The Presbyterian Church at Tenafly (PCAT) is honored to host the exclusive U.S. screening of I Shall Not Hate on Sunday, Nov. 9, at 4 p.m., bringing to Bergen County a film that has stirred audiences around the world with its message of forgiveness and reconciliation.
The 2024 documentary, directed by Tal Barda, is adapted from the 2010 memoir of the same name by Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish, the first Palestinian physician to work in an Israeli hospital delivering babies.
His story—of rising from poverty in Gaza to advocate for peace through medicine—was put to the ultimate test in 2009, when an Israeli tank shell struck his home, killing three of his daughters and a niece.
Rather than turn to hatred, Abuelaish transformed his anguish into action. “To manage violence with violence doesn’t solve the problem,” he told Film Fest Report at the film’s 2024 Doc Edge premiere in New Zealand. “The one who opts for revenge digs two graves.”
For Pastor Martin Ritchie, the film’s arrival in Tenafly carries a deep sense of providence. He first encountered Abuelaish’s book in 2021, when Jane Maul, an Edinburgh parishioner and former nurse who had served in Israel and Palestine, handed it to him after worship. “It sat on my bookshelf for three years,” Ritchie said, “and then, after the Hamas attacks of Oct. 7, I finally opened it. Reading Abuelaish’s story was a ray of hope in a darkened landscape.”
He continued, “Dr. Abuelaish’s vision of peaceful coexistence—where Jews, Christians, and Muslims live as neighbors—was only strengthened by tragedy. He chose the path of hope, honoring his daughters’ memory by working toward reconciliation.”
When word reached PCAT elder Glenn Allen, a filmmaker, that the film had not yet been shown in the United States, he reached out to the producers and helped secure a license for a Tenafly premiere. “This is a very high-quality film, and not to be missed,” Allen said. “It speaks clearly into every situation of conflict and division. Abuelaish is an extraordinary person—sometimes it takes extraordinary individuals to start something that can lead to a much bigger change.”
The film has earned widespread praise, including two awards at the Oscar-qualifying Doc Edge Festival in Christchurch, New Zealand, where it won Best Film in the “Bridges of Understanding” category.
Abuelaish, a three-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee, told festival audiences that I Shall Not Hate “is not just my story; it is a human story, a story of Palestinians who suffer silently.” Medicine, he added, taught him that “human life is sacred and must be treated with dignity and respect.”
Through his Daughters for Life Foundation, Abuelaish honors his late daughters by providing scholarships for young women across the Middle East and North Africa, regardless of religion or nationality. “Education is the beacon guiding us out of darkness,” he said. “It’s not about religion, ethnicity, or nationality—educated women are the cornerstone of a stable and just society.”
In bringing the film to Tenafly, PCAT tells Northern Valley Press it hopes to continue its mission of cultural and spiritual engagement through art. The screening is part of the church’s ongoing arts and cultural outreach program, a series of free events designed to connect the wider community through shared experience and dialogue.
The showing, which Rotten Tomatoes has called “deeply inspiring and more urgent than ever,” is free and open to all, though seating is limited. Reservations can be made by calling (201) 567-0111 or emailing office@tenaflypresby.org. The Presbyterian Church at Tenafly is at 55 Magnolia Ave.
Pastor Ritchie added, “Dr. Abuelaish reminds us that hope is not naïveté—it’s courage. His message is one our whole community needs to hear right now.”