The discussion was held as a part of the TLV International Salon`s “Ambassador Series”, a series of events intended to give young and politically-interested Israelis the opportunity to discuss with ambassadors of various countries in an intimate atmosphere. More events in this series are planned for the rest of the year.

The crowd of approximately 50 guests was initially greeted by Jonathan Javor, one of the founders of the TLV International Salon, who started off the evening with charm and wit. Host Arsen Ostrovsky opened the one-on-one discussion asking about the situation of the Jews living in Germany. The German government consistently fights every form of anti-Semitism in German society, out of a deep feeling of unique obligation to the security of the approximately 100.000 Jews living in Germany, the ambassador stated. The growing popularity of Berlin among young Israelis is an indicator for this trend as well, von Goetze added. “It is a great honor for Germany that only 70 years after the Shoah, so many Jews have again found a safe homeland in Germany”. However, Germany will be facing a significant educational challenge in coming years. There is and will be no space for any anti-Semitic or anti-Zionist propaganda in Germany, the ambassador said.

The second part of the interview was mainly about questions on Germany’s foreign policy and its role in the European Union. Concerning the German position on the European refugee policy, the ambassador said that through the tragic experiences of the Third Reich, Germany has learned that people who are subjected to political persecution have to be given asylum. Nevertheless, every refugee arriving in Germany has to be registered in a proper manner and illegal immigration has to be avoided - including sending people without residence permits back to their countries of origin. Finding a pan-European consensus on refugee policy, one which will include a fair distribution of refugees among the EU member states, is a major goal of the German government in these times.

According to the ambassador, the relations between Israel and the EU are friendly and stable. The EU directive to mark the origin of products sold in the EU is part of a push made by the EU to standardize the labeling of specific products, such as fruits and vegetables, worldwide. All other products that are labeled as originating from a specific country also have to be factually correct. In this context, Germany and the EU have made their objection to any kind of boycott against Israel very clear, said the ambassador.

After celebrating 50 years of diplomatic relations between Germany and Israel, there is a big chance to improve and deepen the friendship between both countries by cooperating in business issues. As an example, the ambassador named the young and creative start-up scene which is located in Israel. Israeli entrepreneurs could benefit in cooperating with established German industries, he said, which could provide them with an access point to the European market.

After the interview the audience had the opportunity to ask the ambassador questions from their personal points of view. The questions concerned issues such as the interest that Germans have towards the Shoah, the role of German Jews in German politics and the human rights situation in Israel. The ambassador made clear that the German society does not view forgetting the crimes committed by the Nazi regime towards the Jewish people as an option: “Remembering the Shoah and all those terrible crimes against the European Jewry which were committed in the name of the German people lead us to a strong feeling of responsibility, they became part of a modern German identity. Even in today´s political decisions, the experiences from the time of the Nazi regime have a significant role, for example when the parliament faces a decision about a foreign military campaign”.

The ambassador added that the fact that a notable number of Jews with German roots from all over the world are willing to once again accept German citizenship - and thus acknowledge their German origins - is very gratifying to the German government. Germany will be eager to continue to offer citizenship to people whose ancestors lost it because of the Nazi persecution in the future as well.

At the end of the event, Javor thanked Ambassador von Goetze and his wife for their extraordinary hospitality. He also acknowledged the role of the KAS in facilitating the event and in the preparation of the evening. Not only the unique interest of the 50 guests present, but also the huge number of applicants (over 500 people had to make do with being put on the waiting list due to the limited amount of space), were obvious indicators for the relevance German-Israeli relations have among Israel`s young generation and recent immigrants.