Meron Mendel

His specialty is building bridges — between cultures, and especially between Israelis and Palestinians and with people of Arab descent. After 25 years living in Germany, the Israeli-German historian and educator Meron Mendel certainly has the expertise to explain Germany to his Israeli friends and vice versa. It is not an easy task, and those who try to mediate are often met with harsh criticism by those they are trying to build bridges between. But Mendel has not given up, as evidenced by his many years of commitment as director of the Anne Frank Educational Center in Frankfurt am Main. Together with his wife Saba-Nur Sheema, whose work is focused on efforts to prevent extremist influences on young people, he publishes columns in the German media. Both have received several awards for their commitment, including the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.