“Shalom Frankfurt”: Buxtehude Youth Council Hosts Youth from Netanya

Photo: Buxtehude Youth Council

Israel has been in a state of war since October 7, 2023. It is therefore all the more remarkable that this year's youth exchange between Buxtehude and Netanya was still able to take place. It was not possible for the Buxtehude group to visit Israel due to the official travel warning, but the young Israelis were able to travel to Germany. Normally, the young people visit each other's families, but this year they were accommodated together in a hostel in Frankfurt am Main.

The week-long program focused on Jewish life from the Middle Ages to the present day, including a site of Nazi history: The Grossmarkthalle was used by the Nazi regime as a deportation point for 12,000 Jewish people and is now a memorial on the grounds of the European Central Bank. After the guided tour of the Grossmarkthalle, the exchange group commemorated the victims of the Holocaust at a ceremony they had prepared themselves. A visit to the Westend Synagogue at the beginning of Shabbat provided the opportunity to talk to young members of the community and learn about the diverse Jewish life in Germany today, which differs from life in Israel in many respects.

The security situation was also an omnipresent topic during the program: When the group arrived in Frankfurt, a group of young people had just been killed in a rocket attack in northern Israel. On the second day, high-ranking terrorists from Hamas and Hezbollah were successfully liquidated, and the following day Israel prepared for a counter-attack. As a result, American and German airlines canceled all flights to Tel Aviv and the return journey was suddenly in jeopardy.

Because of or despite the unusual situation, this year's youth exchange was an enriching and unique experience for the participants. After the German-Israeli week in Frankfurt, new friendships, fond memories of a German-Israeli week in Frankfurt and a few words of the other language thanks to the German-Hebrew language games in the morning will remain.

The Buxtehude Youth Council has been involved in exchanges with Israel for ten years now. This report is a shortened version. The full original report of the Youth Council can be read in German here:

Read full report in German