March 3:

“The mere title of a doctor is no criterion; a real doctor is he who is a true servant.”

–Gandhi (Harijan, 2-10-1946, p. 8)

Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish was born in the Jabalia refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, and became the first Palestinian to work in an Israeli hospital. Tragically, in 2009, he lost his two daughters and and niece when his home in Gaza was hit by a shell from an Israeli tank. He was devastated but not defeated. Instead of filling himself with hatred for Israelis, he decided to continue working for healing–delivering Israeli and Palestinian babies into the world. Convinced that doctors can be “messengers of peace,” he has since dedicated his energies and passion– and grief–into a force for change by empowering women’s education in the Middle East through his foundation, Daughters for Life. Gandhi would say that Abuelaish is a real doctor, i.e. a true servant of nonviolence.

Experiment in Nonviolence:

Learn more about Dr. Abuelaish and his life experiences. Would you have taken a nonviolent path if you were in his position? What can you learn from his choice?

 
Daily Metta 2015, a service of the Metta Center for Nonviolence, is a daily reflection on the strategic and spiritual insights of Mahatma Gandhi in thought, word and deed. As Gandhi called his life an “experiment in truth,” we have included an experiment in nonviolence to accompany each Daily Metta. Check in every day for new inspiration. Each year will be dedicated to another wisdom teacher.