American Council on Germany

The American Council on Germany congratulates U.S. President Joseph Biden for receiving the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany today in a ceremony with Germany's Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Berlin. President Biden has been a committed transatlanticist for his entire political career.

The U.S.-German partnership remains strong with mutual commitments to address security, economic, climate, and social issues, and much more, that are vitally important to our societies. https://lnkd.in/etP-9JCH

The American Council on Germany is pleased to announce a new three-year partnership agreement with the Pennsylvania School Boards Association and the Ministry of Schools and Education of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (Ministerium für Schule und Bildung des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen) which was signed during a recent visit of an education delegation from North Rhine-Westphalia to Liberty High School in Bethlehem, PA as part of the NRW-USA Year. The goal of the initiative is to expand and deepen the exchange of people and information between these "sister states" in order to share best practices, build relationships, and develop recommendations for approaches and strategies to support education leaders seeking to strengthen the educational success of students in their school districts in Pennsylvania and North-Rhine Westphalia. A core element of the partnership will be educational study tours in each country similar to the program the ACG coordinated for PA educators in April of this year: https://lnkd.in/ek9EW3TQ Staatskanzlei des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung Embassy of Germany in Washington, D.C. US-Botschaft US Consulate General Duesseldorf German Consulate General New York Nathan Mains Britta Barrickman,Ed.D,CCP Barbara Richter

Freedom in Western societies is often celebrated as a fundamental value, but its application has historically been marked by significant limitations and exclusions. Join 1014 and the American Council on Germany for a trans-Atlantic discussion between Aziz Rana, author and Professor of Law and Government at Boston College, and Prof. Dr. Dr. Alexander Görlach, expert on liberal democracies and Adjunct Professor at NYU, on how freedom and democracy have been unevenly applied throughout history and how those patterns continue to shape contemporary society. Register: https://lnkd.in/eU9M9dBh

This morning, the American Council on Germany hosted a discussion with #antisemitism expert Sharon S. Nazarian Ph.D., the President of the Y&S Nazarian Family Foundation. Since the shocking attacks in Israel on #October7 antisemitism has been on the rise globally. During the discussion, she explored how the rise in antisemitism can be seen as an indicator of the waning health of #democracy. https://lnkd.in/e_jfhKrr

Yesterday, we kicked-off our new project, the German-American Semiconductor Cities Network, with a virtual roundtable discussion to introduce each of the four participating cities and regions - Landeshauptstadt Magdeburg, Landeshauptstadt Dresden, City of Chandler, Arizona, City of Columbus, and New Albany, Ohio - and the representatives from the cities in the network. In addition to monthly virtual roundtables, the participants in the network will participate in two immersive study tours to visit each of the cities to learn about ways they can address the social, economic, and structural impacts of semiconductor investments in their communities. The first program takes place from October 20 to October 26 in Arizona and Ohio. Stay tuned for updates from their experiences! The German-American Semiconductor Cities Network is implemented by the American Council on Germany and funded by the Transatlantic Program of the Federal Republic of Germany with funds from the European Recovery Program (ERP) of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK). More information is available on the ACG's website: https://lnkd.in/eeCv4GKU Robert Fenstermacher Sandra Yvonne Stieger Micah Miranda Michael A. Schadek Joseph Stefanov Steffen Rietzschel Neil Calfee, MBA Kevin Hartke John Knudson Karla Teixeira Moran Kristen Knudsen Atha Alex Klosterman Erin Prosser Devayani Puranik Almar W. Frank Bösenberg Kerstin Zimmermann Annett Lorenz-Kürbis Tobias Kutzler Christian Psoch Prof. Dr. Susanne Schmidt Karolina Shlyapin Steven E Sokol MAGDEBURG INVEST

Earlier this month, the American Council on Germany’s Study Tour on Social Cohesion met in Atlanta and Denver for meetings on social change in response to pressing socio-economic issues. Ten Americans and ten Germans explored how U.S. cities address challenges such as #immigration, #housing, #education, and mental health. The discussions also touched on recent electoral events and concerns about the future of democracy and civil rights in both nations. During their time in #Atlanta, participants engaged with local leaders and organizations, including discussions on #votingrights and community initiatives to enhance equity and inclusion. The cohort visited various cultural and social hubs, including the Peters Street Station and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, reflecting on historical struggles and contemporary challenges. Their journey continued in #Denver, where they learned about local initiatives addressing refugee resettlement and Indigenous rights. Overall, the tour emphasized the shared challenges faced by communities across the Atlantic and highlighted the commitment of individuals striving for positive change. Raze Baziani, Dr. Stefan Bege. Hanna-Sophie Bollmann, Destine Brown, Richard Brown M.A., Larquana Bryan, De'Omini Daniely, Konstantin Heinze, Carole Huell, Linda Kelmendi, Mattis Körber, Julissa Martinez, Afua Owusu, Jana Pfenning, David Ramsey, Eric Schleich, Mia S., Lukas Verhuelsdonk, Maria Willett, Kathleen Yellin, Robin Cammarota https://lnkd.in/ezynMGrG

The ACG was pleased to host Sharon S. Nazarian Ph.D., the inaugural Gahl Hodges Burt Scholar at The American Academy in Berlin, for a series of talks on "How Can International Cooperation Strengthen Democracy and Combat Antisemitism in Germany and the United States?” with business leaders, students, and the German-American community in the ACG Warburg Chapters of Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Charlotte, and Phoenix and in our office in New York. Speaking in New York, Dr. Nazarian praised Germany as a model democracy for us to look to but even with strong laws against antisemitism, enforcement is often weak. In both Germany and the United States, she stressed that we must recognize that we can't legislate our way out of antisemitism, rather it must be a whole of society approach. Thanks to our many partners for helping support Dr. Nazarian's program! They include 1014 - space for ideas, Jewish Federation of Cleveland, Anti-Defamation League Cleveland, Rekindle, Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte, Levine Jewish Community Center Global Ties Arizona, Phoenix Committee on Foreign Relations (PCFR), the Honorary Consul of Germany, Arizona (Carolin Gey), German American Chamber of Commerce, Pittsburgh Chapter, Classrooms Without Borders, the Honorary Consul of Germany, Pittsburgh (Paul Overby), and many more (Albert E. Guarnieri, Bruce Clark, bernard otremba-blanc, Matthew Fieldman)...

Last week, the City of Atlanta welcomed the 2024 American Council on Germany Study Tour on Social Cohesion. The meeting was truly a highlight of the week-long program.

The American Council on Germany, together with the support of the Landeshauptstadt Magdeburg, Germany, is pleased to launch the German-American Semiconductor Cities Network with the aim to jointly tackle the opportunities and challenges of the global semiconductor industry and drive innovation in communities on both sides of the Atlantic. Through the project, cities in Germany and the United States where semiconductor companies have made, or will make, significant investments are connected with each other. The network will regularly exchange ideas and experiences on topics such as sustainable project development, urban development, education and workforce issues, a welcoming culture, and building a sustainable semiconductor ecosystem. The first participating cities include Magdeburg and Dresden in Germany as well as Chandler (Arizona) and Columbus/New Albany (Ohio) in the United States. More cities will be added in the second and third years of the initiative. The ACG looks forward to working together with its city partners and to building this important transatlantic network! More information can be found at https://lnkd.in/eeCv4GKU. The German-American Semiconductor Cities Network is implemented by the American Council on Germany and funded by the Transatlantic Program of the Federal Republic of Germany with funds from the European Recovery Program (ERP) of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK). Landeshauptstadt Dresden City of Chandler, Arizona City of Columbus New Albany, Ohio Embassy of Germany in Washington, D.C. US-Botschaft German Consulate General Los Angeles Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany Chicago Robert Fenstermacher Sandra Yvonne Stieger Micah Miranda Michael A. Schadek Joseph Stefanov Steffen Rietzschel