Wolf Biermann is one of the most famous political artists in Germany - the fate of his Jewish family and his conflict with the GDR not only shaped his life, but also his songs and poems.

In this special episode he sings and speaks about dealing with the horrors of the present, particularly the Hamas terror in Israel and the war in Gaza.

As a child, Biermann escaped the Allied air raids on Nazi Germany, but today he remembers conversations with his mother. "We were happy about the bombs, the only fault of which was that they fell on our heads." His father was murdered as a Jewish communist in Auschwitz.

Regarding the suffering of the Palestinians, Biermann says that Israel's bombs are now hitting thousands of innocent people. However, the population of the Gaza Strip is not just victims of world events. "If you want to respect their human dignity, you also have to ensure that they are responsible for themselves."

Now listen to a new song by Biermann and the highlights of the SPIEGEL conversation in the podcast:

“Sstimmenfang” is SPIEGEL’s political podcast. For everyone who wants to understand Germany better. Marius Mestermann discusses the political topic of the week with his guests. New every Thursday.

Do you have topic suggestions or feedback about our podcast? Speak to our mailbox or send us a voice message via WhatsApp - both on +49 40 38080 400. Or send an email to Stimmefang@spiegel.de.