As Reinhard Mohn was building international relationships for Bertelsmann, he recognized that the best way to overcome historic, national, and cultural differences was to have personal exchanges with others about shared economic and sociopolitical interests. My husband and I spent hours talking about this in our evening conversations! When two people share a common goal, they will have the courage to pursue a mutual understanding. Any dialogue between two cultures can never be based on a one-sided superiority but rather depends on mutual honesty, an understanding of historical events, and the respect for different ways of living.
My husband and I each had our own unique experiences of World War II. As a young soldier, he had fought at the front, only to realize later that an entire generation had sacrificed its youth to an immoral order. I had been a young child, debilitated by the fear and desperation of the adults around me.
We always said that we would do whatever we could to support any and all dialogues and cultural exchanges among nations. I am convinced that in today’s world of unforeseeable military threats, this is the only way to secure and maintain peace. There is no substitute for dialogue!
As chairman of the board of Bertelsmann AG, my husband established close ties with Israel. In 1979, one of the first projects the Bertelsmann Foundation initiated under his chairmanship was the establishment of a program of study at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The program, which was integrated into the sociology and political science departments, examined the quality of working life.8
In 1987, I accompanied my husband to Jerusalem to attend a conference on the future of the publishing industry in the light of existing language barriers.9 I found the lively discussions there quite moving. I especially wanted to meet Teddy Kollek, the legendary mayor of Jerusalem, about whom I had heard so much. We made an appointment to meet for breakfast. Our very first conversation made a big impression on me. This distinguished man was not only very charismatic, he was a true guardian of the city and its people. Later I found out that he normally had about five breakfast meetings daily—starting at his home and then moving on to various city hotels—during which he met with diverse people to discuss any variety of topics. I later got to know his wife, Tamar, who was just as remarkable as he and fully supported her husband as his steady companion.
Teddy Kollek was able to make great strides for Jerusalem by creating social and cultural initiatives to support the coexistence of different religions. With great care he built schools, libraries, and old-age homes for the Jewish and Arab populations, and he made sure these institutions were respectful of religious interests and cultural identities. The only group that tested his patience were the Orthodox Jews, for he felt their way of life was difficult to integrate into modern Israeli society. But he built special hospitals so that both Muslim and Orthodox Jewish women could undergo breast exams. Breast cancer was widespread at the time in Israel, partially because of religious barriers against preventive breast exams. This kind of thing drove Teddy Kollek crazy, and I greatly admired him for his courage and dedication when it came to such sensitive issues.
Over the years, a real friendship developed among my husband, myself, and Teddy and Tamar Kollek. They visited us in Germany, and quite a few Israeli-German ventures sprang forth from our friendship. One such endeavor is the Computer Studies Center that opened in 1986 at the René Cassin High School in Strasbourg. Run by Everyman’s University in Jerusalem, it went on to generate other computer study programs.10 The Adam Institute for Democracy and Peace in Jerusalem, founded in 1984, was supported by the Bertelsmann Foundation from 1988 until 2004 and represents one of our longest-running initiatives.11 Its goal is to teach students between twelve and fifteen the values of democracy and peace as they pertain to the specific situation in Israel. Furthermore, the institute develops appropriate methodologies of education and research. In 1989 the Koteret School of Journalism and Communication was founded in Tel Aviv—the brainchild of my husband and Teddy Kollek.12
At my suggestion, in the 1990s the Bertelsmann Foundation moved away from backing individual institutions and toward supporting personal and cultural exchanges between the two countries. In 1992 we initiated funding of the Institute for Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem,13 which sponsored many conferences and symposia. In 1997 these conferences gave rise to the European-Israeli Network—an academic workshop and exchange program that has since been established in many Israeli secondary schools.
One of our most important projects, one that has always been close to my and my husband’s heart, was the creation in 1992 of the German-Jewish Dialogue series.14 This forum has met with great positive response from key German decision makers and from representatives of the Jewish community. In 1992 we also began supporting the University of Tel Aviv, helping fund its Center for Holocaust Studies,15 which takes a close look at the effect of the Holocaust on today’s societies. As much as we must pay due diligence for our grave history, we must also try to create a shared future. For this reason, in 2000 the Bertelsmann Foundation initiated the German-Israeli Young Leaders Exchange, to facilitate the flow of information and the sharing of experiences among young German and Israeli leaders in a forum where they could meet and network.16
After many changes in the political landscape, Europe began facing new challenges. With this in mind, in the fall of 1987 the Bertelsmann Foundation initiated a project called Strategies and Options for the Future of Europe.17 Europe needs better cooperation among its nations, and more efficient policies, and it must support the progress of its diverse cultures. We must uphold the free societies that have grown out of the European tradition, even as we respect the identities of the culturally diverse nations and cultures.
The main objective of this sizable endowment program was to find out what politically had to be done in Europe, beyond the obvious. In addition, the ever-changing political developments in Eastern Europe raised strategic and sociopolitical questions. We thus formed a study group to further examine the continent in light of all these changes, called Europe’s Role in the World.18
An early highlight of our project on Europe was the conference “Europe’s Future—A Continent’s Culture and Constitution,” organized by Bertelsmann in October 1990 in Rome. Many international participants were invited to this high-caliber conference, whose goal was to ascertain Europe’s political and cultural future. In the months between the conference’s initial conceptualization and its opening, much had changed in Europe. Revolutionary changes were transforming the European continent. The Bertelsmann conference had to address these sudden new challenges head-on. The debates centered on the new European framework, and on the issues that arose out of this new paradigm: questions of modernization and innovation, political changes and integration, security, and the new European identity.19
A second important event that was part of the Strategies and Options for the Future of Europe project was a conference entitled “The Mediterranean Challenge—and the European Answer.” We worked with the Catalonian president Dr. Jordi Pujol i Soley, who hosted the conference in October 1991 in Barcelona. A number of personal encounters during this time made this conference especially memorable to me. About 120 participants came from almost all the Mediterranean countries, as well as from Russia, the United States, and the rest of Europe. Our speakers included, among others, the Italian minister for foreign affairs Gianni De Michelis, the Dutch minister for foreign affairs Pieter Dankert, the former Turkish minister of foreign affairs Vahit Halefoglu, Crown Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan, and the theologian Hans Küng. The event took place under the patronage of Germany’s president, Dr. Richard von Weizsäcker, along with His Majesty Juan Carlos I, King of Spain. Felipe, Prince of Asturias, represented Spain’s royal dynasty.
During the conference, two participants from Egypt asked my husband for advice concerning education reform in their country. They had heard a great many things about his engagement for education in Israel. Drawing on our experience as an international media conglomerate and our initiative to build libraries, we decided to build a library in Cairo. To begin with, we had to investigate and define the terms for building the new facility. We were surprised to find out that more than 60 percent of the population of Egypt was illiterate! This shocking figure inspired us even more to break ground on the library project. Education is one of the most important requirements for a free and peaceful world. Only those who find a way out of the cycle of poverty and violence can become responsible citizens. My husband and I were always convinced that helping people to help themselves is the most effective way to aid those in need.
The government of Egypt donated an old villa, situated at the shore of the Nile—it had once belonged to the former vice president Abdel Hakim Amer. The Bertelsmann Foundation financed the renovations and assisted with staffing and marketing. We held the official opening and dedication of the Giza Public Library on March 21, 1995, in Cairo.20 Our first large public project, it would become a focus of cultural life in Egypt. Later we opened branches in less prominent locations—smaller libraries, often in the poorer sections of town. The demand was then, as it is now, enormous! Many books become so well thumbed that they need to be replaced every few years.
Among my many friendships, I still feel especially close to Queen Noor of Jordan. We met after the death of her husband in 1998, at an event hosted by the United World College in Berlin, of which she is president. Our first conversation was already quite intimate. She spoke a lot about the special relationship she had with King Hussein, and she invited me to visit her soon in Jordan. I met her half a year later in Amman while my husband and I were traveling in the Middle East. I could see how much she was still suffering from the loss of her husband. It was a difficult time for her, yet her hospitality and her warmth were indefatigable. She had arranged a small, private dinner for me at her palace in Amman and had set the table especially in the library. She wanted to make a special gesture to me as a representative of the Bertelsmann publishing house. She thought of everything and took great care to make sure things were just right. Her entire life had suddenly changed with the death of her husband, yet her warmth, intelligence, and kindness were unforgettable. As we both deeply believe in the values of cultural exchange and global tolerance, we decided to start initiatives that support tolerance and teach strategies for conflict resolution.
Over the years of being involved with cross-cultural relations, I made many new friends and allies in the Arab world. One of my most valued friends is Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi. This modern, well-educated man had studied at Oxford, and whenever he was traveling in Europe for business, he was always on the lookout for new educational initiatives. It was something that he felt his country, for all its riches, still needed.
Sheikh Nahyan was especially intrigued by the library in our hometown, the city of Gütersloh, which the Bertelsmann Foundation had built as a pilot project.21 Our concept had been that the Gütersloh library would be a meeting place as well as an interactive information and media center. The facility, its organization, and its cost-effectiveness have made this library an international benchmark. Sheikh Nahyan was looking for ways to connect his country’s libraries and universities in a similar network. He also modernized many aspects of secondary education in his country. He implemented smaller units of study in the universities and directly connected students to experts in the field—innovative alternatives to the massive institutes of learning such as we have in Germany. Especially impressive, two-thirds of all students in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates are women, and in Oman and Saudi Arabia more than 50 percent of those enrolled in universities are women. Women’s universities like the Zayed University in Abu Dhabi and Dubai are expanding quickly. Without a doubt, the large proportion of female students reflects women’s changing role in society and their desire to contribute to the workforce. All these women are hoping that in the course of their studies, the job market will open up for them.
Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak is an extraordinary man not only in education reform but in private. Whenever I am in Abu Dhabi, he welcomes me with immensely generous gestures of hospitality. Through him, I have gained great insight into the complexities of Arab culture.
In all my discussions, especially with younger people, and on all the trips I’ve taken, I’ve always noticed how important it is for people from different cultures and countries to exchange ideas and get to know one another. More than anything, the expansive globalization that began in the 1980s has raised a lot of questions: How will globalization change our society? Is the much-discussed “clash of civilizations”22 really unavoidable? What challenges lie in our future, and how can we best deal with them? Is it possible for a region to follow the trend of increasing globalization yet still retain its cultural identity? Neither our leading heads of state nor the world’s big economic players, I realized, had any real answers to these questions.
Today, anybody in a position of responsibility is going through a learning process. We all must assess how to meet new challenges, come up with new ways for different cultures to coexist, and advocate mutual respect and tolerance.
With the rise of the new media in the 1990s, the whole world can now be connected within seconds. What does this mean for our political systems? How can we best manage this wealth of information? How does this information influence the thinking and political awareness of our youth? Are we fully aware of our responsibilities? And what will our common goals be in the future?
These types of questions are always going through my mind, and my husband and I often discussed them. As we traveled to events and conferences all over the world, coming across like-minded individuals who had similar concerns was encouraging. Many of the same questions around the new international cultural exchange came up in conversations with others, so we decided to elevate these personal discussions to a larger forum. We would invite experts and discuss these baseline questions in a professional framework. My belief that cultural differences among people are best overcome through personal exchange is constantly being reaffirmed; only through conversations with others can we see and understand their point of view. That was one reason we created the German-Egyptian Cultural Forum in 2001 in Cairo. The forum ended up being a main point of reference for the many international cultural conferences that the Bertelsmann Foundation would subsequently launch.23
In the context of supporting a worldwide cultural exchange, I started a series of conferences with the Bertelsmann Foundation under the heading Corporate Cultures in Global Interaction. Over the years this series grew into a well-respected forum for addressing cultural and economic issues.24 We were especially interested in hearing from Asian countries, whose newfound economic strength is changing the world’s political landscape. As the global balance shifts, the U.S.-led West is no longer determining the rules of the game.
One of our first large forums, titled “The Impact of Globalization on Cultural Identity in Business,” took place in April 2001 in Tokyo, in the context of supporting a German-Japanese dialogue.25 In 2002 we held a workshop called “Global Business Culture” in Gütersloh,26 and in Berlin in 2004 we organized “Experiences in Business.” These workshops took a closer look at the effects of globalization on Germany and examined the challenges in store for those in leadership positions. The corporate culture that my husband put into place at Bertelsmann is especially relevant in the current climate of globalization. He overhauled the company’s working environment by delegating more responsibilities to the employees, supporting a true partnership between employer and employee, and encouraging the workforce to identify with and invest in the company’s goals.
In 2004 we held a German-Chinese conference in Beijing that focused on examining cultural differences. Its motto was “Learn from each other to work with each other.” I was very impressed by China’s enormous economic growth, its cultural traditions, and its extreme organization and efficiency, as well as the personal encounters I had with the conference participants. About 120 political, cultural, and economic leaders took part in the Beijing conference. It closed with a gala concert, held in conjunction with the Beijing music festival, featuring performances by the Chinese and European participants of Bertelsmann’s New Voices contest.
At the conference, I was reunited with the former Chinese minister of culture Sun Jiazheng, whom I first met in 2002 and with whom I am still friendly. I again encountered his unmatched generosity and hospitality during the Olympic Games in 2008, when he spent more than two hours meeting with me—which is a long time in the busy schedule of the host of one of the world’s largest events. I saw how personal interactions and a deep respect for the other’s achievements can open doors in the complex relationship between China and Europe. When two countries with such different cultures engage in a dialogue, their different perspectives must be granted a clear voice. Only then can we truly understand each other’s values and traditions; only then can we develop new strategies for working together. Openness, tolerance, and the willingness to learn are the prerequisites for avoiding misunderstandings and developing a mutual trust.27
India, another Asian economic powerhouse, was at the center of our International Cultural Forum in 2005 in New Delhi.28 Here we discussed the specific circumstances for an Indian-European dialogue, and the convergence of Indian and European perspectives on the global challenges in the economic, political, and cultural realms. The forum grew out of the close collaboration among the Bertelsmann Foundation, the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, and the Nand and Jeet Khemka Foundation. This cultural exchange project, too, ended with a concert by participants in our New Voices contest. Many new bridges between Europe and India were built during this forum, and the collaboration continues in numerous ongoing projects.
This forum was marked by remarkable encounters with leading personalities in science, culture, and politics. One meeting, especially, was unforgettable. I had an appointment to meet with Sonia Gandhi, but it was canceled at the last minute—she was unavailable. I was disappointed but continued with my order of the day. That afternoon I was talking with some conference participants on my hotel’s terrace when the ambassador suddenly stood before me. Mrs. Gandhi was able to see me after all, but it would have to be the next day at five P.M. Twenty minutes were allotted. Of course I said yes.
The next day I was picked up at the prearranged time and was driven in a number of vehicles, which I had to change several times, to Mrs. Gandhi’s residence. The building was quite remarkable for its modesty, which is unusual for an Indian manor house. I had to wait in several reception rooms before I could finally join Mrs. Gandhi in the library. She sat at a long table, her body framed by back lighting. I will always remember the moment she stood up. My Indian contacts had warned me that talking to Mrs. Gandhi could be arduous, and that the exchange could be dry. So I began telling her the story of the house of Bertelsmann. I told her about the work the company does, the development of the foundation, and our commitment to societal reforms. I also told her about my work. We spoke very openly about the people from whom we took advice and discussed the criteria we used to choose members of our boards. She told me that she takes advice only from scientists, and I advised her to speak with businessmen or -women as well. “But they cannot be corrupt,” she countered. It was not easy to choose the right collaborators in India.
For a long time we spoke about how we judged people; it was a very open and moving conversation. When we finished, an hour and a half had passed. We stood under an oil painting of the founder of independent India, Nehru, and she spoke to me about the fates of political dynasties. She also told me about her son, who was active in India’s parliament. I was admiring a small sculpture of a mother and child that stood beneath the painting of Nehru, when Sonia Gandhi picked the sculpture up and placed it in my hand. “I want to give this to you,” she suddenly said. “I cannot accept that,” I replied. “Yes, you can. I will find something else for this spot.”
It was a very moving moment. Today the small sculpture stands in my office underneath a portrait of my husband. Whenever I look at it, I vividly remember that afternoon in India. To me, that day represents what a human encounter can accomplish. When two friends interact, some bias may still color their perception, but then they may discover something that connects them, and they realize that they have similar thoughts and questions. As a connection is made, their exchange becomes light and effortless. These kinds of encounters give us hope that not all is lost in this world of competing interests.
Over the decades, I came to also greatly value Mikhail Gorbachev, the president of the former Soviet Union. My husband and I met Mr. and Mrs. Gorbachev in the spring of 1992, on the occasion of the publication of his book at Bertelsmann.29 Our first meeting was warm and sincere. I was very much moved by Gorbachev’s passionate commitment to the democratization of Russia, the fall of the Wall, and the subsequent reunification of Europe. He, too, had a strong woman at his side: his wife, the philosophy professor Raisa Gorbachev, whom I admired greatly, and whose untimely death in 1999 filled my husband and me with great sorrow.
In addition to our initiatives in Asia and the Middle East, we took a great number of trips to, and met with business partners and political allies in, Europe. Bertelsmann has especially close ties to Spain, which go back almost fifty years. After some initial contacts, my husband founded the book club Círculo de Lectores in 1962 in Barcelona. To this day, it is one of the largest and oldest book clubs in the Spanish-speaking world. It was also Bertelsmann’s first business establishment in a non-German-speaking region. The Círculo de Lectores marked the beginning of our international activities. But the book club was established not just as a financial investment. The educational assistance that came along with it proved to be very important to Spain’s cultural development. Círculo de Lectores is still considered one of Bertelsmann’s most effective pilot projects.30
Spain has always had a special place in our hearts; for many decades we vacationed on Majorca. In 1990, just as he did in his hometown of Gütersloh, my husband founded a city library in Majorca: the Biblioteca Can Torró. Within a few years the library had become a cultural magnet not only for residents but also for librarians, education officials, and experts from all over Spain. This overwhelmingly positive experience encouraged us in 1995 to create our own Spanish foundation, called Fundación Bertelsmann. Based in Barcelona, it promotes the countrywide modernization of libraries, educational exchanges between schools and libraries, and literacy.31
Above and beyond library science, the Fundación Bertelsmann went on to create numerous social projects that help support the profound changes that globalization has brought. Spain’s crown family have repeatedly commended our work with special recognition, and we now have a decades-long history of an intensive and enriching exchange to look back on.32
News of Bertelsmann’s work in Spain spread to South America, and here, too, we were fortunate enough to have some fascinating and illuminating encounters. We made a special friend in Roberto Costa de Abreu Sodré, the former governor of São Paulo who later was the foreign minister of Brazil, and whose warmth, generosity, and tremendous hospitality I will never forget.
One can never truly get to know a country’s culture through official visits alone. Personal encounters, people’s habits and gestures, tell us more about a country than any book ever could. During these encounters, a tradition shows itself, past and present merge to create unforgettable moments, and a country’s culture can fully come alive.
My husband and I also developed a special connection with the United States over the course of many decades. As a young prisoner of war in the American POW camp Concordia in Kansas, my husband learned the true meaning of democracy and of civilian democratic engagement.33 This experience influenced his life and his business decisions and played a large role in his commitment to the foundation. The basic tenets of our humanity and our intrinsic freedom come from mutual respect and from taking a view to both the past and the future. The Bertelsmann Foundation’s objective of creating international channels of communication was a way to bring about not only the reconciliation with Israel but a transatlantic partnership with the United States.
During our many transatlantic trips over twenty years, we established and developed numerous initiatives. A highlight was the opening of a branch of the Bertelsmann Foundation in Washington, D.C., in 2008.34 The Bertelsmann Foundation North America—an independent foundation according to U.S. law—seeks to support the international debate around the risks and opportunities of globalization with specific projects and conferences. It also aims to extend the long tradition of the German-American friendship far into the future. A very special friend and companion in this endeavor was Henry Kissinger.35 Every exchange of ideas with him is incredibly inspiring; his vast experience and his deep understanding of human nature turn every conversation into a truly special occasion. I also very much enjoyed working with Kofi Annan. A master of diplomacy, all of Kofi’s endeavors are marked by his passion for bringing people together and for finding even the smallest common denominator in the most desperate situations. As a mediator among different religions and cultures, he has always been my guide.
The growth of globalization challenges all of us. The conflicts among different cultures and the contest over global distribution may lead the world toward violence and chaos; but perhaps we can secure peaceful cooperation among the many different cultures. It is especially important to me to encourage exchange between Europe and the United States to support our next generation of leaders. Each new generation must prove again and again that it is able to take part in a dialogue. The bridges that were built by the postwar generation on both sides of the Atlantic must remain stable long into the future; there will never be a substitute for democracy and for commitment to humanity.36