12-13.05.2025: From reparation to reason of state - 60 years of German-Israeli relations

To mark the 60th anniversary of German-Israeli relations, on May 12 and 13, 2025, the international symposium “From Reparations to Reason of State. 60 Years of German-Israeli Relations” was held at the University of Potsdam with the participation of academics from Germany, Israel and the USA. The conference was organized by Dr. Bastian Matteo Scianna and Dr. Christian E. Rieck from the Chair of Military History and Cultural History of Violence in close cooperation with the American Jewish Committee Berlin. The aim of the conference was to shed light on well-known and lesser-known aspects of bilateral relations between Germany and Israel - also in the longue durée.

The first day was dedicated chronologically to the rapprochement between the two states under the impact of the Holocaust, various forms of religious and intellectual anti-Semitism and the dynamics of relations under Chancellors Willy Brandt, Helmut Schmidt and Helmut Kohl. The panels on the second day focused on lesser-known aspects such as scientific and travel diplomacy as well as the question of a European policy towards Israel. The conference concluded with a look at current relations since reunification and a final discussion. The constant ambivalence between morality and realpolitik in relations between the two countries, which also depended on the dynamics of the Cold War, became clear. More information about the program here.

It is planned to publish the conference contributions as an anthology in the near future.

You can find the conference program here.