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The Story of the Fritz-Naphtali-Foundation: A German-Israeli Co-Production

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The German Political Foundations' Work between Jerusalem, Ramallah and Tel Aviv

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Abstract

Before the Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation opened its first permanent office in Tel Aviv in 1978, representatives of the foundation were in close and long-term contact with high-ranking representatives of the Israeli labour movement. The establishment of the Fritz-Naphtali Foundation in 1967 and the role of the Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation within this process reflect German-Israeli relations at that time and are evidence of a mutual interest in closer contacts between political decision-makers on both sides. Furthermore, this chapter presents a unique case study that gives an example of the specific scope of the actions of German political foundations within the limits of strained diplomatic relations.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The centre-left party Mapai (lit. “Workers’ Party of the Land of Israel”) was founded in 1930 and became the dominant political power after the establishment of the state in 1948. In 1968 Mapai merged with two minor left-wing parties Ahdut HaAvoda and Rafi into the new Israeli Labor Party (IAP). Both Mapai and IAP were closely affiliated with the international labour movement. Until 1977, all Israeli Prime Ministers derived either from Mapai or IAP.

  2. 2.

    The German “Bank für Gemeinwirtschaft” (BfG) was a union-owned bank for the social economy founded in 1958 in Frankfurt/Main in West Germany.

  3. 3.

    German Embassy to the Federal Foreign Office in Bonn, October 21, 1967, on the establishment of the Fritz-Naphtali-Foundation in Tel Aviv, Political Archive of the Federal Foreign Office, B96 1148.

  4. 4.

    German Embassy to the Federal Foreign Office in Bonn, October 21, 1967, on the establishment of the Fritz-Naphtali-Foundation in Tel Aviv, Political Archive of the Federal Foreign Office, B96 1148.

  5. 5.

    Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) to the Foreign Office and the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development in Bonn, October 31, 1970, Political Archive of the Federal Foreign Office, B66 679.

  6. 6.

    German Embassy, Tel Aviv to the Federal Foreign Office in Bonn September 27, 1967, on the establishment of the Fritz-Naphtali-Foundation in Tel Aviv, Political Archive of the Federal Foreign Office, B96 1148.

  7. 7.

    See for instance the articles written by Ernst Kerbusch and Katharina Konarek.

  8. 8.

    A detailed description on German-Israeli arms shipments up to 1965 can be found in: Niels Hansen 2002. Aus dem Schatten der Katastrophe. Die deutsch-israelischen Beziehungen in der Ära Konrad Adenauer und David Ben Gurion. Düsseldorf: Droste Verlag GmbH, pp. 479–501; 618–636 and in: Otfried Nassauer, Christopher Steinmetz. 2004. Rüstungskooperation zwischen Deutschland und Israel, Berlin: Berliner Informationszentrum für Transatlantische Sicherheit.

  9. 9.

    A detailed description of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and the Federal Republic of Germany can be found in: Yeshayahu A. Jelinek 2004. Deutschland und Israel 1945–1965. Ein neurotisches Verhältnis. München: R. Oldenburg Verlag, pp. 431–468; George Lavy 2006. Germany and Israel. Moral Debts and National Interest. London: Frank Cass & Co, pp. 90–129.

  10. 10.

    Kurt Schumacher during the SPD Party Congress in Nurenberg, June 29-July 2, (1947), pp. 50–51.

  11. 11.

    A detailed description of relations between German Social Democrats and Israel until 1965 can be found in: Sabine Hepperle 2000. Die SPD und Israel. Von der Großen Koalition 1966 bis zur Wende 1982. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang GmbH, pp. 26–60.

  12. 12.

    Interview with Esther Herlitz on German-Israeli relations in: SPD- P/XVII/113, May 29, (1962).

  13. 13.

    Kristian Müller-Osten, Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation Bonn, to Eliahu Speiser, International Secretary Mapai, on February 25, 1966, Moshe Sharett Labour Party Archive 2-914-1964-71; German Embassy Tel Aviv to the Federal Foreign Office in Bonn on April 22, 1966, on the visit of the FES delegation to Israel, Political Archive of the Federal Foreign Office, B96 1094.

    German Embassy Tel Aviv to the Federal Foreign Office in Bonn on March 2, 1966, on the visit of the BfG to Israel, Political Archive of the Federal Foreign Office, B96 1094.

  14. 14.

    A detailed description of Walter Hesselbach’s biography can be found in: Michael Schneider 1995. Walter Hesselbach: Bankier und Unternehmer. Bonn: Dietz.

  15. 15.

    Günter Grunwald, Executive Director of the Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation in Bonn, to the German Embassy in Tel Aviv on March 3, 1966, on the visit of the FES-delegation to Israel, Political Archive of the Federal Foreign Office, B96 1094.

  16. 16.

    German Embassy Tel Aviv to the Federal Foreign Office in Bonn on April 4, 1966, on the visit of FES-delegation to Israel, Political Archive of the Federal Foreign Office, B96 1094.

  17. 17.

    German Embassy Tel Aviv to the Federal Foreign Office in Bonn on April 23, 1966, on the visit of the FES-delegation to Israel, Political Archive of the Federal Foreign Office, B96 1094.

  18. 18.

    German Embassy Tel Aviv to the Federal Foreign Office in Bonn on April 23, 1966, on the visit of the FES-delegation to Israel, Political Archive of the Federal Foreign Office, B96 1094.

  19. 19.

    Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau to the Federal Foreign Office and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development in Bonn on January 20, 1970, on capital assistance to Israel, Political Archive of the Federal Foreign Office, B66 679.

  20. 20.

    German Embassy, Tel Aviv to the Federal Foreign Office in Bonn September 27, 1967, on the establishment of the Fritz-Naphtali-Foundation in Tel Aviv, Political Archive of the Federal Foreign Office, B96 1148.

  21. 21.

    Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau to the Federal Foreign Office and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development in Bonn on January 20, 1970, on capital assistance to Israel, Political Archive of the Federal Foreign Office, B66 679.

  22. 22.

    German Embassy, Tel Aviv to the Federal Foreign Office in Bonn February 25, 1969, on the activities of the Fritz-Naphtali-Foundation in Tel Aviv, Political Archive of the Federal Foreign Office, B96 1148.

  23. 23.

    German Embassy, Tel Aviv to the Federal Foreign Office in Bonn February 25, 1969, on the activities of the Fritz-Naphtali-Foundation in Tel Aviv, Political Archive of the Federal Foreign Office, B96 1148.

  24. 24.

    German Embassy, Tel Aviv to the Federal Foreign Office in Bonn September 27, 1967, on the establishment of the Fritz-Naphtali-Foundation in Tel Aviv, Political Archive of the Federal Foreign Office, B96 1148.

  25. 25.

    A detailed description in Israel’s Foreign Policy in Africa can be found in: Peter Joel 1992. Israel and Africa. The Problematic Friendship. London: The British Academic Press.

  26. 26.

    A detailed description in the Friedrich-Foundation’s work in Central America can be found in: von Hofman, Norbert, V. Vinnai, H. Benzing. 2010. Die Arbeit der Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung in Indonesien, Tansania und Zentralamerika seit den 1960er Jahren. Bonn: Dietz, pp. 203–315.

  27. 27.

    Jewish Agency for Israel. NN. Akiva Lewinsky (1918–2000), http://www1.jafi.org.il/treasurer/bios/akiva.htm. Accessed on August 20, 2017.

  28. 28.

    Akiva Lewinsky, Executive Director Fritz-Naphtali-Foundation, to Günter Grunwald, Executive Director Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation, on December 29, 1969, Archive of Social Democracy/Archive DGB, International Department, 5/DGAJ000670.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ruhr University of Bochum, Würzburg, Germany

    Anna Abelmann

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  1. Anna Abelmann
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Bochum, Germany

    Anna Abelmann

  2. University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel

    Katharina Konarek

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Abelmann, A. (2018). The Story of the Fritz-Naphtali-Foundation: A German-Israeli Co-Production. In: Abelmann, A., Konarek, K. (eds) The German Political Foundations' Work between Jerusalem, Ramallah and Tel Aviv . Edition ZfAS. Springer VS, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-20019-0_3

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