Abbot Nikodemus Schnabel, OSB

Abbot, Dormition Abbey Jerusalem

Abbot of the Dormition Abbey on Mount Zion since 2023. Doctorate in liturgical studies. Director of the Jerusalem Institute of the Görres-Gesellschaft.

Lahav Harkov

Senior Political Correspondent, Jewish Insider

Covers Israel's domestic and international politics. Former Knesset reporter at The Jerusalem Post. Contributor to BBC, MSNBC, France 24 and others.

Ahmad Mansour

Psychologist & Author, Berlin

Psychologist focusing on democracy, extremism prevention and antisemitism. Columnist for Die Welt. Honorary doctorate, University of Basel 2022.

Oliver Mayer-Rüth

Journalist & Author, ARD/BR Munich

25 years of television journalism. Former ARD correspondent in Tel Aviv and Istanbul. Author of Der Allmächtige? (2023). Currently at ARD/BR Munich.

Wenzel Michalski

Executive Director, Freundeskreis Yad Vashem

Former director of Human Rights Watch Germany (2010–2024). Since May 2025 Executive Director of Freundeskreis Yad Vashem e.V.

Nicholas Potter

Chief Reporter, WELT

Author of 'The New Authoritarian Left' and 'Judenhass Underground'. Published in The Jerusalem Post, Haaretz and The Guardian.

Jenny Havemann

Co-Founder & Director, Media TLV Summit

German-Israeli political analyst, author and entrepreneur. Specialises in German-Israeli relations and the fight against antisemitism.

Susanne Glass

Co-Founder & Director, Media TLV Summit

German war correspondent and ARD studio chief in Tel Aviv and Vienna. Now heads Foreign Affairs at Bavarian Broadcasting.

Jotam Confino

Middle East Correspondent

Danish-Israeli correspondent based in Israel since 2018. Published in The Daily Telegraph, Haaretz, USA TODAY. Regular on BBC, LBC, Times Radio.

Charlotte Knobloch

President, Jewish Community Munich & Upper Bavaria

Holocaust survivor. President of Jewish Community Munich since 1985. Former President, Central Council of Jews in Germany (2006–2010). Honorary Citizen of Munich.

Batsheva Neuer

Historian & ISGAP Postdoctoral Fellow, Tel Aviv University

Historian of Jewish history, Zionism and antisemitism. Winner of the 2024 Bernard Lewis Prize. Published in WSJ, Washington Post and Haaretz.

Colonel Matthias Wasinger

Branch Head, Strategic Communications, Austrian MoD

Austrian Armed Forces officer. NATO, EU and UN missions. Founder of The Defence Horizon Journal. Vice-President, European Military Press Association.

Ksenia Svetlova

Executive Director, ROPES; Former Knesset Member

Former Knesset member and Middle East expert. Associate fellow at Chatham House London. 15 years covering the region at Israeli Channel 9.

Ron Dekel

President, Jewish Students' Union Germany (JSUD)

President of JSUD. Studies Political Science and Sociology at LMU Munich. Landecker-Hillel Leadership Incubator 2024/25.

Helge Fuhst

Editor-in-Chief, WELT Group / Axel Springer

Former ARD Tagesthemen anchor. Now Chairman of Editors-in-Chief, Axel Springer Premium Group, overseeing WELT, POLITICO Germany and Business Insider Germany.

Katja Wildermuth

Director-General, Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR)

Director-General of BR since 2021, re-elected 2025. Member of the EBU Executive Board. Award-winning documentary producer and journalist.

Barbara Glück

Director, Mauthausen Memorial

Director of KZ-Gedenkstätte Mauthausen for 20 years. Double PhD in history and political science. Torberg Medal recipient.

Uschi Glas

Actress & Author

Iconic German actress and SPIEGEL bestselling author. Co-founder of brotZeit, providing breakfasts to 15,000 children daily across Germany.

Yossi Beilin

Former Israeli Minister; Architect of the Oslo Accords

Architect of the Oslo peace process and the Geneva Accord. Former Israeli Minister of Justice. Global Distinguished Professor at NYU.

Dafna Gerstner

Eyewitness, Hamas Massacre — Kibbutz Be'eri

Survivor of the Hamas massacre of October 7, 2023 in Kibbutz Be'eri. Author of 'Sie kamen, um uns zu töten' (Herder, Sept. 2026).

Michaela Conen

Director, CULTURE PARTNERS; Antisemitism Prevention

Leads antisemitism prevention at Berlin University of the Arts. Partners with UNESCO and Sweden's Segerstedt Institute. University lecturer on democratic discourse.

Nissan Shtrauchler

Europe Correspondent, Israel Hayom

Europe correspondent for Israel Hayom, based in Germany. Former Religion Affairs Correspondent, Yedioth Ahronoth.

Senada Sokollu

Journalist & Podcaster, ARD (SWR)

ARD journalist and host of 'Echo of the Unheard' podcast. Columbia University investigative journalism fellow. Debut book at Leipzig Book Fair 2027.

Farhid Habibi

Chairman, The Munich Circle e.V.

Human rights advocate focusing on Iran. Clear stance against dictatorship, religious extremism and right-wing populism. Uses his voice to connect democratic forces.

Ali Waked

Director, International Branch, i24NEWS

Director of i24NEWS International. Former Ynet correspondent covering Palestinian affairs. Co-writer of 'Bethlehem' (2013), winner at Venice Film Festival and six Ophir Awards.

Stefan Ebner

Secretary General, Hanns-Seidel-Stiftung

Secretary General of Hanns-Seidel-Stiftung since July 2026. Economist, CSU politician and member of the Bavarian state parliament.

Christian Scharpf

Referent for Labor and Economic Affairs, City of Munich

Munich's Referent for Labor and Economic Affairs since March 2025. Former Lord Mayor of Ingolstadt (2020–2025). Doctorate in municipal corporate law.

Ben Salomo

Author, Speaker & Activist

Founder of 'Rap am Mittwoch.' Left the hip-hop scene in 2018 over rising antisemitism. Now author and activist for Jewish life and against antisemitism.

Josef Schuster

President, Central Council of Jews in Germany

President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany since 2014, re-elected 2022. Vice President of the World Jewish Congress and European Jewish Congress.

Joshua Schultheis

Journalist, Jüdische Allgemeine

Journalist and editor at Jüdische Allgemeine. Co-author of 'Worüber Juden reden: Zehn Gespräche aus Deutschland' (Hentrich & Hentrich). Freelance since July 2026.

Sonja Bohl-Dencker

Attorney & Public Advocate, Verden

Mother of Carolin Bohl, murdered by Hamas at Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023. Now a prominent public voice across Germany and activist for the rebuilding of the kibbutz.

Jin Dawod

AI Researcher & CEO, Peace Therapist

Syrian refugee and founder of Peace Therapist, a digital mental health platform reaching hundreds of thousands across 26 countries. UNHCR Nansen Award winner. Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe.

Paula Kweskin Weiss

Documentary Filmmaker & Human Rights Attorney

Founder of The 49%, making award-winning women's rights documentaries. Films including 'In Protest' featured on Netflix and Amazon, screened at the UN and national parliaments.

Nelly Eliasberg

Spokesperson, WerteInitiative; Host, WI-Talk Podcast

Jewish-German communications strategist and spokesperson for WerteInitiative. Host of WI-Talk podcast. Born in the former Soviet Union, came to Germany as a Jewish refugee.

Elio Adler

Founder & Chairman, WerteInitiative

Son of Holocaust survivors. Founded WerteInitiative in 2014. Ambassador for Democracy and Tolerance (2019), Order of Merit of Berlin (2024). Focuses on Jewish life and German-Israeli relations.

Andreas Büttner

Commissioner for Combating Antisemitism, Brandenburg

Brandenburg's first Commissioner for Combating Antisemitism since June 2024. Former state parliament member and State Secretary in the Ministry of Social Affairs.

Leeor Engländer

Journalist & Media Manager

Former journalist and media manager for Welt. Grandson of Auschwitz and Buchenwald survivors. For twenty years a close companion to Holocaust survivor Margot Friedländer, until her death in 2025.

Josef Braml

European Director, Trilateral Commission

One of Germany's most respected US foreign policy experts. European Director of the Trilateral Commission. Focuses on transatlantic relations and global power shifts.

Shila Erlbaum

Head of Politics & Religion, Central Council of Jews in Germany

Leads the Department of Politics and Religion at the Central Council of Jews in Germany, overseeing antisemitism, education, culture, and memorial work. M.A. in Jewish Studies, Heidelberg and Jerusalem.