Bound together in friendship: Commitment to the reconciliation between Jews and Germans
Axel Springer, who founded his company in 1946, had a very close friendship with the State of Israel and the Israeli people. The reconciliation between Jews and Germans and standing up for the vital rights of the Israeli people were fundamental convictions for him, which governed his actions and which became manifest in the Essentials of his publishing house .
The company and its employees remain true to these principles even today and continue the traditional friendship with multifarious commitment.
Thus in 2003 for example, the “Ernst-Cramer-Fellowship” was established, which grants young German journalists a working stay in Israel and young Israeli journalists a working stay in Germany. More Information on the Ernst Cramer Fellowship can be found at the website of the International Journalists’ Programmes .
Moreover Axel Springer supports institutions and projects to cultivate Jewish life in Germany and to intensify contacts between Germany and Israel.
The Spree-Aviv.de website illustrates how even young Axel Springer employees live the commitment to Israel as a matter of course: For this tribute was paid to young trainee journalists from the Axel Springer Academy in May 2008 for the web project www.spree-aviv.de which they had initiated and designed themselves. The independent jury of experts in the Internet category of the Axel Springer Prize for young journalists valued their project as an “outstanding service”, because the website brings the user closer to Jewish life in Germany in a particular appealing and entertaining way at the same time making an important contribution to the reconciliation between Germans and Jews.
