Dialogue Forum on the Austria–Israel Schools Partnership

Vienna, 20 May 2026 – A dialogue forum on “Austria–Israel Schools Partnership” took place today at the Palais Epstein.

Opening and political context

Second President of the National Council Peter Haubner welcomed pupils, teachers and school directors to the dialogue forum and emphasised that international schools partnerships facilitate personal encounters, open up new perspectives and demonstrate what it means today to learn from history.

Following the opening remarks by Judith Pfeffer, Managing Director of the National Fund, Jakob Calice (Head of the OeAD), Hannah Lessing (Managing Director of the National Fund) and Barbara Schrotter (Head of Department at the Ministry of Education) discussed the central question: “Why enter into a schools partnership with Israel?”. The discussion was moderated by Julia Mayr.

Elizaveta Firsova-Eckert, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for the Didactics of Democracy at Leibniz University Hannover, then delivered a keynote speech on the theme “Experiences that last – the impact of German-Israeli school and youth exchanges”, followed by a Q&A session with the audience.

Focus on practical exchange of experiences

• For teachers and school directors

Bianca Kämpf from the Documentation Centre of the Austrian Resistance (DÖW) and Axel Schacht from erinnern.at first spoke on “Antisemitism – A societal challenge and educational action”. Simon Dirksen (German Educational Exchange Service, School Partnerships Israel) and Marie-Kristin Mandl (Erasmus+ School Education) then provided valuable insights into the “exchange of experiences in international school partnerships”.

• For pupils and teachers

In a parallel part of the programme, teacher and author Martina Pfistermüller-Czar presented teaching materials for preparing a school exchange with Israel.

A film provided an insight into the experiences of two German schoolgirls on their school exchange with Israel.

Panel discussion: Building bridges

Under the title “From curiosity to connection: school partnerships as a bridge to understanding and friendship”, a panel of experts moderated by Julia Mayr discussed opportunities, expectations and experiences regarding school partnerships:

• Simon Dirksen (German Educational Exchange Service)
• Robert Donner (Headteacher of the pilot school GRG 13 Wenzgasse)
• Beatrice Kricheli (Chair of the Youth and Sports Commission of the Jewish Community Vienna and Project Manager of LIKRAT Austria)
• Daniela Lackner (teacher and network coordinator at erinnern.at Vienna)
• Lea Lamedschwandner (pupil at the pilot school GRG 23)

To conclude, Hannah Lessing, Judith Pfeffer, Barbara Schrotter and Michaela Poppe, Head of the Education and Society Department at OeAD, summarised the day’s findings and looked ahead to the next steps of the project.

A historical finale

Afterwards, participants had the opportunity to take part in a guided tour of Vienna’s 2^nd District. This was organised by Veronika Maierl and Likrat and accompanied by the OeAD.

Background to the programme

Supporting international exchange programmes for young people has counted among the National Fund’s tasks since 2024. This educational initiative combines intercultural learning with historical responsibility, active awareness-raising and a thorough examination of antisemitism.

In cooperation with the Federal Ministry of Education and the OeAD – Austria’s Agency for Education and Internationalisation – a school exchange programme is currently being established between Austria and Israel. The programme supports encounters between young people from both countries, provides insights into the society, history and present-day life of each country, and raises awareness of Jewish life as well as current forms of antisemitism.