Ep. 4: The Human Reality: Palestinian Experiences in Germany since October 7 (Alena Jabarine – Author & Journalist, Hamburg)

Guest: Alena Jabarine, Journalist and Author Hosts: Philip & Efe Bio: Alena Jabarine, born in 1985 in Hamburg, is a German-Palestinian journalist, author, and Middle East expert. She studied Political Science in Hamburg and earned a Master’s in International Relations in Barcelona. After a traineeship at NDR, she worked as a radio and TV reporter and contributed to NDR Info, STRG_F, Panorama 3, Monitor, StudioM, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Die Zeit, and Spotify Originals. She has received multiple awards, including the Kurt-Magnus-Preis (2016), MedienSpiegel (2016), Juliane-Bartel-Medienpreis (2018), and the Grimme Online Award (2021). From 2020-2022 she lived in Ramallah, reporting on everyday life and politics for the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung. Since 2024, she has curated Gaza Talks at the Berliner Ensemble. In May 2025, her autobiographical book Der letzte Himmel. Meine Suche nach Palästina became a Spiegel bestseller, establishing her as one of the most prominent Palestinian voices in Germany today. In this episode: Alena Jabarine shares her personal experiences as a Palestinian in Germany after October 7, reflecting on the impact of the attacks on her family in Israel and on the West Bank. She discusses how the events have shaped the lives of Palestinians in Germany, including experiences of discrimination, tensions in schools and workplaces, and media representation. She also reflects on pro-Palestinian protests, freedom of expression, and the role of German society, politics, and schools in responding to these developments. This episode was recorded on July 8, 2025. Links: Jabarine, Alena. Der letzte Himmel: Meine Suche nach Palästina [The Last Sky. My Quest for Palestine]. Ullstein Verlag, 2025. https://www.ullstein.de/urheberinnen/alena-jabarine The Title of the Book is a reference to: Darwish, Mahmoud. “The Earth Is Closing On Us.” Translated by Abdullah al‑Udhari, in Victims of a Map: A Bilingual Anthology of Arabic Poetry. Ed. Adonis, Samih al‑Qasim, and Mahmoud Darwish. London: Saqi Books, 1984, pp. 12‑13. Disclaimer: Guest opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the podcast team. Technical legal terms are explained in Episode 36 with Prof. Claus Kreß; contested histories are addressed by Prof. Gudrun Krämer in Episode 21.