The International Forum for the Literature and Culture of Peace (IFLAC) was started by Dr. Ada Aharoni, a prominent scholar, writer and poet and other Israeli supporters, Jewish, Arab and others, in 1999. Since its inception, the Forum has developed affiliates around the world and has become recognized as an international  force in the culture of peace.

I became acquainted with Dr. Aharoni and her work in September 2011 and have been privileged to observe her estimable leadership, unwavering commitment, and persistent advocacy of the cause of peace. Her award-winning poems and books are moving and infused with both thought and grace.

I  read Ada Aharoni captivating, semi-autobiographical novel, Kiruv Levavot (Hebrew, roughly, an “approach of hearts”). The book recounts the final chapter of Egyptian Jewry’s three thousand year history,  which came to an abrupt end at the time of Israel’s independence.  Ada experienced that tragedy as a teenager before her family fled Egypt for France; Ada chose to make her home in Israel at the age of sixteen. The title of the book derives from Ada’s belief that by recognizing the mutuality of their twin tragedies, Arabs and Jews can achieve reconciliation.       

IFLAC’s latest achievement is the premiere this week of IFLAC Radio, an internet radio station established  and hosted by activist Motti Gerner. The radio station  will feature interviews with authors and poets of peace poetry and literature in multiple languages including Hebrew, Arabic, English, French and Spanish. The first of these interviews, with Dr. Aharoni, was conducted in French this week. An interview with Ada in English can be heard here: 

On Sunday evening, April 15 Motti Gerner and I will conduct a dialog in English on IFLAC radio. The topic will be the context of peace in a globalized, changing world.