It was our great honor to celebrate the awarding of the Shimon Peres Prize in Israel for the first time this year. The 8th Shimon Peres Prize not only served as a symbol of solidarity and unity, but also commemorated the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Israel and Germany. The ceremony took place in Tel Aviv-Yafo on December 7, 2025, at the Peres Center for Peace & Innovation, which was founded by Shimon Peres, in 1996.

The 2025 Shimon Peres Prize was awarded to the art and theater project Creative Partnership for Inclusion and the initiative Time out for Emergency Response Teams from Israel, whose impressive commitment convinced the jury. Two dialogue formats were also given special recognition: the discussion series Voices from Gaza and Israel and Zikaron BaSalon Germany, in which first- and second-generation Holocaust survivors share their stories.

Elke Büdenbender, former judge and wife of Federal President Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and Brigitte Zypries, former minister and chair of the board of trustees of the German-Israeli Future Forum, presented the awards and praised the commitment of the recipients, whose projects promote understanding, dialogue, and empathy.

The moving event, moderated by jury members Tamar Hay-Sagiv and Pola Sarah Nathusius, sent an important message of humanity, resilience, and hope.

This message was also conveyed by the Tamari Project, which provided the musical accompaniment for the evening. The Tamari Project was founded to preserve the memory of the musician and activist Tamar Kedem Siman Tov. As head of the "Bikurim Youth Village" initiative, she and Sagui Dekel Chen dedicated themselves to the artistic education of underprivileged young people. Tamar, her partner Johnny, and their three children, Shahar, Arbel, and Omer, were murdered by Hamas in the attack on Kibbutz Nir Oz, on October 7, 2023. Her former music students have continued Tamar's vision through the Tamari Project, keeping her memory alive. It was a great honor for us that Tamar's relatives, as well as family members of October 7 hostages, also attended the award ceremony.

The significance of Tamar's work was emphasized by Dr. Tamara Or, Director of the German-Israeli Future Forum, in her speech: “Tamar's message was: ‘Shaping a future together.’ This very message is at the heart of our annual Shimon Peres Prize celebrations. We celebrate with the prize winners, but not only with them. We also celebrate the fact that together we can shape a different, a better future.”

The linguist and daughter of Shimon Peres, Professor Tsvia Walden, highlighted the historical context of this year's award ceremony: “It is taking place at a very significant moment in Israeli-German relations, which simultaneously represents a universal example of the possibility of reconciliation and, even more so, of respectful and creative cooperation.”

German-Israeli relations were also the focus of a panel discussion with Ambassador Steffen Seibert, Elke Büdenbender, journalist and Sylke Tempel Fellow David Issacharoff, and researcher Dr. Noa Fauser-Swisa. They emphasized the importance of fostering and expanding human connections and opportunities for cooperation between Israel and Germany, and of never losing hope for a better, more peaceful, and more just tomorrow.

We thank all the guests who spent this moving and significant evening with us, and all those who, together with us, are committed to strong German-Israeli civil society relations.


The program can be found here.