© via Netzwerk Israel
In July 2025, Mikhail Epshteyn was a guest at the European Janusz Korczak Academy (EJKA) in Munich and Berlin. The aim of his visit was to gain insights into the work of the EJKA and to establish new partnerships for educational projects.
Mikhail is co-founder of the Israeli non-governmental organization “Together” – Institute for Educational Initiatives, which is currently still in the process of being established. The exchange with the directors of the EJKA was therefore particularly influential for Mikhail. In intensive discussions, he was able to learn about the central structures and program areas of a well-established educational institution, providing valuable input for the further development of his own organization in Israel.
The exchange with the EJKA was particularly fruitful because both organizations pursue similar thematic priorities: educational work to strengthen Jewish self-identification, and the development of educational programs to promote democracy, tolerance, and intercultural dialogue.
The intensive exchange not only gave rise to new ideas, but also to the first joint projects: Mikhail and his team will participate in the AI project “Ask Korczak,” which aims to make the ideas and texts of the well-known Jewish-Polish educator Janusz Korczak accessible with the help of GPT technology.
Mikhail also developed an online course on the “Pedagogy of Respect” – from the content structure to the communication strategy. The project is now being implemented and shows how an exchange – such as the one between Mikhail and EJKA – can give rise to German-Israeli educational initiatives.
The opportunity to network with other civil society actors, such as the youth education center J-ArtEck, the Lyzeum 2, and the Intercultural Center Schalasch, has also led to many new joint project ideas and collaborations. Inspired by the J-ArtEck summer camp, the idea for the “Pedagogical Dacha” project was born, which is to be created in Israel as a creative retreat and learning center for educators, teachers, and instructors.
With the grant, the network was able to create the framework and support for strengthening German-Israeli partnerships and projects.
Mikhail himself sums it up as follows: “I consider this exchange to be very enriching and productive – both for me personally and for our organization. I had the opportunity to learn about the workings of non-profit organizations in detail, to share my experiences with colleagues, and to present our own approaches. Concrete implementation steps have already been developed for some projects.”
