When Trauma and Politics Intersect: Germany, Palestine and Israel

Dr. Gabor Maté in conversation with the relief and human rights organization Medico International.

As a world-renowned physician, trauma specialist, and author, Gabor Maté reaches an audience of millions. Drawing on medicine, psychology, and neuroscience, he emphasises that mental health disorders, addictive behaviour, and autoimmune diseases often stem from unresolved trauma. His work is shaped, in part, by his personal history as an infant survivor of the
Holocaust. Gabor has dedicated his life to understanding human suffering and to aiding others as an expression of human solidarity. He believes that the tragic triangulation of German, Jewish, and Palestinian interactions, while heavily affected by the traumatic histories of all three peoples, is deeply rooted in power politics that distort narratives and lead to blinded perspectives. The result is that real causal issues are not being addressed.

A former Zionist youth leader, Gabor will describe his visits to Gaza and the West Bank, including his work in trauma therapy in the West Bank in 2022. A discussion will follow.

Gabor Maté’s series of talks is moderated by Julia Manek and Riad Othman. Julia Manek, a clinical psychologist and human geographer, has been working with medico international on psychosocial support since 2021. Riad Othman, a historian with additional training in humanitarian aid, has been working with medico in and on Palestine and Israel since 2012.

The cities and dates Gabor will be presenting in Germany for this series, in order, are:
Munich: September 17, 2026
Frankfurt: September 19, 2026
Berlin: September 21, 2026
Hamburg: September 23, 2026