On Saturday, April 26, a dinner, reception, and comedy night will be held at Congregation Adath Israel, 115 Huntingtown Road. This evening will be a joint benefit for the Parents Circle Families Forum (for Israeli-Palestinian Peace) and Adath Israel.

The event, to start at 8 pm, will include Rabbi Shaul Praver speaking for the Congregation and Bassam Aramin and Robi Damelin speaking for the Parents Circle. In addition, the evening will include nationally known entertainers Moody McCarthy, Andy Pitz, and Johnny Lampert.

Congregation Adath Israel has been a part of Newtown since the early 1900s, providing Jewish families in the surrounding towns a place for Jewish spirituality, tradition, and values. Adath Israel is an open and diverse congregation committed to creating an inclusive Jewish community. It has provided a venue for many events exploring the Jewish experience and participates in community events throughout the area.

Rabbi Praver has been the spiritual leader of Congregation Adath Israel since 2002 and brought this small congregation into prominence in the region, participating in many interfaith panels. He received the Samaritan Medal of Peace in 2013 in connection with his work after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

The Parents Circle-Families Forum (PCFF) is a joint Palestinian-Israeli organization of more than 600 families, all of whom have lost a close family member as a result of the prolonged conflict. Joint activities have shown that the reconciliation between individuals and nations is possible. It is this insight that they are trying to pass on to both sides of the conflict.

Moreover, PCFF has concluded that the process of reconciliation between nations is a prerequisite to achieving a sustainable peace. The organization thus utilizes all resources available in education, public meetings, and the media to spread these ideas.

Bassam Aramin became involved in the Palestinian struggle as a boy growing up in Hebron. Beginning at 17, he spent seven years in Israeli prison. In 2005, he co-founded Combatants for Peace, an organization of former Israeli and Palestinian combatants leading a nonviolent struggle against the occupation.

Since then, Mr Aramin has never picked up a weapon — not even when, in 2007, his 10-year-old daughter Abir was gunned down and killed by an IDF soldier. He is the Palestinian spokesperson of PCFF. 

Robi Damelin’s son David was killed by a Palestinian sniper while he was guarding a checkpoint near a settlement during his army reserve service. Ms Damelin is the Israeli spokesperson and an active member of PCCF. She speaks with a Palestinian partner in communities and schools throughout Israel the Palestinian Territories, as well as internationally. She is the protagonist featured in the documentary One Day After Peace.

The evening will include cocktails, a silent auction, the speakers, dinner, and a comedy show with Moody McCarthy, Andy Pitz, and Johnny Lampert. The entertainers have played at some of the best comedy clubs in New York and Los Angeles, including Caroline’s Comedy Club, Dangerfield’s, and The Improv.

There will be a separate dinner and entertainment for those under 17.

Tickets are $130 for adults, and $40 for young adults under 17.

For additional information or reservations contact Smadie Unger at 203-241-0435 or Susan Portnoy at 203-426-9933.