Germany understands we are fighting for our survival, says German-Israeli singer

For the Israeli-German singer and song-writer Sabina, as for everyone else in Israel, the past few months have been horrifying.

“What happened on October 7 shocked me and changed my perspective,” she shared on stage during “Joint Perspectives – A German-Israeli Summit.”

The summit, which took place in Berlin on Wednesday, was organized by The Jerusalem Post and the German newspaper WELT, which is part of the Axel Springer media group, to send a message of closeness and solidarity between the two nations.

During the interview, Sabina, born in Germany, shared her experience growing up there, discussing how her European and Jewish identities intersect.

“I wanted to be just like any other child, but being the daughter of a Holocaust survivor and the granddaughter of Holocaust victims made me different. I felt I was constantly carrying a burden and I lost the magic of a normal childhood. I often felt like a stranger in my own country.”

“Moving to Israel as a teenager, I experienced a cultural shock,” the artist admitted. “I was often pointed out at as a German girl, even though I made aliyah being Jewish. I always suffered from loneliness, until I found my music.”

Through music, Sabina finally found her own voice by connecting with others and expressing her feelings and identities in a universal way, blending different languages – including Hebrew, German and English – and cultural influences in her songs.

In all those years, Sabina had mixed feelings about her German origins, but now, she is proud that Germany is so supportive of Israel.

“It is wonderful to know that in the real moment when Israel is in need, Germany is standing with her,” she said.

“There are lots of Germans who support Israel and understand that we are not fighting against the Palestinians. We are fighting for our existence,” she noted.