Following the terrorist attacks on Israel on October 7, IJAB – International Youth Service of the Federal Republic of Germany quickly took a stand, condemning the attacks and expressing sympathy for the people affected in a statement:

• In Gedanken bei den Menschen. IJAB zum Angriff auf Israel [only in German]

In order to shed light on the consequences of October 7 for youth work and to raise awareness of the situation in Germany and Israel, several interviews were conducted in cooperation with ConAct – Coordination Center German-Israeli Youth Exchange and published in the following weeks:

• “We need to call out things for what they are”. German-Israeli Exchanges After Hamas Murders

The ijab.de news desk reached out to Cyra Sommer and Niclas Cares of ConAct – Coordination Center German-Israeli Youth Exchange to discuss what needs to be done now and how the youth work field has to approach the matter of antisemitism.

• “We're Waiting for Good News”. Young Israelis after the Hamas Massacres

The ijab.de news desk spoke to Tal Madar, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Youth Movements in Israel, about the current situation and prospects.

• “Wow, we have friends!” A German-Israeli Partnership Post October 7

Siegen-Wittgenstein and Emek Hefer can look back on a long history of German-Israeli partnership and friendship. The Hamas massacres on October 7, 2023 came as a shock to both sides. Barbara Friedrich from Kreisjugendring Siegen-Wittgenstein and Efrat Simmenhausen-Shafran from the Emek Hefer municipal administration told the ijab.de news desk how they dealt with it.

• Young People Cannot Forget. Israeli Scouts Post October 7

The terrorist attacks by Hamas have turned the lives of many children and young people in Israel upside down. The trauma runs deep. But they have also triggered a huge wave of willingness to help and solidarity. Roy Shaul from the Scout movement in Israel talks about this in an interview with ijab.de and also about what international solidarity means to him.