German-Israeli Dialogue

Over 400 people came to find out more about German-Israeli relations. The Heinrich Boell Foundation hosted a conference dealing with the idea of the nation state, the approach towards military violence and multiculturalism in both countries. German and Israeli experts were exploring what unites and what divides the two countries and how the relations will develop in the future.

The Conference on Transnational Migration and Multiculturalism (The Case of Israel, Germany and Europe) Transnational Migration and Multiculturalism, which took place on the 28th and 29th of November 2011, was conducted in cooperation with the Van Leer Institute in Jerusalem and the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Israel and dealt with the interrelations between nation state, immigration and the perception of multiculturalism in both countries.

A strong wind of change is blowing throughout the entire state of Baden-Württemberg in Germany. What do the people expect of their new government? How much change should there be? And in what areas?

The dictator may have been overthrown, but we are still far from putting paid to the military regime. At the moment it appears quite likely that the Egyptian generals will keep their promise and pave the way to free and fair elections. The Arab world is enthusiastic about this prospect, as is the West. Only in Israel has scepticism prevailed so far.

January 2010 was not just the 60th anniversary of the founding of the East German secret police, but also the 20th anniversary of the takeover of its offices in various East German cities by citizen’s initiatives. On this background, the Israel office of the Heinrich Boell Stiftung invited Marianne Birthler, the Federal Commissioner for the Records of the State Security Service of the former GDR in Berlin for three events, in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Sderot which took place in February 2010.

The Heinrich Boell Foundation and the Goethe Institute Tel Aviv organized the third German-Israeli Literature Days on October 27 – 31, 2009 with the motto Tel Aviv – Berlin: Living and Writing in the Cities. The events took place on the background of the 100th birthday of Tel Aviv and the 20th anniversary of the fall of the wall in Berlin. Participating authors were Orly Castel-Bloom, Alon Hilu, Dror Burstein, Shimon Adaf, Marc Buhl, Iris Hanika, Judith Kuckart and Hatice Akün. The opening evening was a panel discussion with politicians (Dov Khenin, Franziska Eichstädt-Bohlig) and intellectuals (Joshua Simon, Jochen Visscher) from both cities, moderated by Nir Baram. read more and see a video featuring the events»

Kerstin Mueller has been a Member of Parliament (Bundestag) since 1994 and at present she is the spokesperson of the Green Parliamentary Group for foreign policy. On a visit to Israel and the Palestinian Territories at the end of March 2009, she visited Hebron, Ramallah, Gaza, Sderot, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and met with politicians, NGO representatives, academics and journalists. Read more about the visit »

On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Federal Republic of Germany and the 20th anniversary of the Fall of the Wall, the Heinrich Böll Stiftung together with the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya held a German-Israeli conference entitled 60 Years of a Different Germany – An Assessment 20 Years After the Fall of the Wall. On June 28th 2009, some 130 people gathered in the auditorium of the Marc Rich Library at the IDC in Herzliya to participate in the event.

Cem Özdemir, Chairman of the German Green Party (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen) visited Israel and the Palestinian territories from June 28 until July 3, 2009. During his visit to Israel, he met with various key officials in the government, academia, civil society representatives as well as with journalists. Read more about Cem Özdemir's political exchanges»