Once upon a time there was a spaceship starship Bertelsmann looking for a planet called Stiftung. It is a special planet, the plant of milk, honey and humus. People eat there three times a day and they only stop for having intellectual conversations. But the Raumschiff Bertelsmann is losed in space in a cruel fog and cannot find planet Stiftung. 

The Mission of Captain Maren, first officer Osnat and chief operations Silvia, is to get the starship Bertelsmann to planet Stiftung safely in order to have Humus, Bier and peace forever. 

In the fog time is not a linear thing like it is in other parts of the galaxy. The past is always interfering and history cannot repeat itself because history has not ended. The fog is a confusing place made up of past and present images, events and emotions. The longer the starship stays in the fog, the more confused is the crew – and time is running out. And the fog is a really dangerous and uncertain place. 

But each crew-members contribution helped us to get through the fog to planet Stiftung. 

And here is how they did it:

Haya, the wise one, helped us to see the whole picture of the galaxie

Tillman, the philosopher, told us to what is the meaning of the fog. He said we should fly through the fog and not around it. 

Benjamin, who is admired by all the female officers, is scout an board because of his brilliant intelligence we sent him out of the spaceshipe and into the fog to report back to us, because he can handle anything.

Anja, the curious one, she always looks for and finds the truth and helps to ask the right questions for exemple why is the fog here

Yael, our energy officer, because she has an almost endless inner strength and stays cool when the engine room overheats

Nirit, the source of pure and raw energy, she is our endorphin when we get tired 

Ofra, the diplomat, makes contact with other lifeforms in the galaxy; she is brave, and goes out first ahead of the ship to prepare our path, that is also why she and Benjamin are so close 

Lior: Starship legal advisor, can win any argument and expert in intergalactic law, and is responsible for the starship microphone 

Lee, carries the entire galaxy on her shoulders, when the situation seems hopeless she comes up with creative ideas; she is one of the decisionmakers on the crew trusted to make smart decisions

Uri, the security officer, he brings confidence and natural authority, and he knows more about the fog than he can tell us, but he knows that we will be ok

Asaad, the peacemaker, interpreter, mediator between intergalactic cultures, can fix any problem with the line: “My name is Asaad Joubran, let me speak to the fog”

Renee, strategic advisor, long-term planning and sits right next to the captain, and is one of the sharpest brains of the crew, and he is also secretly a great dancer

Carolin, a decisionmaker and moral compass who gives us the right direction through the fog; human resource manager who keeps the ship organized

Bilkay, our immigration officer, brings hope to all minorities in the galaxy, and makes sure that all decisions taken on board are fully democratic 

Gilad, the pilot, negotiates the route and guides the ship through all the obstacles inside the fog without damaging anything inside or outside

Christian, the online-real time-memory bank of starship Bertelsmann. He documents everything and remembers us what we are doing. He is someone you want to have on your crew because he is always willing to help everybody. 

Dov, the Freud and Freund on board, he is a leader and a friend, he understands the feelings of everyone and a calming force who helps the crewmembers understand themselves

Volker, the brain of the starship, he’s the analyst who speaks with authority, first person the captain turns to for analysis; he’s the quality manager who makes sure our decisions are on a higher level

Carl, the explorer, survivor, lots of experience who loves to go to new planets; he is a risk taker whose motto is “go for it”

Shaanan, the radar operator, the freestyle scanning device, he helps the crew to see the complex fog in clearer terms, through lyrics and beats

Keren, makes sure we never spend more energy than what we have, sometimes she is confused, she thinks she is Asaad Joubran from the Israeli delegation; and she points out the beauty in everything 

Ivri, a strong leader, understanding the overall needs of the crew, he can be everywhere all the time, and make tough decisions

Knut, the biggest heart on the ship, also loved by the females on board, he is open to all experiences, is modest, sincere and optimistic, when the fog is strongest and when there are more cynics than believers, he tips the scales in favor of the believers

Stefan, the mad scientist, the science officer, points out problems and obstacles we haven’t seen until now

Annette and Amir, we are your story tellers, the observers and makers of the final toast. 

We have a good message for you: Welcome to Planet Stiftung. It has changed your life. You got through the fog, still a little confused, but happy. Always remember the journey, and the new friends you have made. Lechaim, and Prost. 

Annette & Amir

Here is what some of the German participants – Bilkay, Rene, Knut and Annette – had to say about their experience.

Akko faced fierce riots in October this year after a Muslim man drove his car into a Jewish neighbourhood on Yom Kippur and provoced a violent response by Jewish inhabitants. Muslim youth then rioted in the area and demolished Jewish shops after false reports had been spread in the Muslim Old City of Akko that Arabs were being killed by Jews.

We discussed the matter with Zoher Bahloul, the famous Arab Israeli football commentator. Bahloul described how the incident made him loose faith in Arab-Jewish co-existence. He received much affection from the group but also staunch critique upon his report that, in the eyes of some participants, was biased and only judged the Jewish leadership for mishandling the situation. The discussion was going on while this blog was being written.

The conflict that erupted in Akko has a long history and Asaad gave us a first hand account on how his family coped during and after the foundation of the state of Israel until today. His grandfather left Palestine to Lebanon in 1947 but came back to Israel a year later and fortunately knew some people who know people. Therefore, he could stay and – with the help of the Red Cross – let his family come over five years later. His entire property was seized though and the family had to start from scratch.

Another family story caught our attention in Akko. A man who looks like the cheap version of Steven Segal told us in a video presentation about the life of his father, the last man to run the famous Turkish bath in Akko before it was closed. The would-be Segal somehow intertwined his father’s day job with the story of Akko and Muhammad el-Jazar, the builder of the Hamam and great parts of the Old City. Only few members of the group can remember the story though, as even fewer of us thoroughly followed the rather cheasy presentation. The municipality of Akko should reconsider their Museums’ showcases, observers said. Walla.

The conflict between Jews and Arabs also was the subject of a talk with Dan Diner, the well reknowned history professor, upon our arrival in Tel Aviv. The conflict couldn’t be solved, Diner told the group. One of the major obstacles in his eyes is that the Arab minority in Israel depicts itself as a majority due to the Arab neighbour countries. The Jewish majority in Israel in return sees itself as a minority for the same reason. Shaanan from the Israeli delegation came to the same conclusion, by the way – without being a history professor.

A long day ended with a delicious dinner at the Manta Ray and a fantastic belated birthday party given by two members of the group who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.

Benjamin

One of the participants even went as far as saying that the program had been structured in such a way that the issues on the agenda, like the Holocaust, Israeli politics and international relations, were more familiar to the Israelis and that thus they would be the ones leading the discussions.

Others made the point that even during the first leg of the trip in Germany the Israelis were more vocal, and that the issues discussed there were more Israeli focused than Germany focused.

The feeling amongst some of the Germans is that this is fine, as they are on a steep learning curve, and that just because they are not as vocal as some of the Israelis, they are still learning a lot and that in itself is valuable.

And besides, the issues that Israel is embroiled in are complex and numerous, whereas, thankfully, Germans are not faced with daily existential decisions – and have not been at war for ages; the worst that can happen is a disagreement about what tax and budget policies to adopt. Israel on the other hand has been more or less at war all the time.

Thus, according to this argument, it is natural for the Israelis to talk more, argue more, and for the Germans to listen and absorb more.

Amir & Christian

On a clear day the view is breathtaking and, on the clearest of days, the first, tallest buildings on the outskirts of Damascus, some 25 KM away, can be seen. But, life is not always clear. Here, at a coffee shop called Coffee Annan, annan meaning clouds, we were given a briefing by an expert who until recently was an intelligence officer in the IDF Northern Command.

The weather was cold and misty and unfortunately we could not see how the three countries converge so closely on the Golan. But what was made very clear was how the realpolitik between the countries in the region are intertwined.

Syria wants peace with Israel as a strategic platform for greater access and acceptance by the West, especially America. This is crucial for Syria because its economy is stagnating and its only current ally is Iran. Syria desperately wants out of the ‘Axis of Evil’. Israel wants peace but will find it very hard to give up the Golan Heights, let alone giving it up first.

Hummus Tables of Damascus out of reach

Lebanon is embroiled in a power struggle between moderate Sunnis and Christians and the increasingly powerful Hizbullah. Chances for peace and stability are fleeting, and the whole story is very complicated. Still, some of the Israelis thought, wouldn’t it be great to just be able to hop over the border and eat some of the famous hummus in Damascus. Others, from the German delegation, mouthed objections about being hummussed out once and for all.

At Kidmat Zvi we met with three residents of this little community, who told us about their lives and how they came to live on the contested plateaux. The 20,000 or so people who live on the Golan exist under the constant shadow of eventual evacuation, as this piece of land is on the negotiating table between Israel and Syria.  It is not easy to live constantly with this pressure, and the discussion was emotional.

Israel conquered the Golan in the 1967 Six Day War and most Israelis see it as a part of Israel, whereas the Syrians want all of the Golan back. The vast majority of the Stiftung group were of the opinion that eventually Israel would have to return the land to the Syrians for a peace deal. Does this mean we are all liberals?

The discussion that developed became one in which ‘the settlers’, as one of the Germans called them, defended their view that they should not be removed from the Golan, even if there was going to be peace between Israel and Syria. The meeting was a good window for the Germans into one of the most pressing issues in the current Israeli discourse.

The three residents we met defended their positions passionately, arguing that a peace agreement which destroys the Jewish presence on the Golan is not worth the effort, while many in our group argued otherwise. It is clear that the Israeli members of the Stiftung group are largely left and center-left politically, and it was instructive to hear the other side of the argument from the residents of Kidmat Zvi.

Someone noted that it was unfortunate that a meeting with Israeli settlers from settlements in the West Bank is not a part of this program, as the complex relationship of the settlers to the State of Israel is one of the central issues making up the Israeli story. Perhaps this meeting might still happen.

Amir & Christian

It didn’t take the group long to renew “old” friendships and pick up where we had left off some ten weeks ago. It turns out that the Israelis got together a few times during the break, twice at bars and restaurants and once at Osnat’s house to plan the second leg. It’s easier for the Israelis to meet than it is for the Germans as most of the Israeli group lives either in Tel-Aviv or close to it. Straight from the airport we boarded a bus and headed south west towards the Dead Sea, and Masada. Our driver is called Bambi, like the little deer, and enough said about that. On the way into the Arava Desert we stopped off at Kfar Nokdim for dinner. This is quite an experience, as Nokdim is a Beduin – themed village where real Beduins have set up quite a luxurious restaurant and cultural center. We all sat on mats in a tent and listened to an explanation of Beduin culture and politics, while all the time receiving strong tea and even stronger coffee. It turns out that if you are a desert traveler and you happen to come across a Beduin tent, your host will most likely offer you at least one cup of coffee. If he offers you two cups, it means he likes you and will protect you. If he offers you three cups then he really likes you and you can make yourself at home. If he only offers you one, he is signaling to you to drink up and be on your way.

From dinner we headed to Masada, and we checked in at the revamped youth hostel there. By this time we were all quite tired but that didn’t stop the usual suspects from getting some beers out and having a good time. The rest of us went to bed, knowing we had to get up at 4AM so that we could climb up Masada in time to see the sunset from the peak. The group already knows not to mess with Maren and Osnat and so everybody, well, almost everybody, was up and ready and congregated at 04:30 in the lobby drinking coffee and having a slice of cake. There was some talk of a rebellion by the group against the Bertlesmann organizers and perhaps even the Board of Directors and their families for making us get up this early, so that they wouldn’t think they could do this to us again. But the thought of climbing the majestic rock and seeing sunset over the desert quelled even this revolt. The climb was not an easy one, but with several stops along the way, and some encouragement from each other, the group reached the summit of the tragic mountain as a group, with plenty of time before the sunrise. The story of Masada, as told to us by a professor of anthropology from Ben Gurion University of the Negev goes something like this [poetic license entirely mine]: Jews were part of many tribes and peoples in the Holy Land about 3,000 years ago, unfortunately round about the same time that the Romans were conquering the world; the Romans wanted this piece of Real Estate between the Nile and the Euphrates; the Romans invaded, the Jews resisted whilst at the same time fighting amongst themselves; the Romans won, obviously, and put down the Jewish rebellion; a small group of hardcore anti-Romans, who also happened to be extremely religious and extremely anti-Roman fled to the mountain fortress of Masada, where they were a thorn in the side of the Roman Legions for about a year or so [a little like that village in Gaul from the Asterix comics]; eventually the Romans built a ramp that took them all the way onto Masada’s summit, and as they burst forth to conquer the last remaining Jewish resistance, they found that they had all committed suicide instead of succumbing to Roman Imperial rule.

From the Israelis, practically everybody had been on this rock above the Dead Sea at least once before: For school children in this country until the 80s it was a custom to climb up here and learn about this narrative of resistance and the Israeli Army until recently held its pledge of alegiance on top of Masada.

For the Germans it seemed odd to learn about this particular national myth. Until the guide reminded them, that it resembled the story of a certain “Herrmann der Cherusker”, who also stood up against the Romans (he slaughtered a legion or so in the dense German forrest) and whose deeds are also taught to school children Germany.

That part of the program left us with the question if we really need myths like Masada to function as modern nations.

Amir & Christian

We have been up for almost 18 hours now, getting up in the middle of the night, climbing up Massado before the break of dawn, then all the way down to the Dead Sea and up again to Jerusalem:

We have learned about the upsides and downsides of narratives and mthys, about personal courage and collective threats – and how to live with live with it. We have learend about the complexities of Israeli politics – and the passion that has always been in it. And: we have witnessed what can happen if a man who loves his city is let loose on a microphone on the coach.

In short: We have finally arrived in Israel.

There is one thing that have been admiring during the program: Given what Osnat, Maren and Silvia have been through to organize all of this and what they have to think of it during the day to navigate us through the programm, it is incredible how relaxed they still are during the day – as if they are just normal participants.

So, let us raise the glasses and drink to Osnat, Maren and Silvia.

Le Chaim.

Rene

Breakfast started with a lot of stress: Everybody was very busy trying to figure out which tour through Berlin one should take. Quite a challenge after one week of personal and group interaction in the set framework of the program! This is what we did:

The Berliners among us volunteered to show us “their” Berlin. For the first time we had the opportunity to get a flavor of the city.

But before heading off we met the Israeli Ambassador in Berlin who tried to give us an inside look into current German-Israeli relations.

Session with the Israeli Ambassador to Berlin (left)

The Ambassador pointed out that the relationship between the two countries is still a very special one. He emphasized the strength of the German-Israeli friendship. The Ambassador pointed out that the Iranian issue should be of great concern for the entire western world and not only for the Israelis. He stressed the need of open discussions between Germany and Israel putting all crucial topics on the table. He admitted that it is sometimes difficult to explain the Israeli position to the German public being absorbed by its own concerns.

The ambassador’s punctuality and a tight schedule allows an early departure of the individual groups. The ‘Berlin exploration’ can start: boat tour, East / Western Berlin, Berlin-Mitte, Kreuzberg, Alexanderplatz, Ku-Damm, ….

A few representative impressions of the day

Amir: “Ich bin ein Berliner”

Keren: ‘there was a drop with no shop’

Lior: Berlin is a beautiful city especially by boat but it is the people not the sights I am going to miss’

Yael: Berlin is one of the most beautiful cities – breathtaking’

Anja: I realized today that the Berlin Wall was only build 15 years after war.

Haya: ‘The police officer was very tall – social worker …’ Thank you, Bilkay.

Rene: After being away for two days, you cannot imagine how quickly you miss the tribe

Christian: A lot of intellectual back-rubbing today about art

Gilad: Thank God, Volker’s wife is an architect

The bus doors close and we drive off to Schloss Golm – the picture will tell the stories of one week and a memorable closing evening.

Good night – see you all back in December.

(Uri, Carl)

We meet Dr. August Hanning from the Ministry of Interior (In Bertelsmann’s Berlin residence). Although he is an expert for internal German security question (he was formerly the coordinator of all of Germany’s intelligence services at the German chancellery – a very important man), we find ourselves once more talking about Iran, its nuclear program and what to do about it.

Hanning answers openly and off the record to our pressing concern, and speaks about a variety of internal security matters. However, there are several important issues for the German government, as we learn from his talk. Like we said, the meeting is off the record mostly. (So we cannot go into detail too much)  - though it was very interesting to see the wide spectrum of problems that Hanning has to keep on his radar. (Such as: No, we won’t get into that!!)

Questions that loom: Why are the Germans so seemingly unconcerned with the situation in Iran? How come, the Israelis get the impression that they are not getting the support they need from their friends in Berlin? One answer: The perception of the topic is very different but at the same time cohesive inside both countries.

After a very interesting tour of the Bertelsmann building (cheers for big TVs and news of Zippi Livni’s election victory on it) we sit down to discuss. We feel like talking about ourselves and the group dynamics from the night before.

Half of the debate last night was about this question: Should the Israelis behave like official envoys of their country OR speak freely as individual personalities inside the group.

Interestingly enough, the debate affected all of us and raised questions about the culture of criticizing each other (group- and country-wise) and the way, this group wants to develop itself in the remaining time.

There is also the question put forward whether the Germans are involved and open enough in some discussions (the German part of this blogger team didn’t experience it like that).

Finally the group is split into smaller groups who get to talk in a more intimate way. Most of the groups come out with similar suggestions, also regarding the December part of the program which will take place in Israel.

Everybody thinks we need more time to digest what is going on. There are group dynamics that have their natural ups and downs (the biggest up being what we experienced after visiting the Holocaust Memorial).

Also we need more time to reflect on the new information that we get from the panels and lectures that Bertelsmann Stiftung has arranged for us.

The bottom line: We want to “rub shoulders” (this is one of the first things we did at Kloster Irsee as a group to break the distance between us and to feel more comfortable with each other, we haven’t done that for a while) more often, both on a cognitive and an emotional level.

Last but not least, we need to mention the very insightful meeting with three young German authors, who spoke about the experience and challenge to be German in a foreign country. “The German gets off the plane and is already an ‘expert’ in the local customs.” The Israeli part of this blogger team was surprised to learn, that this is supposed to be a German characteristic – when it is fully and clearly Israeli!!

(Keren and Christian, with substantial help from Amir)

Soon in this blog: A very funny text that Jakob Hein, a renowned German author (and he is also a psychiatrist), wrote for the meeting with us.

Being relaxed always helps keeping the balance.

But Israeli and Germans are not only bound by what happened in the past, they are all the more also bound by what they both appreciated much in their respective cultures: I am thinking especially of the joint appreciation of the word, of the language. This appreciation is deeply embedded in the Jewish tradition as well as in the German, especially protestant, culture. This appreciation of the word, the interpretation of language, the joy of formulation of thoughts does not only lay the foundation for a specific word-based culture, and furthermore, for an appreciation for resolving conflicts by a legal system that provide procedural and material rules, it also can also enable the people of both cultures make the Unspeakable speakeable, to make the respective feelings and perceptions at least understandable.

Sometimes, it is the debate itself that is debatable. (Copyright: M. Darchinger)

Today was mainly about the relationship between Germany and Israel: if German foreign policy in general and towards Israel in particular should be influenced by history or by cold political calculations. This is the question that needs to be put to both sides, and both sides have their different opinions influenced by a mixture between emotion and analytical assumptions. My personal feeling is that in the Israeli public there is an emotional expectation of an expression by Germans of their historical responsibility towards Israel – Israelis expect to see this responsibility translated into action. I believe that with the passage of time international relations will be built largely on values and interests and not on empathy and thus we need to reach a normalization of relations. I think that within the Israeli public there is an incorrect interpretation of German empathy and its translation into expectation of diplomatic action. Thus there is a disappointment amongst Israelis, a disappointment that could harm the bridge we are trying to build. My personal belief is that it will be correct if the Germans were more clear in this matter (because we as Israelis are not able to read between the lines): They need to tell us that in this matter the foreign policy of Germany is based on professional and interest-based calculation and not on empathy – which could be expressed through other channels. As an Israeli I don’t even want to depend on empathy, I want to depend on Israel itself, because this is the central idea of a state of the Jews, the state of Israel.

(Till and Gilad)

(Copyright: M. Darchinger)