A film screening and panel discussion of “Refusing to be Enemies: The Zeitouna Story.”

by William Foreman

ON JAN. 26, 2015, the University of Michigan Center for the Education of Women and the Minerva Project is sponsoring a showing of the documentary “Refusing to be Enemies: The Zeitouna Story.”

The screening will begin at 4 p.m. followed by the panel at 5 p.m. The event is free to the public, but registration is requested at cew.umich.edu.The screening will take place in the Michigan League Ballroom, 911 N. University Ave.

The screening of the documentary is part of a series of events for the University of Michigan’s 29th annual MLK Symposium.

The documentary chronicles Zeitouna (the Arab word for “olive tree”), a group of six Arab and six Jewish women from extremely diverse backgrounds. Their ages span 40 years. Some are American born while others are survivors of the Holocaust and Nakbah’s terror, but they were all brought together by the idea that dialogue is the basis from which peace can be achieved.

The women share their stories of sisterhood and personal transformation as a testament to the power of open discourse. While they cannot offer answers to the crisis facing the Middle East, they can provide resources to those who strive for peace through dialogue.

The film will be followed by a panel presentation from Zeitouna members, who will discuss their personal experiences with peacemaking, as well as tools for others to implement in their own lives.