On December 9, the HCGES and the Yekkes Archive welcomed Ms. Anna Bartels, Commissioner for Foreign Cultural Policy at the German Federal Foreign Office. The visit offered an excellent opportunity to present our current projects and the work of the Archive for German-Speaking Jews in Israel (the Yekkes Archive).

Ms. Bartels visited the newly inaugurated German-speaking Jewish Heritage Wing at the University’s Hecht Museum together with the wing’s curators, Dr. Sorin Heller and Shunit Netter-Mamelstein; the Museum Director, Dr. Inbal Rivlin; Mr. Zvi Tropp from the Association of Israelis of Central European Origin; and Dr. Irit Chen, the Academic Director of the Yekkes Archive.

During the tour, Dr. Chen presented the Yekkes Archive’s collection and shared fascinating materials such as letters and diaries documenting the lives of families who emigrated from German-speaking regions to Mandatory Palestine. She explained how the Archive serves as a growing resource for students and researchers and highlighted our projects, including the Yekkes Lecture Series, podcasts, Yekke Blogs, and the annual Yekke Day.

Ms. Bartels also met with Mrs. Nicole McTaggart, the DAAD lecturer at the HCGES, to discuss the center’s ongoing activities, current courses, and future cooperation.

Born in Germany and raised in Libanon, Syria and Egypt, Ms. Bartels has a personal connection to the Middle East. Her visit highlighted the importance of cultural memory and German–Israeli dialogue.