner served to bring together the various religious communities in the neighborhood—a moment of sharing that, as many remarked, might have been unthinkable elsewhere. It stands as a tangible sign of a dialogue that must be kept open, even when it seems difficult, following the example set by the courage of Rami and Bassam.

Anna Segre