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The year 2015 marks the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between Germany and Israel. Prime Minister David Ben Gurion and Chancellor Konrad Adenauer laid the foundation for the development of intense political, economic and security relations. Among Israelis, Germany is today the most popular European nation. But the relationship isn’t without tensions: While Berlin considers Israel's security as pillar of Germany's national interest, there are disagreements over Iran and the stagnation of the peace process. Anti-Israeli and even anti-Semitic sentiments are spreading from the fringes of German society.

At the same time, the Middle East is on fire as chaos and anarchy are on the rise. Although the US and Russia claim to be in agreement in fighting ISIS, Russia's military targets cause concerns and both superpowers are not able to build a strategic coalition. The involvement of both Russia and Iran further raises the stakes in this conflict. The brutality of ISIS has shocked the world and Assad's bombing campaign has done its part to bring the Syrian refugee crisis to Europe.

The 9th of November marks a difficult day in German-Jewish Relations - the pogroms of 1938. On this historic date and on the occasion of 50 years of German-Israeli relations, we have the pleasure of inviting you to an expert discussion on Germany, Israel and the EU within the context of a Middle East in turmoil.