Israeli Consul General Gilad  and German Consul General Quelle  celebrate 50 Years of Diplomatic Relations between Germany and Israel

2015 marks the 50th anniversary of German-Israeli diplomatic relations. To celebrate the occasion, the Consulates General of Israel and Germany joined forces for two major events in Kansas City, KS, and Chicago, IL, on June 22 and 23.

In Kansas Consul General Herbert Quelle and Consul General Roey Gilad spoke at an event on the Jewish Community Campus, co-organized by the Jewish Community Relations Bureau and the American Jewish Committee.

In Chicago, the two consulates co-organized, together with Action Reconciliation Service for Peace, an event hosted by and on the premises of Kirkland & Ellis.

Consul General Quelle outlined in his remarks the historical circumstances in Germany leading to the establishment of official relations. Consul General Gilad contrasted the normalcy of the bilateral relations today with the most terrible abnormally of the Holocaust

Both  CG   stressed the strength and vibrancy of the relationship not only on the official level, but also the deep friendship that has developed between innumerable civil society groups from both countries. Remarks by Action Reconciliation Representatives, Katharina von Muenster and Mark McGuigan, and by Hadas Cohen, an Israeli political scientist living in Berlin, attested to this

Both, the first German Federal Chancellor, Konrad Adenauer, and the first Israeli Prime Minister, David Ben Gurion, had to leave its implementation to their successors, Ludwig Erhard and Levi Eschkol

In Chicago, a live performance by renowned singer Rebecca Joy Fletcher with cabaret songs in German and Hebrew added to the celebration an extra touch of joy and lightness.

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