Childhood in Israel, Life in Germany w/ Tomer Dotan-Dreyfus

Feb 18, 2026

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Mad in Germany - Tomer Dotan-Dreyfus: Childhood in Israel, Life in Germany

Berlin-based Israeli author Tomer Dotan-Dreyfus talks about his new book Keinheimisch. Kindheit in Israel, Leben in Deutschland, the impossibility of feeling indigenous after October 7, and about living in a country that believes in its own redemption as a completed project.

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CREDITS
Mad in Germany
Host: James Jackson
Guest: Tomer Dotan-Dreyfus
Editor: Luardo Eduardo Gamero
Producer: Lya Cuellar

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TIMESTAMPS
00:00:00 Introduction: Keinheimisch, the impossibility of feeling indigenous in Israel after October 7
00:01:45 Facing the past: Dealing with war crimes within family history
00:07:44 No Wiedergutmachung: The treatment of Holocaust survivors in Israel
00:14:01 Silent roots: Growing up in Israel
00:16:28 Undigenous: A theoretical twist to indigeneity
00:23:23 Diaspora: Fighting antisemitism here and everywhere
00:27:12 Jewish "Community" in Germany
00:31:46 Redemption: Are Germans good now?
00:41:33 Ordnung muss sein: Beating protesters in the name of law and order
00:43:35 Conversion in Germany: What DID you experience?
00:53:54 Erradicating antisemitism: Bad faith actors turn the conversation antisemitic
00:59:39 A teller of uncomfortable truths: Being a "controversial" writer in Germany

ABOUT TOMER DOTAN-DREYFUS
Tomer Dotan-Dreyfus grew up in Haifa, Israel, and has been living in Berlin as an author and translator since 2011. He writes regularly about Israel and Palestine as well as antisemitism in Germany. His articles appear in publications such as Süddeutsche Zeitung, taz, and Berliner Zeitung. His first novel, Birobidschan (Voland & Quist), was longlisted for the 2023 German Book Prize.

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