On the fateful day of Saturday, October 7, the world stood witness to a horrific act of violence orchestrated by Hamas, an Islamist terrorist organization. The target was Israel, and the outcome was catastrophic, leading to the loss of innocent lives and causing immeasurable suffering. This attack was not an isolated incident. It marked the beginning of a troubling wave of anti-Semitic expressions and incidents directed against Jews on a global scale.
In response to this challenging time, two prominent media organizations decided to join forces in an effort to create a platform for discussion and to strengthen the bond between two key cities – Berlin and Jerusalem. The leading German media brand, WELT, part of Axel Spring SE, and the Israeli Jerusalem Post group, recognized the significance of this moment and the importance of fostering dialogue.
Their collaboration will come to fruition on February 14, when representatives from these two media powerhouses convene for a special evening in Berlin. This event, aptly titled “A Shared Perspective: German-Israeli Summit”, aims to provide a much-needed forum for addressing the current security crisis. The following day, on February 15, the event will be made available to a wider audience through broadcasts on the websites jpost.com and welt.de.
The speaker line-up for the event comprises prominent political figures and representatives from both Germany and Israel. Dr. Marko Buschmann, the German Minister of Justice, and Minister Gideon Sa’ar, the member of the Defense Cabinet in the Israeli government and the chairman of Tikva Khadsha, will be in attendance. The Secretary of State at the German Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Tobias Lindner, and the special representatives of Jerusalem and Berlin for the fight against anti-Semitism, Michal Kotler-Wensch and Dr. Felix Klein, will also share their insights.
Among the distinguished guests at the event will be Israel’s ambassador to Germany, Ron Proschauer, and the president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Yosef Schuster. The chief rabbi and president of the Conference of Rabbis of Europe, Pinchas Goldschmidt, and the leader of the Jewish community in the city of Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Amir Gross Kabiri, will also be participating.
The event will be further graced by the presence of Racheli Beretz Ricks, head of the department for the fight against anti-Semitism and community resilience at the Zionist Organization, and Amit Efrati, senior director of the department for the fight against anti-Semitism and community resilience at the Ministry of Diaspora and the fight against anti-Semitism.
Adding to the rich diversity of the participants, a number of senior managers from the high-tech industry will be in attendance. These tech leaders will discuss the pivotal role that innovation plays in both Israel and Germany. Among them are Dr. Dan Debiri, Co-Founder and CEO of CarbonBlue; Shlomit Steinberg-Koch, co-founder and CEO of Predicta Med; Omer Kilf, co-founder and CEO of Innoviz Technologies; and Viron Ashkenazi, founder and managing partner at AWZ Ventures. Ido Rosenblatt, head of the technology and innovation department at Magan David Adom, will also be a notable participant at the event.
