The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has repercussions far beyond the Middle East, and German schools are no exception. Since October 7, 2023, teachers across Germany have reported a rise in emotionally charged classroom discussions, antisemitic incidents, and increasing difficulties in sustaining constructive dialogue on the topic.
Yet the situation in German classrooms is not simply a reflection of the conflict itself. The German situation is fundamentally different as Jewish students form a tiny minority (most schools do not have any), and the much more significant group of Muslim students is (for the most part) not Palestinian, may have never been to the Middle East, and is only indirectly affected by the actual grievances of Palestinians – if at all. In addition, classroom debates are intertwined with broader discussions about German identity, historical responsibility, Staatsräson, and the lessons drawn from the Shoah. As a result, these discussions often involve questions of belonging, solidarity, and justice, and they are frequently marked by limited factual knowledge and strongly felt positions.
This also takes place against the backdrop of long-standing concerns about social tensions and conflict in German schools more broadly. Just as the Israel-Palestine conflict is not merely a territorial dispute but a collision of competing identities, historical grievances, and failed recognition, the escalating aggression in German classrooms reflects a society increasingly divided along lines of class, migration background, and cultural belonging. In both cases, outbreaks of conflict and violence are eruptions of deeper, unresolved tensions that teachers are struggling to contain.
While experiences from the Middle East on how to handle polarized conflicts in classroom situations are potentially extremely useful, it is important to keep these differences in mind: The cleavages are not the same, the objects of contestation are not identical, and the grievances are also different – even if there is a connection in the form of an "international resonance" of the conflict in the Middle East.

Referenten:
Dikla Tomer Kaial, Director Jewish-Arab Center for Peace Education Department, Givat Haviva (Israel)
Yaqub Ibrahim, Head of Leadership Department, Givat Haviva (Israel)

Die Veranstaltung findet in englischer Sprache statt.

Die Veranstaltung findet in Speyer statt. Der genaue Veranstaltungsort wird noch bekannt gegeben.

Veranstaltungsart

Fortbildung

Fortbildungsart

Tagung

Ausbildungsstunden

4

Dozenten

Dr. Steffen Hagemann, Yakub Ibrahim, Dikla Tomer-Kaial

Leitung

Eva-Maria Glaser

Standort

Speyer

Veranstaltungsort

Landesbibliothekszentrum RLP
Pfälzische Landesbibliothek
Otto-Mayer-Straße 9
67346 Speyer

Termine

Module

Weitere Details

https://givathaviva.org.il/en/

Veranstalter

Pädagogisches Landesinstitut Rheinland-Pfalz

Gültigkeitsbereich

landesweit

Anmeldeschluss

09.09.2026