In memory of our association’s founder Dr. Jürgen Mulert, we are excited to award the Mulert Award 2024 to Kiril Pavel Denisov, 2019 Fulbright Diversity Program Alumnus from Heidelberg. Kiril was honored with the Mulert Award for his long-standing dedication to fostering mutual understanding as an ambassador for “Schalom und Salam”, an educational and encounter project in Germany. The project’s objective is to reduce antisemitism and anti-Muslim racism and to create an inclusive and peaceful society. In the following, Kiril offers some context and content from his important work.
Since October 7th 2023, a diverse group of people are affected by the horrific events that happened and the following terrible war. Moreover, Muslim and Jewish communities around the world had to face rising hatred towards them. According to the recent report of the German Federal Criminal Police Office in 2023, antisemitic hate crimes rose by 95.53% and islamophobic ones by 140%. Many individuals from the previously mentioned communities feel increasingly isolated and played off against each other by radical voices. Seeking like-minded people, willing to reflect their own biases and ready to engage with the pain of others, became progressively difficult.
Fortunately for me, in 2021 I was introduced to “Schalom und Salam” (Peace in Hebrew and Arabic). This project was founded in 2020 as part of Kubus e. V. thanks to the “Demokratie leben!” funding program of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs. Since then, our aim became to enable an egalitarian exchange of ideas and joint learning from and with each other through authentic encounters and pluralistic education. In this way, we intend to confront prejudices in ourselves and others. Thereby, in the long term, reducing discrimination on a personal and structural level in addition to creating inclusive spaces in which both critical and empathetic thinking is supported, commonalities are discovered and diversity is appreciated.
These guiding principles are exemplified by the long-standing leadership of this project: Anat Ivgi, Ahmad Al Saadi and Veronica Sartore. It was precisely these three mentschen, according to the Yiddish meaning of the word, i.e. noble people, who warmly welcomed and comprehensively instructed me almost three years ago. With their different professional and personal backgrounds, they manage to create spaces in which individuals from marginalized groups, as well as our allies in Germany, have a prolific place where we can share our own experiences and gain insights into other lived realities. Opportunities for these moments of discovery are possible by participating in a variety of “Schalom und Salam” events. For example, during our celebrations of holidays in cooperation with representatives of the different religious groups.
We are regionally anchored in Baden-Württemberg, with most activities taking place in Stuttgart. However, we also regularly have people joining us from other parts of Germany. Moreover, our project undertakes annual educational trips to places like Munich, Andalusia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The latter ones I was keenly involved in planning, especially since I became a member of the project’s staff in April 2024.
My introduction to the project, however, happened in the fall of 2021 during our annual ambassador training. It is an event for young Jews, Muslims, and people who are simply interested in our topics, where they can meet, interact and learn together. This enables a change of perspective and intercultural sensitization, especially but not exclusively as and for marginalized minorities in Germany. For this purpose, the participants have the opportunity to engage with a variety of Muslim and Jewish cultural heritages and religious movements, learn about antisemitism and (anti-Muslim) racism, as well as receiving methods for educational work on these topics. One defining element of our project is to consider both the differences but also the interconnectedness of these group-related animosities, thus discovering the shared threats for both Muslims and Jews in Germany.
This has been particular relevant in sight of the rise of far-right parties all over the world, not unconnected to the previously mentioned polarization since the war in the Middle East began. We are aware of its impact on people who feel a certain connection to the region, however, we do not set ourselves the goal of attempting to formulate a uniform solution. Instead, our intention is to jointly discover opportunities for Muslim-Jewish cooperation in Germany and to promote social harmony locally and regionally. We try to build bridges between communities and educational institutions, as well as raising awareness about the complexity of the conflict through empathic exchanges of perspectives. For example, during our “Open Space” events, where people with different backgrounds can share the emotional effect the ongoing tragedy has on them, how they deal with it and what they need for a sustainable interfaith/ -cultural dialogue. The basic consensus for our events is clearly defined: We reject and do not glorify any form of violence against Palestinians and Israelis. We recognize the right of both peoples to live in sovereignty, security, and dignity and do not question this under any circumstances.
Hillel, one of the most famous Jewish scholars, said the following almost 2,000 years ago: “If I am not for myself, who will be? And if I am only for myself, what am ‘I’? And if not now, then when?”
Our project has been trying for some time, but even more so now, to broaden the horizons of possibilities for people affected by discrimination. By giving them the educational means and personal insights into different lived realities. Thus, being properly equipped to confront the currently growing radicalization. So that one day we can hopefully all wake up to a society in which equity is not a distant dream and diversity is not seen as a threat, but as a gift. A society that sees the protection of human dignity, personals freedoms, the undisturbed practice of religion, physical integrity and equal rights, especially for historically vulnerable groups of people, not just as an abstract ideal. But as a vital necessity for a vigorous democracy, which therefore has to be actively realized and collectively defended. To this end, we are not afraid to actively look at the deep wounds caused by many years of inadequately opposed racism and antisemitism. Without vigilant engagement, joint preventative and proactive action against group-based misanthropy, we risk irreversible effects on the health of our society. For the growing threats that endanger our pluralistic democracy, there is no alternative to sustainable cooperation between marginalized groups of people such as Muslims, Jews, and our allies.
That is why projects like “Schalom und Salam” are important. They are not miracle cures, but contribute to a strengthened social immunity against extremism. Unfortunately, our funding period, which is limited to 5 years, ends this year in December. However, we have several exciting events still planned for 2024. In September, our festival against racism and antisemitism will take place in Stuttgart, with an art exhibition, fascinating workshops, panel talks and many wonderful musical artists. Then, in November, we’ll conduct our concluding ambassador training, where we will offer educational deep dives into the plethora of terms and narratives that are currently circulating related to anti-Muslim racism and antisemitism. We would therefore be delighted to receive any further support. Be it in the form of generous donations, which would finance additional events this year, notable promotion of and / or hearty participation in our events.
If you’d like to stay informed about our past and future activities, I recommend following @schalomundsalam on Instagram and Facebook. For any inquiries, you can contact us via email to schalomundsalam@kubusev.org
I would like to conclude with the words of one of the most important Muslim scholars, Rumi: “Listen with the ears of tolerance. See with the eyes of compassion. Speak the language of love.”
Sincerely,
Kiril Denisov
Biography
Kiril Pavel Denisov, born 1999 in Riga (Latvia) came with his family as Jewish-Quota-Refugees (jüdische Kontingentflüchtlinge) to Germany in 2001 and grew up in Mannheim. He is a 2019 Fulbright Diversity Program Alumnus. Currently, Kiril pursues a Master of Education in Political Science and Russian Studies at the University of Heidelberg, focusing on how Jewish authors addressed antisemitism in the 20th century. Since completing the ambassador apprenticeship for “Schalom and Salam” in 2021, Kiril has been an active participant in and organizer of a variety of events. Moreover, Kiril represented “Schalom und Salam” at panel discussions and as a workshop instructor for youths and adults. Since April 2024, Kiril officially became a member of the project’s staff. Additionally, he’s an active member of the Jewish student unions of Baden, Württemberg (BJSB & JSUW) as well as of BIPoC+ Feminismen* Tübingen (a safe/r space and educational collective for BIPoC and Jews). Besides his recent employment, Kiril continues conducting seminars as a freelancer in historical-political education, specializing in interfaith dialogue, anti-discrimination (particularly racism and antisemitism), Jewish history, disinformation and conspiracy stories.
