On Tuesday, the German-Israeli Society (DIG) celebrated its 60th anniversary. In an interview, its president Volker Beck talks about the organization’s future, friendship with Israel and whether he will run for another term
Interview by Joshua Schultheis
The German-Israeli Society (Deutsch-Israelische Gesellschaft, DIG) was founded in 1966, just one year after the two countries established official diplomatic relations. Sixty years later, the DIG has more than 10,000 members and is the most important civil-society organization for German-Israeli exchange. On Tuesday, it marked its anniversary at Berlin’s Red City Hall (Rotes Rathaus), the seat of the city’s Governing Mayor.
Volker Beck, its president since 2022, has played a key role in raising the DIG’s profile. Especially since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, the former Green Party member of the Bundestag, Germany’s federal parliament, has been a sought-after voice on television and radio, explaining and defending the Jewish state. This has made him a polarizing figure for many. Beck has been the target not only of frequent hostility but also of a foiled assassination plot, allegedly commissioned by Iran.
In an interview with The Bilateral Briefing, Beck talks about how the office has changed him, what he hopes for the DIG in the coming years and why he repeatedly criticizes the Israeli government as well. He leaves open whether he will run for president again at the DIG’s general assembly in Nuremberg in mid-November. “I would be glad,” Beck reveals, however, “if I find someone to whom I can pass the baton with a clear conscience.”
The Bilateral Briefing: Mr. Beck, how would you describe the state of the DIG 60 years after its founding?
Volker Beck: We are more broadly and deeply rooted in society than ever before in our history. There are 60 local DIG chapters across the country, and this year we broke the 10,000-member barrier. When I became DIG president more than four years ago, we had around 6,000. This growth reflects the fact that after October 7, 2023, and what then happened in Germany, many people wanted to show through a DIG membership that they stand by Israel and oppose all forms of antisemitism.
While the DIG has grown, Israel has lost sympathy among Germans overall. How do you explain these opposing trends?
Since October 7, Israel has become an even more controversial topic in Germany than it already was. Those who disagree with the anti-Zionist mood were all the more motivated to join the DIG, which is seen as a counterweight to this populism.
“I was never a supporter of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and I was even more uneasy about his current coalition partners.” – Volker Beck
The DIG’s anniversary celebration took place at Berlin’s Red City Hall, and the top tier of German politics sent its congratulations. Chancellor Friedrich Merz sent greetings via video message, and Bundestag President Julia Klöckner said she had joined the DIG herself a while ago. That sounds as if the DIG is pushing at an open door in politics. Is that the case?
No, not quite. On our core concern, there is certainly broad agreement with the democratic parties. But in the details, we have had our differences with the current chancellor – for example, when he imposed a temporary arms embargo on Israel in August 2025. I understood it as a foreign-policy maneuver by the chancellor, more precisely one motivated by European politics, but I thought the decision was fundamentally wrong and lacking in solidarity with Israel. You don’t refuse spare parts for weapons you once supplied yourself when your contractual partner is attacked.
Are you and the DIG perceived as troublemakers in Berlin?
I would say we are more in the spotlight because, with the wars in the Middle East in recent years, someone was repeatedly needed to explain Israeli policy and Israel’s actions to the public. We are under considerable pressure there. Almost all the panel discussions on radio or television were stacked three to one rather than evenly balanced. Time and again, people try to turn you into an advocate of the current Israeli governing coalition just because you argue for Israel’s existence and its right to self-defense. That sometimes felt a bit strange to me, because I was never a supporter of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and I was even more uneasy about his current coalition partners.
Did you ever feel uncomfortable being pushed into this role?
“Comfort” is not an appropriate category in this context. Anyone with a heart feels uncomfortable with these wars and with what is happening in Gaza and Lebanon. These are not debates one enjoys having. But I have always been at peace with myself. I don’t have to defend anything I can’t stand behind. And there are things I openly criticize: for instance, the judicial reform the Netanyahu government was already pursuing before October 7, which would undermine Israel’s rule of law. The DIG has also repeatedly and clearly criticized the expansion of Israeli settlements and the growing violence in the West Bank. Here, the Israeli state must enforce its monopoly on the use of force more vigorously.
What does it mean to you to be a friend of Israel in these times?
It means supporting Israel’s existence and security and being a friend to those Israelis you feel close to. It also means voicing criticism when something goes wrong in Israeli politics. Traditionally, the DIG does not interfere in Israeli domestic politics. But where Israel’s identity as a democratic and Jewish state is at stake, we speak up when there is something to criticize.
“To reach the young generation, we need to be even more present on social media. We need a new way of addressing people.” – Volker Beck
You have been in office for four years and have been the target of much hostility and even an assassination plot by the Iranian regime. How has that changed you?
I have become a bit tougher. When you are attacked like that, you only have two options: back down or stand firm. And if you stand firm, you have to hold yourself together emotionally even more. But the very concrete plan to murder me was a new dimension. I’m good at repressing things, but my husband suffers greatly from it. And I don’t like to portray myself as a victim, which is why I’m reluctant to talk publicly about the concrete consequences for me. Since the arrest of the main suspect and his accomplice, who according to the court spied on behalf of the Iranian regime, things have calmed down somewhat. It’s good that they have now been sentenced to several years in prison – that takes them out of circulation for a while. Still, I’m not relaxed. Iran has lost two tools, not its intentions.
The DIG will elect a new executive board at its general assembly in mid-November. Will you run for president again?
I would be glad if I find someone to whom I can pass the baton with a clear conscience – not because of the threat situation, but simply because I have gotten older. After all, I also work for the Tikvah Institute [a Berlin think tank focusing on antisemitism and Jewish life – Ed.], and the older you get, the more you should hand off tasks and focus.
How should the DIG – with or without you at the helm – develop in the coming years?
The DIG has to become younger and more female. We have a clear preponderance of men of my generation and older. I want to keep all of them, but I would like more members with other sociodemographic backgrounds to join – and above all to take on responsibility, both on the executive board and locally. We also need to make better use of the expertise we have within the organization. That requires new formats for being active in the DIG. To reach the young generation, we also need to be even more present on social media. We need a new way of addressing people: While for my generation the reference to Germany’s historical responsibility toward Israel was often motivation enough to get involved in the DIG, National Socialism lies far in the past for young people. That is why it is important to connect Israel more strongly with future-oriented topics such as diversity and technological innovation. These are some of the tasks the DIG faces in the next 60 years.