WFC News
“Experiences of Israel & Palestine”
As we collectively witness the worsening crisis in Gaza, we seek to understand and come closer to peace. World Friendship Center is pleased to welcome three Hiroshimans with close ties to the people of Israel and Palestine to share their experiences of their lives and relationships with the people there.
Join us to learn, ask questions, and discuss together.
Date & Time：April 20 (Sat) 14:00-16:00 (Doors open at 13:30)
Venue：International Student House 2F Hall
*Free Entry
*45名 seats available
*English interpretation available for presentations in Japanese
Register：https://shorturl.at/JKPS6
On January 28, WFC held a Friendship Hour for Okahara Tamiyuki-san, Horie Soh-san, Sunawaki Mariko-san, and Osawa Yuko-san to share about their travels to the U.S. as our PAX delegates. It was wonderful to see so many friends in attendance! The delegates spoke about Hiroshima to over 1300 people across Washington and Oregon, in churches, schools, a university, and at the Ploughshares Conference.
The audience laughed listening to their stories and enjoyed learning about the mementos from their travels: picture books about the atomic bomb they read to children, model airplanes from WWII, gifts and souvenirs, roadmaps and brochures, and photo albums.
Thank you to everyone for attending.
On January 19, the new International Campaign Against Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) Executive Director Melissa Parke visited Hiroshima for the first time. WFC was among the peace groups welcoming her.In the evening, we welcomed her by the Motoyasu River and celebrated the 3rd anniversary of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), lighting candles which said, “END WARS — JOIN TPNW 2024.”
Melissa gave a message, expressing her gratitude for the Hibakusha’s courageous dedication to abolish nuclear weapons and end war, and reiterating the importance of hearing their voices. She urged Japan to join the TPNW and for everyone to work together “with love” to create peace in the midst of our difficult global situation.
The next day was intensive–on January 20 Melissa gave a keynote speech at the Peace Memorial Museum to a room of approximately 200 people, stating, “There are no right hands for wrong weapons.” During Q&A, she called for youth involvement in antinuclear organizations, and for antinuclear workers to recognize nuclear weapons’ connectedness to various issues, such as climate change, biodiversity, and human rights crises. She called for educational curricula which center those affected by the atomic bomb, rather than the men that created them.
Later in the day, WFC Vice-Chair Junko Hattori, Co-Director Matthew Bateman, and representatives of other peace and antinuclear organizations introduced themselves to Ms. Parke over lunch. In talking Hiroshiman Civil Society strategy toward the end of nuclear weapons, she urged us to share messages which speak from heart, not from the head.
Ms. Parke was given a tour of the Peace Park by young people working for peace, and WFC Chair Shizuo Tachibana introduced her to the Monument for Barbara Reynolds. He shared about not only Barbara but also Dr. Marcel Junod, Norman Cousins, and Floyd Schmoe who came to Hiroshima from abroad and gave a helping hand.
As a partner organization to ICAN, WFC will continue to work for the abolition of nuclear weapons and world peace.
More photos on the WFC Official Facebook page.
Thank you to everyone for attending and making our annual Holiday Party so much fun!
Throughout the year, WFC hosts educational events, English classes, monthly activities and opportunities for people from around the world to connect with the history of Hiroshima.
Our annual Holiday Party is a way to relax and celebrate friendships, old and new.
This year’s party had Christmas carols, our WFC Peace Choir, all kinds of music performances, speeches, gifts, cookies, and refreshments made by our community members, games, folding an origami holiday ornament, and even a rakugo performance!
We also loved hearing from our friends who recently traveled as PAX delegates to Washington State and Oregon in the U.S., where they connected with and learned from peacemakers, sharing their experiences as hibakusha and Hiroshimans.
We also highlighted the work of Community Peacemaker Teams (CPT) and collected donations to support their efforts in Palestine.
CPT works in conflict areas around the world, including in Al-Khalil/Hebron in Palestine. There, it acts as a human rights monitor to protect children on their way to school and a partner with local peacemaking initiatives.
You can learn more about CPT’s work at cpt.org.
From all of us at World Friendship Center, Happy Holidays!
November 25, 2023
“Israel-Palestine Teach-in” with Dr. Masaki Mizobuchi
The escalating crisis in Israel and Palestine, especially the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the West Bank have shocked the world and our community.
In the process of seeking ways to help cultivate peace in the region as a member of civil society, we felt the need to better learn its historical background.
On 11/25, WFC invited Associate Professor Masaki Mizobuchi of Graduate School at Hiroshima University to give a broad overview of the current situation, its genesis and implications unraveling the contemporary history of Israel and Palestine.
The lecture began with an explanation of what has been happening since October 7, which was of great interest to the audience (in particular, what is Hamas and the relationship between Hamas and the general public), then about the Ottoman Empire that ruled the Israel-Palestine region and World War I that ended the empire and the root of problems that stemmed from it, the war and confusion caused by the founding of Israel, and why peace has still not been achieved to this day.
Dr.Mizobuchi called for us to continue learning and to raise our voices as citizens. This teach-in played a valuable role in helping us place the daily news stories into context, and provided us with the understanding and opportunity to explore this issue further.
One attendee shared that they had been “watching the news,” but attending the teach-in gave them confidence to begin educating themselves more fully on this important matter.
Thank you to all of the people who took the time to learn with us despite the teach-in being planned and announced at the last minute.
Our actions feel so small, but we hope they help light the way toward lasting peace.