Beit Ben Yehuda - בית בן יהודה

This week in Israel is dedicated to Holocaust remembrance - a time of reflection, responsibility, and dialogue across generations.

Alongside our German-language conversation with Holocaust survivor Eva Erben on Thursday, we would like to draw your attention to another important event taking place earlier in the week:

On Wednesday, April 15th at 18:00, a Holocaust Memorial Event will be held at the Hanns Seidel Foundation’s Office in Jerusalem (Keren HaYesod 38, 3rd Floor).

The evening will include:

An input on contemporary antisemitism in Germany by Uriel Kashi, Director of Action Reconciliation Service for Peace (Aktion Sühnezeichen Friedensdienste)
A testimony from Holocaust survivor Saul Hochstein

The event will be held in English.

Participation is limited, and registration is required via the Zikaron BaSalon website or by email at:
📧 [email protected]

In a time marked by growing polarization and renewed challenges to democratic values, these encounters are not only acts of remembrance but also spaces for critical engagement and shared responsibility.

We warmly invite you to take part.

This week in Israel is dedicated to Holocaust remembrance - a time of reflection, responsibility, and dialogue across generations.

Alongside our German-language conversation with Holocaust survivor Eva Erben on Thursday, we would like to draw your attention to another important event taking place earlier in the week:

On Wednesday, April 15th at 18:00, a Holocaust Memorial Event will be held at the Hanns Seidel Foundation’s Office in Jerusalem (Keren HaYesod 38, 3rd Floor).

The evening will include:

An input on contemporary antisemitism in Germany by Uriel Kashi, Director of Action Reconciliation Service for Peace (Aktion Sühnezeichen Friedensdienste)
A testimony from Holocaust survivor Saul Hochstein

The event will be held in English.

We warmly invite you to take part.

Netflix goes Beit Ben Yehuda! 🎬

We are excited to share that “BBY Jerusalem” is now available to stream on Netflix.

A group of young German volunteers arrives in Jerusalem - ready to learn, to contribute, and to understand.

What they encounter:
shared rooms, very honest conversations, and israeli perspectives that challenge their own.

Between voluntary engagement, ASF seminars, and moments of uncertainty, they begin to understand:
meaningful encounter requires openness, patience - and the willingness to question oneself.

6 episodes about learning, responsibility and real encounters

Happy Chanukkah from ASF Israel & Beit Ben Yehuda
As the Festival of Lights begins, we extend our warmest greetings to all our friends, partners, guests, and supporters.
Chanukkah stands for resilience, responsibility, and hope — values that shape our work at ASF Israel and at the Beit Ben Yehuda every day. Through volunteering, we enable young people to take concrete responsibility and to engage in meaningful social and educational work. Through dialogue, we continue to build and strengthen lasting connections between Germany and Israel, even — and especially — in challenging times.
At the Beit Ben Yehuda, these values come together in a shared space for encounter, learning, and remembrance. None of this would be possible without your trust, your commitment, and your solidarity.
We thank you sincerely for walking this path with us.
May the lights of Chanukkah bring warmth to your homes, clarity to our shared values, and hope for peace and understanding.
Chag Chanukkah Sameach,
ASF Israel & Beit Ben Yehuda

Besuch von Bundesministerin Karin Prien im Beit Ben Yehuda – Aktion Sühnezeichen Friedensdienste e.V. Jisra’el Nicht kategorisiert Besuch von Bundesministerin Karin Prien im Beit Ben Yehuda Am Montag den 27. Oktober war der Vortragssaal des Beit Ben Yehuda in Jerusalem bis auf den letzten Platz gefüllt. Bundesministerin Karin Prien (Bundesministerium für Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend, BMFJSFJ) besuc...

Once a year, Beit Ben Yehuda invites German-speaking tour guides for a New Year’s gathering.
This year, we combined the event with a visit to the newly opened Knesset Museum — a fascinating and interactive exhibition that tells the story of Israeli democracy from its beginnings to the present day. Visitors can take part in simulated votes on draft laws and explore key moments in history, such as the debates on German reparations, the Eichmann trial, or Angela Merkel’s memorable speech to the Knesset.

Afterwards, we gathered at Beit Ben Yehuda to present the work of Aktion Sühnezeichen Friedensdienste (ASF) and our educational guesthouse, and to invite the guides to recommend Beit Ben Yehuda as a place to stay for future groups.

Since October 7, tourism in Israel has largely come to a halt – yet during this gathering, a sense of hope was palpable that new peace initiatives might bring an end to the war and restore calm to the region.

With this hope, we look ahead to a peaceful and meaningful new year.

🌿
מוזיאון הכנסת - Knesset Museum
museum

The past year has been intense and challenging for all of us, marked by rockets and attacks in Israel, the devastating war in Gaza, the frightening war with Iran, the painful reality that so many hostages remain in the captivity of Hamas, as well as countless other challenges that shaped this difficult year.

And yet, alongside these heavy burdens, we also experienced moments of hope and connection. At Beit Ben Yehuda we hosted many meaningful encounters: between Israelis and Germans, between young people and Shoah survivors, between Jews, Christians, Muslims – and many more.

We are grateful that Israeli youth movements, students, peace initiatives and many more have chosen to use our house as a place for dialogue, and we are especially glad that since early September two young German ASF volunteers are once again in Israel, dedicating a year of their lives to social engagement and to getting to know the country and the region more deeply.

To all our friends, partners and guests, we wish a good and inspiring new year filled with encounters and shared learning. May the coming year bring peace, safety and calm to everyone in the region.

We stand in solidarity with Hanoar Haoved VeHaLomed (NOAL) and Hashomer Hatzair and strongly condemn their recent expulsion from the International Falcon Movement (IFM).

We stand in solidarity with Hanoar Haoved VeHaLomed (NOAL) and Hashomer Hatzair and strongly condemn their recent expulsion from the International Falcon Movement (IFM).

As Aktion Sühnezeichen Friedensdienste in Israel (ASF) and the Beit Ben Yehuda educational center in Jerusalem, we have had the privilege of hosting many groups from Hashomer Hatzair over the years. Together with NOAL, they represent two of Israel’s last remaining left-Zionist youth movements - organizations that have for decades built bridges across communities, promoted peace, and fought for democracy and social justice.

This decision singles out Israeli youth movements not for their values or actions, but for their very identity. Both NOAL and Hashomer Hatzair are committed to peaceful coexistence, are active in Israel’s peace movement, and often stand in opposition to their own government’s policies. Yet they are now excluded from the very international network they helped to build - one co-founded by Jewish social democrat Kurt Löwenstein.

Isolating democratic youth movements because of their nationality undermines the purpose of international cooperation. It replaces dialogue with division, and erases critical voices that are essential for building a just peace.

Our history as ASF is rooted in confronting the past, fostering dialogue, and building bridges across divides. We therefore stand in full solidarity with Hanoar Haoved VeHaLomed and Hashomer Hatzair, and we call on the international youth movement to protect - not silence - pluralistic and democratic spaces for young people everywhere.

Netzwerk Israel - Solidarität mit der Zivilgesellschaft haGalil.com .de.il Beit Ben Yehuda - בית בן יהודה