Strengthening Ties Through Dialogue

As part of the EKBO/BMW delegation trip to Israel-Palestine (September 3–7, 2025), we had the pleasure of welcoming:

– Dr. Christian Stäblein, Bishop of the Evangelical Church Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia
– Dr. Julia Helmke, General Superintendent of Berlin
– Dr. Ulrich Schöntube, Director of the Ecumenical Center / Berliner Missionswerk
– Dr. Simon Kuntze, Middle East Desk Officer of the Ecumenical Center / Berliner Missionswerk
– Almut Bockisch, Personal Assistant to the Bishop
– Gerd Herzog, Communications Officer of the Ecumenical Center / Berliner Missionswerk
Following an introduction to ASF’s work and our plans for the coming year, we engaged in a meaningful conversation about the challenges facing volunteer services since October 7, the situation of Holocaust survivors in Israel in the aftermath of these events, and the importance of strengthening German-Israeli relations on a civil society level.
And as a nice surprise, we discovered that Dr. Simon Kuntze once served as an ASF volunteer himself – proof that the ASF network has a way of popping up in the most interesting places.
We are deeply grateful for this inspiring visit and look forward to staying in close contact.