Establishing diplomatic relations 50 years ago was a controversial decision, especially in Israel. With courage and vision, people in both countries contributed to the creation of a tight web of interwoven connections and a palpable sense of community in the present. The exhibition, organized by the German-Israeli Association (DIG), charts the nuanced development of German-Israeli relations with all of its highs and lows. Special focus is placed on the people behind the headlines, whose efforts ran alongside official diplomatic cooperation to generate interpersonal and often very close relationships.

At the end of the 1940s, after the Shoah and at the time when both Israel and the Federal Republic of Germany were founded, there was silence between Germany and Israel. And yet very early bridge-builders began to emerge on both sides who would lay a foundation for new relations through personal and business contacts – outside of official diplomatic channels. May 12, 1965, saw the establishment of official diplomatic relations between the Federal Republic of Germany and the State of Israel.

Since then, much has happened. Today, German-Israeli relations are marked by liveliness, diverse cultural exchange and dialog – but also by conflicts. The exhibition highlights the people whose personal commitment made it possible to forge close connections in the contexts of culture, business, politics, science, literature and music. Today, exchange programs are widespread: City partnerships, school and youth exchanges and scientific cooperation represent the foundations upon which relations continue to develop. The exhibition tells moving personal stories and features previously unpublished historical photographs and literary sources. The lasting image is one of a tightly interwoven relationship that has grown out of fifty years of personal connections and official diplomacy.

Read more about the exhibition

 

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Download the magazine (German/English)

Trailer accompanying the exhibition

with
Sara von Schwarze
Joshua Sobol
Avital Ben-Chorin
Nava Semel
Chaim Noll
Dan Yoel
Dr. Hans-Jochen Vogel
(in order of appearance)

in conversation with curator Dr. Alexandra Nocke, 2015

1:41 Min.

Camera and Editing: Tobias Lindner
© Deutsch-Israelische Gesellschaft e.V.

  • ”I do not try to avoid sticking out as an Israeli. If my phone rings on the subway, I answer in Hebrew. And if a curious bystander – and there is always one – asks me, ›What language was that?‹ then I say: ›That was Hebrew.‹“

    Assaf Levitin in conversation with Heike Steinweg, 2014

  • ”A new generation of Jews and Germans must grow up, a new generation that can view all of this as history. We can go to bed together, we can talk to each other, but the great chasm remains between us. It will be a long time, before all wounds are healed.“

    Yoram Kaniuk (1930–2013), Israeli writer, in “The Last Berliner”, 2002

  • ”Today, relations between Germany and Israel seem normal, but below the surface they are charged and double-edged. When my generation sees an old man in Germany, we still think: what did he do? The house I grew up in was full of love for the German culture. My father differentiated between the Nazis and the culture of Germany. I grew up with Caterina Valente, the Lorelei, Sissi and Rilke. I feel at home when I hear German poems, and reciting a Rilke poem saved my mother’s life in a concentration camp.“

    Nava Semel (born 1954), Israeli writer, in conversation with Dr. Alexandra Nocke, 2014

  • ”As I walked through the streets of Tel Aviv, a film immediately started playing in my head: My parents’ generation wanted to erase the mothers and fathers of these people. (…) But this does not mean that, as a young German, you should walk with your head down. I do believe though, that despite whatever normalization might have developed between Israelis and Germans, the word ‘forget’ must be deleted from this context. One should not forget the history, but remember it, and in this memory unite to build something strong.“

    Campino (born 1962), singer in the punk band “Die Toten Hosen”, “Jüdische Allgemeine”, 2010

The Tour

Following its stay in the Bundestag, the exhibition “Israelis & Germans” organized by the German-Israeli Association (DIG), goes on tour. From Wednesday, November 18, 2015 until Saturday, December 5, 2015 the exhibition will be shown in Passau.

On October 29, 2015, the tour of the Hebrew language version of the exhibition started in Tel Aviv before moving on to Beer Sheva, Haifa and Jerusalem.

See all dates of the tour

Passauer Wohnungs- und Grundstücksgesellschaft (WGP) – Ausstellungsräume
Steiningergasse 2 (Eingang Höllgasse, Ecke Steininger-Höllgasse)
94032 Passau

Kulturamt Tel: + 49 (0)851 – 396274
For more information, send an email.

Sponsors

The traveling exhibition is organized by the

DIG

Supported by the Federal Foreign Office

Logo-AuswaertigesAmt

For continued support we wish to thank

Sparkasse
Daimler
evz Stiftung
Jüdische Algemeine
Cicero Magazin für politische Kultur

 

This traveling exhibition is part of a series of events commemorating 50 years of diplomatic relations between Germany and Israel.

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The opening of the exhibition takes place on October 15, 2015, at the German Bundestag (Paul-Löbe-Haus) in Berlin. The exhibition is on display there for four weeks. We wish to thank the German Bundestag.

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