André Kuper visits Beit Ben Yehuda
The delegation included Sylvia Löhrmann, Commissioner for Combating Antisemitism of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia; Abraham Lehrer, Vice President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany; Adelheid Ruck-Schröder, Presiding Bishop of the Protestant Church of Westphalia; and Stefan Klett, President of the State Sports Federation of North Rhine-Westphalia.
In addition to volunteers from Action Reconciliation Service for Peace (ASF), the discussion was joined by volunteers from the organization Zedaka in Maalot, a representative of the Austrian Hospice, and Milena Hasselmann from the “Studium in Israel” program.
ASF Country Representative Uriel Kashi welcomed the delegation and emphasized the special, long-standing relationship between North Rhine-Westphalia and ASF in Israel, which has grown over decades of partnership.
In his remarks, André Kuper spoke about the delegation’s current visit, which had taken them to meetings with President Isaac Herzog as well as to the Palestinian town of Taybeh. The previous day, the group had also visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial. Kuper explained that plans are underway to establish the first international branch of Yad Vashem in Germany, and that during his trip he is advocating for North Rhine-Westphalia to become its future location.
In the ensuing discussion, Kuper asked the volunteers about their impressions and first experiences in Israel. Merlin, an ASF volunteer, shared an example of how warmly young Germans are received in Israel: “One day, I was walking through the city wearing a German football jersey, and many people greeted me in a friendly way.” He described Israel as a pluralistic society marked by an impressive diversity of life paths, family backgrounds, and political perspectives.
Responding to Kuper’s question about how Holocaust remembrance can remain meaningful for future generations, Daniel, who serves as an ASF volunteer at Yad Vashem, explained that engagement with the Shoah in Israel begins much earlier than in Germany and is more deeply integrated into daily life: “Through my service I’m able to look behind the scenes of the Holocaust Memorial.” He said he found it impressive how working with local contexts and personal stories creates multiple points of connection — an approach that could, in his view, also inspire educational work in Germany.
Stefan Klett, President of the NRW Sports Federation, then spoke about the role of sports in German-Israeli youth exchange. Together with ASF Israel, it was agreed to continue discussions on possible areas of future cooperation in this field.
The visit by André Kuper was inspiring, showing how fruitful the exchange between politics, civil society, and volunteer services can be — and how such cooperation contributes to shaping remembrance, responsibility, and the future together.