The Rudi Pahnke Institut Neue Impulse study program is part of the declaration made by the Land of Saxony-Anhalt in their aim to expand and develop the relationship with the State of Israel. 

"Partnership work and cooperation between organizations and the extracurricular youth welfare service is an essential part of this as the youth work study program is held to open up new ways for cooperation between the NGOs of both countries," explains NGO Neue Impulse founder Rudi Pahnke, a stalwart visitor to Givat Haviva for many years.

"The Institut Neue Impulse is working for cosmopolitanism and tolerance, against prejudice, xenophobia and anti-Semitism," said Rudi, who studied theology and became a pastor in Berlin/Brandenburg.

Rudi was responsible for the entire church youth work of the GDR from 1988 – 1992, after which he founded Neue Impulse and developed encounters between Germany and Israel, Germany and Palestine as well as Germany-Poland-Israel.

Members of the Neue Impulse group accompanied by Rudi this month were young journalists from both the print and electronic medias, students – some of whom studying Middle East, Arabic and Hebrew – as well as professional youth workers.

Ulrike Grund of Miteinamder e.V is a member of that organization's Regional Advisory Team against right-wing extremism.

"To us to work against right-wing extremism means to work for local democracy and against all forms of anti-democratic behavior, racism, anti-Semitism and other forms of group focused enmity," she said.

"We are aiming to strengthen democratic civil society activities in local contexts and to diminish right-wing presence in local discourses and local community," she added.

The organization runs community coaching for local initiatives, associations and other civil society groups as well as for local council staff, councilors and for schools, parishes, clergy, youth clubs and more.  They also have the ability to furnish a great deal of information regarding right-wing extremist groups and activities in their region.

Tobias Krull is deputy executive director of the German-Israel Association in Magdeburg.

"The Israel Association is working to communicate life in Israel along with all its facets, not only, but also political, cultural and culinary aspects to the German public," said Tobias who is also a member of the youth welfare committee of the city of Magdeburg.

Franziska Schramm also works for a youth organization where she is dealing with planning, coordination and implementation of educational programs for young people between the ages of 12-27, and Elke Fiege is an adviser for cultural youth education.

Sebastian Kunze is a student of Middle East Sciences at the Martin-Luther University, Halle-Wittenberg and volunteers for an organization supporting socially weak young people and children.

Kristin Wicklein is also a student of Middle East and Economic Sciences at the same university as Sebastian and Jens Bellmann is a leisure educator at a youth center who is a trained leader forGerman-Israeli youth encounters and exchange programs.

These are just a few of the members of the Neue Impulse group who spent some time AT kibbutz Mishmar HaEmek with International Department staff and kibbutz member Lydia Aisenberg and also participated in her 'Green Line Tour,' incorporating the outer neighborhoods of Umm el-Fahm, the Mei Ami vantage point over the northern West Bank Jewish settlements of Shaked, and a drive through 'Area C' of that area prior to visiting the divided village of Barta'a.

 

The 50,000 resident Israeli Arab city of Umm el-Fahm from Mei-Ami