48Ullstein bild Berlin–Tel Aviv

1959The very first edition of Nordwestdeutsche Hefte in 1946 addressed the legacy of the Nazi dictatorship and the need to confront Germany’s recent past. In the 1950s, Axel Springer supported the initiative Peace with Israel. During the 1960s, correspondents from his newspapers reported extensively on the Eichmann trial in Jerusalem and the Auschwitz trials in Germany.

Axel Springer’s first visits to Israel in 1966, and the impressions he gained there, strengthened his conviction that Germany had a special responsibility to stand alongside Israel. He expressed this commitment through his publications and public speeches, while also providing financial support to Jewish, Christian and Muslim institutions. These initial journeys were followed by many more.

In 1967, Axel Springer met Israel’s founding Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion and formulated the four Essentials that continue to guide the company today. The second Essential affirms support for reconciliation between Germans and Jews and for the right of the State of Israel to exist.

For their enduring commitment to Israel and German-Israeli relations, Axel Springer, Friede Springer and Mathias Döpfner have each received numerous honors and distinctions.