ynetglobal
Weeklong visit by 160 young German leaders, including Muslims and left-wing activists, aims to reshape how their generation understands Israel *** One hundred sixty young German leaders arrived in Israel this week for an intensive political, cultural and human-rights program aimed at reshaping how a new generation in Germany understands Israel beyond social media snapshots. The delegation landed on a chartered plane painted in bright colors to mark 60 years of diplomatic relations between the countries. But Israeli officials said the real purpose of the initiative, known as the Plane Project, is to close a widening knowledge gap among young Germans who often encounter Israel only through the lens of war and conflict on TikTok and other platforms. Israeli Ambassador to Germany Ron Prosor, who accompanied the group, said many young Germans lack even basic awareness of modern Israel or the history that shaped it. “There is an alarming amount of ignorance,” he told ynet, noting that large segments of the younger generation do not know what the Holocaust was. “People assume everyone understands the region, the neighbors, the fact that Israel is a democracy and a multicultural state, but they do not. What they have seen in the last two years is Israel only through the prism of war. It deeply concerns us.” The Ministry of Foreign Affairs organized and funded the delegation and said it is part of an unprecedented wave of hundreds of similar visits this year, bringing influencers and emerging leaders to Israel as a strategic tool in the information struggle faced by the country.