Bright, united and committed

We at Kulmine – and our families – have very different roots and life paths that span three continents. The values we share are based on respect and openness towards all people – regardless of origin, sexual or gender identity or lifestyle. What unites us: We all stand up for universal human rights and fight against the far right.

We are deeply worried. Authoritarianism, racism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia as well as structural inequalities and other social injustices are increasing exponentially and becoming more threatening. That’s why we want to create visibility and raise awareness – in whatever way we can.

In this article, we highlight politically active people who are remarkably committed. They inspire, inform and make complex issues accessible. Of course, we are unable to include them all, but you can take a look at who they follow to discover more insightful voices and perspectives.

Why are many of the recommended accounts about Palestine? Because German reporting is often incomplete, biased or false.

We are currently witnessing severe crimes against humanity being committed – supported or tolerated by many democratic countries. Meanwhile, the International Court of Justice is no longer taken seriously and recognised as soon as its decisions become politically inconvenient. This is an attack on human rights that affects us all. When crimes against humanity are tolerated and courts are ignored, it threatens to become the new normal – with dire consequences. The moral boundaries against violence are shifting at an alarming rate. That’s why we’re sharing some of the accounts we recommend – with the list growing all the time. Many of these people have also written books, recorded podcasts or can be found on YouTube.

Do you know of any other interesting accounts? Have you read books or listened to podcasts that we should take a look at? Then feel free to write to us! 💛

Below the group accounts, you will find a long list of other accounts that we and/or our readers recommend. We have, however, not been able to write about them yet.

Deborah Feldman

Deborah Feldman is an author who fled a segregated, ultra-orthodox Satmar community in New York and really just wanted to be a „human among humans“ in Germany. In her new home in Berlin, however, she was constantly questioned about her „Jewishness“. Her answers did not always seem to meet the expectations of the interrogators, and so she decided to write a book about the „Judenfetisch [Jewish Fetish]“. Her autobiography „Unorthodox“ was made into a film series and tells the story of her childhood, youth and escape from the ultra-orthodox Satmar community.

@deborah_feldman

Enissa Amani

Enissa Amani is a passionate comedian and activist for universal human rights as well as against racism, sexism, anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim racism. She gave speeches at Frankfurt Römerberg for Black Lives Matter in 2020 and at Woman Life Freedom in 2022 and again at Römerberg Against the Right in 2025.

„Human rights are non-negotiable. Never. For any person on this planet. No room for “buts,” no room for double standards.
You should be deeply ashamed if you don’t apply the same standards to every group, every ethnicity, to all people of this world!
Be honest and think if you would allow these numbers to another group of people.“
(Quote: Enissa Amani, April 2025)

@enissa_amani

Dr. Gabor Maté

Dr. Gabor Maté was born in Budapest in 1944 and is a Canadian physician. His Jewish family narrowly escaped deportation under German occupation and left Hungary in 1956. He is a renowned speaker, author and expert on trauma, addiction and stress. Among other plattforms, he can also be found on Youtube. He is currently active as an advocate for human rights and Palestine.

@gabormatemd

Gilda Sahebi

Gilda Sahebi is a journalist and listener. She is the author of the books „Unser Schwert ist Liebe: Die feministische Revolte im Iran [Our Sword is Love: The Feminist Revolt in Iran]“ and „Wie wir uns Rassismus beibringen. Eine Analyse deutscher Debatten [How We Teach Ourselves Racism. An analysis of German debates]“.

@gilda_sahebi

Iman

Iman is a Palestinian-German chemical engineer and is studying chemistry and management.

@imanaeq

Jasmin Shakeri

Jasmin Shakeri is a German-Iranian songwriter and actress. She is known for her music as a member of the band D.R.A.M.A., and as a songwriter. She also works as an actress, for example in the German movie “Feste Fre u nde”. She has always been a passionate and uncompromising activist and is committed to universal human rights, among other things.

@jasminshakeri

Jonas Abou-Zaher

Jonas Abou-Zaher is a Palestinian human rights activist, law student and content creator.

@younes_abou

Jouanna Hassoun

Jouanna Hassoun is an activist, author and political educator. She is part of the board of Transaidency e. V. and an ambassador for democracy and tolerance at the Federal Agency for Civic Education. In 2015, she was awarded the Order of Merit of Berlin. She is one of the authors of the book „Trialog – Wie wir über Israel und Palästina sprechen [Trialogue – How we talk about Israel and Palestine]“.

@jouannahassoun

Kristin Helberg

Kristin Helberg is a journalist, author and political scientist. She specialises in Syria, the Middle East, migration, integration and Islam. „Zeit zu reden [Time to talk]“ is a format in which you can often hear and see her on YouTube and Instagram; we recommend this too.

⁠@helbergkristin

Mehmed König

Mehmed König is the state chair of SPDqueer Berlin and deputy national chair of SPDqueer. He is also a member of the state executive of the SPD Berlin. He is a determined and passionate campaigner for human rights and stands up against discrimination.

@mehmed.koenig

Michael Barenboim

„Michael Barenboim is one of the leading violinists of his generation, performing as a soloist with the most renowned conductors and orchestras. He is also Professor at the Barenboim-Said Akademie and concertmaster of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, which was created in 1999 by his father Daniel Barenboim and Edward Said. Since early 2024, Michael has come into the spotlight mainly for speaking out about Gaza. He is also part of Make Freedom Ring, a classical musician collective that regularly organizes charity concerts for Palestine in several cities across Europe.“

The above statement about Michael was sourced from YouTube, @ReclaimTheNarratives

@michael_barenboim

Motaz Azaiza

Motaz Hilal Azaiza is a Palestinian photojournalist from Gaza. He became known around the world for his work reporting on crimes against humanity in Gaza.

@motaz_azaiza

Dr. Mithu Melanie Sanyal

Dr Mithu Melanie Sanyal is an accomplished cultural scientist, journalist and author who focuses on feminism, racism, post-colonialism and pop culture. She is the author of the novels „Identitti“ and „Antichristie [Antichristie]“ and the non-fiction books „Vulva [Vulva]“ and „Rape: The History of Crime“. As one of the really smart persons in the world, she (like all bright human beings) stands up for universal human rights.

@mithusanyal

Serin Khatib

Serin Khatib is a German-Palestinian journalist, author, speaker and blogger. She specialises in mental health, social justice, anti-racism, feminism, sustainability and diet culture.

@serintogo

Shai Hoffmann

Shai Hoffmann is an activist, moderator and Director of Gesellschaft im Wandel [Society in transformation] gGmbH. He is one of the authors of the book „Trialog – Wie wir über Israel und Palästina sprechen [Trialogue – How we talk about Israel and Palestine]“ and host of the podcast „Über Israel und Palästina sprechen [Talking about Israel and Palestine]“. In which he regularly talks to experts, teachers and educators from both affected and non-affected perspectives.

@shaihoffmann

Sonja Howard

Sonja Howard is a passionate human rights activist, both with regard to children’s rights and the Middle East. Her focus is always on individual fates that can be transferred to the failures of the entire system. She studied social politics, is the author of the book „Im Zweifel gegen das Kind [In Doubt against the Child]“ and in her next career step will represent children in family court proceedings as a guardian ad litem.

@sonjahoward

Group accounts

CORRECTIV.Faktencheck

CORRECTIV.Faktencheck [CORRECTIV.factcheck] is an independent editorial department of the non-profit research centre CORRECTIV. They campaign against disinformation on the internet and educate people on how they can protect themselves from misinformation.

@correctiv_faktencheck

Israelis for Peace

Israelis for Peace is a group of Israelis living in Germany who are critical of the occupation and call for a political solution that ensures freedom and equality for all people in Israel and Palestine.

@israelisforpeace_de

Jung & Naiv

Jung & Naiv [Young & Naive] – interviews, talks and shows about politics for the disinterested. Their goal is new political journalism for Germany. Jung & Naiv is also available in full length on YouTube and as a podcast.

@jung_naiv

Palestinians and Jews for Peace

Palestinians and Jews for Peace is a group of Palestinian, Jewish and other emancipatory friends in solidarity who are committed to a differentiated dialogue and a compassionate and respectful interaction with each other. Their aim is to show that there are many perspectives and that all people are learners who also always have to fight the battle against fascism, racism and anti-Semitism with themselves.

Their website also features a blog and an overview of „Initiatives and texts for peace in Israel, Palestine and here <3“.

@palestinians_jews_for_peace⁠

Standing Together

Standing Together is a Jewish-Arab grassroots movement that fights for peace, equality and social justice in Israel-Palestine.

@standing.together.english⁠

Trialoge

Trialoge [Trialogues] is a project that educates school children about the Israel-Palestine conflict. Initiated by Shai Hoffman and Jouanna Hassoun. Funded by „Demokratie leben! [Living Democracy!]“ from the BMFSFJ. Among other things, a treasure trove of free educational material is made available here:

„Whether at school, in youth work or in adult education – with the educational materials around the Israel-Palestine conflict, you can engage with the topic in a multi-perspective and ambiguity-tolerant way. The materials are written in simple language and offer a variety of suggestions and methods for dealing with the conflict.“

„In simple language, but not simplistic.“

@trialoge_⁠