Deutsches Haus at NYU presents a screening of 08397B. Breaking the Ice, Goetz Gemeinhardt’s documentary about the 1969 trip of the German FC Bayern Hof to Israel to pursue the first match between a German and an Israeli team. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion between Goetz Gemeinhardt, director of the film, Abraham Klein, the Israeli referee who was present at the historic games, Ulrich Baer, University Professor at New York University, and moderated by Hadas Aron, a faculty fellow at the Center for European and Mediterranean Studies at NYU.
About the film:
08397B. Breaking the Ice. Directed by Götz Gemeinhardt. Germany, 2009, 34 minutes, in German with English subtitles.
In 1969, the first German sports team visited Israel: Bayern Hof FC. The journey was extraordinary not only concerning sports, but also for reasons of conciliation and understanding among the two nations. Forty years later, the documentary movie 08397B traces the way of the players through Israel. The former club president Franz Anders visits venues and meets contemporary witnesses like Mordechai Spiegler who scored Israel’s first and only world championship goal in 1970. One year before, he had also scored a goal against Bayern Hof. Abraham Klein was the referee in the first match of the German team in Israel. Klein also whistled the legendary “Schmach von Cordoba” game between Germany and Austria during the world cup in Argentina. Professor Manfred Lämmer, sports historian of the Deutsche Sporthochschule in Cologne explains the political background of the journey. Along with these experts and sports celebrities, five “regular” Israeli and German ex-footballers talk about their memories and emotions.
About the speakers:
Götz Gemeinhardt was born in 1973 in Hof, Germany and started working as a radio presenter while attending school. After his graduation he worked as a radio and music editor. In 2001 Götz began working as a producer for Sky (formerly called Premiere), and a year later became self-employed as an editor, author, and presenter for different media companies. In 2007 Götz began working on the documentary 08397B, which was shot and produced in 2009. Since 2013 Götz also runs a merchandise company called MÜTZERIA.
Abraham Klein (Hebrew: אברהם קליין), (born 1934) is an Israeli former international football referee. He got the Special Award of FIFA, refereed international matches between 1965 and 1982, including the 1968 and 1976 Olympics and important matches at the Mexico 1970, Argentina 1978 and Spain 1982 World Cup Finals. He was also a linesman (now assistant referee) for the 1982 World Cup Final in Spain. He was an honorary member of FIFA’s panel instructors, and was an UEFA delegate, and he is an Honorary Member of Haifa City, and was the Advisor for International Relation to the Deputy Minister of Education Culture and Sport in Israel. His books include The Master of the Whistle (2010), The Referee’s Referee: Becoming the Best (1995), and Penalty Kicks (1989).
Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University and has published extensively on the representation of personal and collective trauma in literature, film, photography, and public debate. His books include We Are But a Moment, Remnants of Song: The Experience of Modernity in Charles Baudelaire and Paul Celan, and, as editor and translator, The Dark Interval: Rilke’s Letters on Loss, Grief and Transformation. His podcast, Think About It, is devoted to in-depth conversations on powerful ideas and great books. His forthcoming book What Snowflakes Get Right: Free Speech, Equality and Truth in the University, will be published by Oxford University Press in October 2019.
Hadas Aron (moderator) is a faculty fellow at the Center for European and Mediterranean Studies at NYU. After working for several years as a radio broadcaster, she completed her PhD at Columbia University, and was a Post-Doctoral fellow at the School of Political Science in Tel Aviv University. Her research and teaching focus on populism, nationalism, international security, and social and ethnic cleavages. Her regional concentration is on Eastern Europe, the United States, and Israel.
Attendance information:
Events at Deutsches Haus are free of charge. If you would like to attend this event, please send us an email to [email protected]. Space at Deutsches Haus is limited, please arrive ten minutes prior to the event. Thank you!
“08397B Breaking the Ice:” Screening & Conversation with G. Gemeinhardt, A. Klein, U. Baer, and H. Aron is a DAAD-sponsored event. Additional support is provided by the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in New York, and the Consulate General of Israel in New York. Deutsches Haus at NYU would like to thank Dan Friedman for his support in the organization of the event.