Sending out a message with peace demos

It all began with a post on Instagram. Following the terrorist attack carried out by the radical Islamist Hamas group on 7 October and Israel’s counteroffensive in the Gaza Strip, Zeynep Karaosman and Kristina Bublevskaya wrote a long statement. The two young women from Cologne - one of Palestinian and the other of Jewish descent - wanted to send out a signal for peace and dialogue with their Palestinians and Jews for Peace initiative. “We are here to demonstrate that there is another way, and that violence and repression are not alternatives to dialogue. Neither here, nor in Israel and Palestine,” is their group’s credo. They posted their first call for a demonstration on 15 October: “We are with humans, not with flags, not with nations and not with war. We believe in the power of dialogue rather than violence.”

The call on Instagram struck a chord with many people. “I saw the message and replied immediately,” recalls Nadine Migesel. The 28-year-old wrote back: “Hi, I’m German-Palestinian and would like to get involved.” Israel is the home country of the freelance tattoo artist’s Palestinian father. She herself has lived for a while in Haifa and Tel Aviv and has many family members and Jewish and Palestinian friends who live there. Alongside Karaosman and Bublevskaya, Migesel is one of the founders of the Palestinians and Jews for Peace group.

The initiative already organised two demonstrations in Cologne in 2023. Around 500 people joined the first at the end of October, while the second in mid-November already attracted 3,000. The organisers made it very clear in advance what they did not want to see: “Please leave your flags at home and instead, as a sign of respect for the people who have been murdered and are still being murdered, bring candles and flowers with you.” The fact that they receive hostile reactions from all kinds of people, especially online, does not deter the women from broadcasting their conciliatory message. They want to make a stand.

At the demonstration in November, Swetlana Nowoshenowa also took the mic and told her story: As Jewish refugees, the 32-year-old and her family already came to Germany from Ukraine several years ago. These days, the sociologist educates people about political and religious radicalisation and also works part-time as an inclusion assistant at a school. Following the terrorist attack in October, she scaled back a lot of her personal and professional activities so that she could devote herself more fully to Palestinians and Jews for Peace. The fact that the organisers are so closely united in their stance gives her strength. She explains that although they hadn’t known each other beforehand, their intensive collaboration had quickly given rise to great trust in each other. “We support each other when we are sad or exhausted.”

The Cologne-based initiative is now known all over Germany. In the media or during panel discussions, the organisers report on their experiences as Jewish and Palestinian women in Germany. They have also begun advising groups in other German cities. “Over the past few months, our demonstrations have kept us busy round the clock,” says Nadine Migesel. “Only now are we getting round to positioning ourselves more broadly.” The initiative now has some 10,000 followers on Instagram.