Welcome
Grüß Gott, Shalom and Salaam! Welcome to the website of the Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF) Jerusalem.
In Jerusalem
HSF is dedicated to fostering sustainable peace (Heb./Ar.: Shalom/Salaam) - in the service of democracy, peace, and development - by bolstering Israel’s vibrant democracy and future-oriented societies, extending principled developmental cooperation to the Palestinian Territories. The Foundation has been active in Israel since 1979 and in the Palestinian Territories since 1994.
Operating through its project office in Jerusalem, HSF promotes inclusive economic development, social understanding and participation, sustainable ecological development, and international political understanding as its core focus areas. To achieve these goals, the dedicated team in Jerusalem collaborates with a wide network of national and international partners from various sectors. HSF also supports students and young scholars through German academic scholarships and international internships.
Active worldwide
HSF is a German non-profit organization committed to advancing democracy, peace, and development worldwide. Mandated by the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag), the Foundation operates from its headquarters in Munich and currently supports around 90 projects in 75 countries, including throughout Asia and the MENA region. In the MENA region, HSF continues to build on the momentum of the Abraham Accords, encouraging cooperation among an expanding number of Arab nations and their regional partners.
With a conservative and solidarity-based approach
HSF maintains a close partnership with the Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU), Germany’s governing party. Named after Hanns Seidel - former CSU Chairman and Bavarian Prime Minister who courageously defended Jewish citizens during Nazi Germany - the Foundation embodies the CSU’s center-right, conservative principles of solidarity, personal responsibility, and subsidiarity. Rooted in these values, HSF promotes democratic and civic education, strengthens Bavarian identity, and advances environmental stewardship through conservation and sustainable resource use, always prioritizing human dignity and Israel’s existence as part of Germany’s raison d’État.
News
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Stellenangebot: Internationales Hochschulpraktikum in Jerusalem für zwei bis drei Monate (Flyer).
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Highlighting the East Jerusalem Cohort 2025. This video by 0202 – Points of View from Jerusalem captures the 3-month Media and Leadership Program empowering the Women of Jerusalem.
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Merry Christmas! From Jerusalem's rooftops overlooking the Temple Mount - sacred to Jews, Muslims, and Christians alike - we send a heartfelt message of hope, understanding, and unity. For the full article see Zwischen Kriegsnarben und Lichterglanz, HSS, 23.12.2025.
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From Desert Nomads to Settled Communities: The Transformation of Israel’s Bedouin in the Negev. Video of HSF's Global Perspectives from 2025.
Activities
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Take a leap: fund your education in Germany with us! Selfie with Sama from Jerusalem, an Architecture student in Germany who joined HSF's German Scholarship Program in 2025.
Questions?
Funding
HSF Jerusalem is directly mandated by the German national parliament Deutscher Bundestag, fully funded from the German federal budget, with resources allocated through the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. Both of them are foreign political entities.
In accordance with Israeli law and our commitment to transparency, all of HSF Jerusalem’s annual financial reports are publicly available through the Ministry of Justice. For both the current and previous fiscal years, 100% of our funding has come from the same single foreign source. To safeguard our neutrality and independence, HSF Jerusalem does not accept private donations. For more details, please refer to our FAQs.