1. AMERICAN EDITION
November 23, 2010
Dear Friends:
Let me start off by wishing you a great Thanksgiving and an exciting Hanukkah
which will begin before I get back to you again.
Careful! Turkey with stuffing followed by latkes. Watch your waistline!
A NOTE TO MY READERS
This issue is going to many new readers who are members of a website that
deals with German Jewish genealogy. Therefore, I thought I should take the
opportunity to state (and re-state) why I turn out this newsletter. Germany is
critical in terms of Jewish interests. It is Israel’s voice in the EU and its second
largest trading partner after the U.S. It has a growing (albeit more slowly these
days) Jewish community (now 3rd
largest in Europe) and how it handles anti-
Semitism is a template for other nations, especially those in Eastern Europe.
There are many other reasons having to do with history but that would take
volumes to spell them out. Let’s just say Germany is important for the Jews.
Period!
I also, again, want everyone know that while I have a very long connection with
the American Jewish Committee and though I’m mostly retired (but not quite
totally) DuBow Digest is written, published, e-mailed and paid for by me
personally. Though most of my thinking is not far from that of AJC, DD has no
official connection with it. The commentary and thoughts expressed (such as
they are) are mine alone. So if I libel, slander or defame anybody you should sue
me, not AJC.
My American Edition mostly covers matters and issues (of Jewish interest) that
pertain to Germany. I also publish a Germany Edition (also in English) that
covers goings on in the Jewish community, mostly in the U.S. It primarily goes to
people in Germany. However, if you wish to be on that mailing list as well, let me
know. Incidentally, if you find that DD is not your cup of schnapps, you can click
on “Opt Out” at the bottom of the last page and your name comes off the mailing
list. I’m not recommending it but you should know it’s an option.
Both editions are also posted at www.dubowdigest.typepad.com
Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy DD and get something out of it.
BTW, you can write to me or comment by clicking here. I’m interested in what
you’re interested in and I love hearing from you.
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2. On to the news…
IN THIS EDITION
THE CHANCELLOR & A POSSIBLE SUCCESSOR – But not any time soon.
NEO-NAZIS IN E. GERMANY – Still a problem.
THE FUTURE OF EUROPE & US – More on the EU
AN INTERNATIONAL PISSING MATCH – Two former heads of state go at it.
NOTHING”S EASY IN THE JEWISH WORLD ESPECIALLY IN FRANKFURT – A
Kristallnacht commemoration gone sour.
A JEWISH GERMAN CHILDRENS BOOK – More important than it sounds.
IMMIGRANTS - A CORRECTION – I didn’t do enough research.
A GERMAN GILAD SHALIT BUNDESTAG RESOLUTION – The German
parliament does the right thing – but late.
THE CHANCELLOR & A POSSIBLE SUCCESSOR
My hat’s off to Yahoo.com. They recently published an excellent political analysis
concerning Chancellor Merkel and the upcoming star of her coalition, the
Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, a possible Chancellor candidate
somewhere down the line.
It is no secret that Merkel’s poll numbers at the moment are very low. However,
her government has three more years to run before the next national election.
So, she’s not leaving office anytime soon and, of course, she might even decide
to run again in 2013. While much can happen in that span of time, it is also clear
that people are beginning to think (as we are here in the U.S.) about what a next
election might bring.
Yahoo reported, “Germans have quickly grown disappointed with the "dream
coalition" between the Christian Democrats and the pro-business Free
Democrats (FDP) even though the parties involved have more in common than
those in the "grand coalition" that combined the conservatives and Social
Democrats (SPD) between 2005 and last year. Poll after poll indicates that if
Germany were to hold an election today the SPD and Greens would win by a
large majority. The Christian Democrats and its smaller Bavarian sibling score
only 30 percent, while the FDP, led by Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, gets
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3. just 5 percent, enough to cross the threshold to get into parliament but well down
on the 14.6 percent it won in last year's election.
The conservative newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung has begun to talk of
a "post-Merkel era" that might begin if her coalition loses a regional election in
the industrial powerhouse state of Baden-Wuerttemberg next March. The
German media have begun comparing her to Kohl in his later years: respected
abroad but lacking authority in the domestic sphere.
Even with all that, remember, Chancellor Merkel is a tough customer and a great
politician. Never underestimate her. And, by the way (DW-World) “German
Chancellor Angela Merkel has been reelected as head of her Christian
Democratic Union (CDU) party, a sign that the party stands behind Merkel
despite recent doubts of the effectiveness of Merkel and the CDU in leading the
government.
Merkel ran unopposed and garnered the support of just over 90 percent of her
party colleagues. Two years ago she received 95 percent of the votes when she
was elected party head. Observers believed a drastic drop in that number would
have indicated discontent from within the CDU”. It didn’t happen.
In fact she made a very well received speech which raised her standing in the
party. Click here to read about it.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,729468,00.html
I want to encourage you to read the Yahoo article. It is outstanding and
comprehensive. Click here for it.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20101112/ts_nm/us_merkel
We just learned a few days ago that Chancellor Merkel would receive the highest
honor the United States bestows on civilians, the Medal of Freedom. The award
ceremony is to take place in early 2011 in Washington. A well deserved honor.
Click here to read about it. http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,6243818,00.html
Incidentally, getting back to Minister Guttenberg, he is only 38 years old. I’ve met
him a couple of times and he is impressive as well as a very nice fellow. I should
also note for the record that he is from the nobility which still counts in Germany
– even though not officially. In Yiddish he has “Yichus” which sort of translates
out as “high origin” or “pedigree”. His full name is Karl Theodor Maria Nikolaus
Johann Jacob Philipp Franz Joseph Sylvester, Baron von und zu Guttenberg. He
is married to Stephanie, Countess of Bismarck-Schönhausen (German:
Stephanie Gräfin von Bismarck-Schönhausen) (born 1976), the great-great-
granddaughter of Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. If he had a Grand Rabbi
somewhere in his family tree his yichus would be complete. I also wonder if he
has all his names memorized.
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4. A little piece of institutional news: Minister Guttenberg will be attending and
speaking at the AJC‘s 2011 Global Forum in Washington, April 27-29. Click
www.ajc.org for more information.
NEO-NAZIS IN E. GERMANY
The State of Thuringia has a severe neo-Nazi problem. The Local.de reports,
“Crimes by far-right extremists have almost doubled over last five years in the
eastern German state of Thuringia. And victims' advocacy groups say the
incidents have also taken on a more sinister character as officials seem prepared
to look the other way.
The state Interior Ministry registered some 1,213 criminal offences for 2009,
among then the desecration of Jewish memorials with severed pig heads and a
hacker attack on the Buchenwald concentration camp website.
But the reported crimes are only a small fraction of what is a much larger
problem in the state, said Yvonne Proß, a counsellor at the Thuringian
Emergency Service for victims of violence caused by far-right extremism (THO).
“One can be certain that the number of unreported cases is somewhat higher.
Particularly when it comes to victims of violence,” she said.
In addition to physical violence, perpetrators have taken to following, threatening
and intimidating their victims.
Neo-Nazi groups are taking advantage of this tendency to remain silent within
communities, according to MOBIT, a Thuringia-based initiative against far-right
activity.
This year MOBIT will work together on a new initiative with both the Thuringia
state sporting association and the football association. State authorities also plan
to begin a fiercely disputed programme against extremism this year, the Social
Affairs Ministry said. Thuringia opposition politicians have criticised delays in
implementing the scheme, in addition to demanding a stronger focus on right-
wing extremism. The state cabinet is expected to approve the initiative by
December.
As mentioned in my introduction the way Germany handles anti-Semitism is a
template for other countries. We’ll have to see how the Thuringian authorities
handle this serious problem. We’ll try to follow it closely.
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5. THE FUTURE OF EUROPE – AND US
It’s dollars to doughnuts that you never heard of Herman van Rompuy. No, he’s
not some imported NBA Euro basketball star. Actually, he’s the closest thing the
European Union has to a president. As President of the European Council he is
the leader and face of the EU. A former Belgian Prime Minister (for less than a
year), he has a 2 ½ year EU term.
In a recent speech reported in D-W World Pres. Van Rompuy said, “(he) focused
on European unification, which he said was "not just a bureaucratic process from
Brussels," but rather a concrete validation of the idea that Europeans "belong
together."
Nationalism represents a threat to the continent, as it no longer creates "a
positive feeling of pride of one's own identity, but a negative feeling of
apprehension of the others."
"In every member state, there are people who believe their country can survive
alone in the globalized world," he said. "It is more than an illusion: It is a lie."
While Europe’s problems these days revolve around internal economic and
monetary issues, as I have pointed out previously, a more unified foreign policy is
in the offing. High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
Catherine Ashton has made that clear. What is not clear is how it will impact on
Israel and other matters of concern to the Jewish world in the long run. But it will!
So far Lady Ashton has not seemed to be a great friend of Israel. Stay tuned!
AN INTERNATIONAL PISSING MATCH
I don’t know what else to call an exchange of assertions between a former U.S.
President and a former German Chancellor over who’s a liar. Pres. George W.
Bush in his recent book alleged that Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, though
opposed to the Iraq War, promised not to make it a campaign issue (2002) in his
run for a second term. According to Pres. Bush, Schroeder did just the opposite
and then, in the Pres.’s eyes became an untrustworthy liar.
In a Spiegel On-Line article, “Schröder denied that he ever made such a
promise.” The former American president is not telling the truth," he said. He said
the meeting in question focused on the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 and
whether those responsible were supported by the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
"Just as I did during my subsequent meetings with the American president, I
made it clear that, should Iraq ... prove to have provided protection and
hospitality to al-Qaida fighters, Germany would reliably stand beside the US,"
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6. Schröder said. "This connection, however, as it became clear during 2002, was
false and constructed."
Adding a little uric acid to the flame, “ex-US President George W. Bush's
intelligence has now been questioned by Schröder's former spokesman. Uwe-
Karsten Heye. (He) said on Wednesday that Bush "had no idea about what was
going on in the world."
Heye continued: "He had no idea about what was going on in the world. He was
so fixated on being a Texan. I think he knew every longhorn in Texas." (Spiegel
On-Line)
Of course, they’re both out of office now so it doesn’t make a lot of difference
whether they love or hate each other. However, this sort of nasty back and forth
doesn’t help German – American relations and that is something we, as
Americans, should be sensitive about.
It ain’t World War III but it ain’t pleasant – but it’s fun to read about.
NOTHING”S EASY IN THE JEWISH WORLD ESPECIALLY IN FRANKFURT
One would think that the commemoration of Kristallnacht, especially since it was
sponsored by the City of Frankfurt, would be a solemn affair with a good speaker
or two, some meaningful words from city officials and some nice media coverage.
Nothing’s easy! The affair was scheduled at an important church and an 85 year
old German born Holocaust survivor French author, Alfred Grosser, it was
announced by the mayor, would be the main speaker. So far, so good.
However, as it turns out, Mr. Grosser is a gross critic of Israel and so all hell
broke loose. Grosser was denounced, the Mayor of Frankfurt was denounced
and some members of the Jewish community threatened to walk out when
Grosser spoke. According to DW-World, “As expected, Grosser launched into a
critique of Israeli policies towards the Palestinians, saying it could not be
expected that those in Gaza could "understand the horror of assassinations, if
you do not show great sympathy in understanding the suffering in the Gaza
Strip."
The announcement that Grosser would speak at the anniversary ceremony
had led to fierce objections from Germany's Central Council of Jews and others
in the country's Jewish community.
Grosser comes from a Jewish family which immigrated to France in 1933. The
political scientist and author of numerous books and essays is seen as an
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7. important pioneer in post-war Franco-German understanding. In recent years he
has become increasingly interested in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
His 2009 book "Von Auschwitz nach Jerusalem" (From Auschwitz to Jerusalem)
caused controversy as he dealt with the permissibility of questioning the policies
of Israel.
Grosser said he felt justified in criticizing Israel as he considered the country to
be part of Europe, adding that everybody should be held accountable to Western
values.
Somehow it all ended quietly enough. Grosser made his critical of Israel speech
but it was not judged to have “crossed the line” (I wonder what and where the line
was) so no one actually walked out.
Like I said, nothing’s easy. I have the feeling that the next year the Mayor might
do a little more consulting before inviting speakers.
A JEWISH GERMAN CHILDRENS BOOK
(This piece also appears in the Germany Edition of DD with a slightly different
conclusion))
It might not seem like a major event but the publishing of the first Jewish
children’s book in Germany is something to take note of.
Y-Net News recently wrote, “A Horse for Hanukkah' is filmmaker and author
Myriam Halberstam's first attempt to cater for Germany's 200,000-strong Jewish
community. It's important to have a book in which 'Jews are normal and nothing
terrible happens to them,' she says
Six and a half decades after the Holocaust, the first Jewish publisher of children's
books in Germany issued its inaugural title on Monday. Filmmaker and author
Myriam Halberstam, a German-American Jew, said she set up "Ariella Books" in
May 2010 because there was a lack of children's books on Judaism in Germany.
A Horse for Hanukkah" – a humorous story about a horse who wreaks havoc on
a family's celebrations during Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights – is
Halberstam's first attempt to cater for Germany's 200,000-strong Jewish
community.
"At Christmas there are all these books you can buy for your children, but if
you're Jewish and you want to read them something about Jewish holidays, you
can't," she told Reuters. "I needed to create something for my own daughters."
Presenting the book in Berlin's Jewish Museum on Friday, Halberstam said there
was a need for the books in Germany because local communities had grown
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8. rapidly in recent years due to an influx of Jews from the former Soviet bloc after
1989.
Halberstam said she wanted to be able to pass on her Jewish identity to her two
young daughters via the book, which is intended for children, aged 4-8. The 32-
page book – which is being published in English and German – is not just aimed
at Jews. Halberstam said she hoped Gentiles in Germany's increasingly
multicultural society would also read the book and become aware of Jewish
traditions. "It would be nice if Jews and Judaism would become a normal part of
German society – but only if you know about Jews can they become normal,"
she said.
"In Germany the Shoah is omnipresent, it's still in the media and it determines
the relationship between Jews and non-Jews," she said. "I wanted to do
something that looks to the future in a positive way without the burden of the
past."
The publishing of this book is a big step forward for the Jewish community in
Germany. Even considering German history, the Jews who live there want to live
in peace and security. Whether we, or even they, may wish differently, their
children are growing up as Germans and, as such, being German is part and
parcel of their world. The German language certainly is. So, books of Jewish
content in German are critical to their being part of their surroundings.
Frau Halberstam is entitled to our applause and thanks.
IMMIGRANTS - A CORRECTION
In the last edition I wrote “I think it’s important to point out here that the German
approach to their immigrant communities is not, as it is in the U.S., i.e. enhanced
law enforcement (police). There are no raids, no arrests and no mass
deportations…”
I want to enter two corrections. Recently a Berlin magazine, Exberliner, ran an
article entitled, Neukoelln’s Unwanted Gypsies”. (Ed: Neukoelln is a
neighborhood in Berlin and Gypsies in Europe are usually referred to “Roma”).
The article noted, “The first Roma to come to Germany were from the Balkans
and arrived with the Gastarbeiter of the 1970s and 1980s. According to Südost
Europa Kultur, an organization that promotes Balkan culture in Berlin, these
Roma are now fairly integrated and spread out throughout the city. The next
wave came with the war in Bosnia. Many Roma – particularly from the town of
Bijeljina – came to Berlin as refugees, then forced to leave when the conflict
ended. However, many returned to Berlin by hook or by crook, and many of
these Gypsies from the 1990s now live in Neukölln and Wedding. The most
recent wave consists of Romanian and Bulgarian Roma, who live predominantly
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9. in the “Schillerkiez” area of Neukölln. According to the Berlin Institute for
Population and Development, there are 120,000 Roma in Germany. Up to
20,000 are estimated to live in Berlin.
A burning issue is the fate of the more than 130,000 Roma who fled Kosovo in
the wake of intense persecution, including arson attacks and expulsions. Many of
these came to Germany. Under a deal signed in April, 14,000 refugees are to be
returned to Kosovo – 10,000 of whom are Roma. “Now, 10 years on, Germany is
trying to deport the Roma living here. Most don’t want to go; 4,000 have already
been deported,” says Hamze Bytyci of Amaro Drom. According to Unicef, half of
the Roma to be deported are children, most of whom were born and raised in
Germany. But unlike France’s Roma (who mostly originate from, and have been
expelled back to, Romania and Bulgaria), they do not have the right to return
because they are not EU citizens.
To be accurate, it should be noted that the “returns” (deportations?) when and if
the authorities ever succeed in sending people back, are legal, the result of an
agreement with Kosovo. However, it is not a very happy situation. Many
Germans want them sent back while many Roma who have been in Germany for
more than 10 years want to stay. At the moment there does not seem to be a
genuine solution. In any case, if you want to read the entire article click here.
http://www.exberliner.com/articles/neukllns-unwanted-gypsies
No sooner had I finished writing the above when I came across another article in
Spiegel On-Line which pointed out that Germany was deporting Afghani refugees
as well. The story notes, “Europe is currently threatened with a wave of refugees
from Afghanistan. After years of tolerating refugees who have not been granted
political asylum, German authorities have started deporting Afghan nationals in
an effort to deter others from coming to the country. Click here to read the full
story.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,729873,00.html#ref=nlint
A GERMAN GILAD SHALIT BUNDESTAG RESOLUTION
JTA reported “German Jewish leaders and pro-Israel groups applauded a
German parliamentary motion demanding that Hamas release captured Israeli
soldier Gilad Shalit.
The motion, passed Nov. 11, calls for negotiations and "trust-building" measures
leading to Shalit's release, including allowing a Red Cross to visit the soldier who
was captured in a cross-border Gaza raid in March 2006. The text was
presented Oct. 27 by the Christian Democratic Party and Christian Social Union,
the Social Democratic Party, the Free Democratic Party and the Greens.
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10. The Left Party did not sign on to the motion. Three of its legislators had been on
the Gaza-bound Turkish flotilla that was intercepted by Israeli naval commandos
on May 31. Nine Turkish nationals were killed in the operation.
AJC added, “AJC has lauded the German Bundestag for passing the “Freedom
for Gilad Shalit” resolution, calling for the immediate release of the 23-year-old
Israeli soldier, held by Hamas in isolation in Gaza since he was kidnapped from
Israel in June 2006.
“The German parliament’s recognition of this grievous human rights violation
demonstrates that international public opinion favors the immediate release of
Shalit so he can return home to his family in Israel,” said Deidre Berger, director
of AJC’s Berlin office.
Of course, I’m delighted that the Bundestag acted and lent their voice to both the
U.S. Congress and the European Parliament who adopted similar resolutions
earlier this year. It would have been better and seemed more authentic if it had
been done sooner. It almost seems as if the Bundestag, knowing that it made a
grievous mistake by condemning Israel over the Turkish boat to Gaza episode,
is now trying to make up for it. However, I’m a great believer in accepting
goodness when it comes down the road so, “Thanks Bundestag”. Let’s hope
Shalit is home soon.
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See you again in December
DuBow Digest is written and published by Eugene DuBow who can be contacted
by clicking here.
Both the American and Germany editions are posted at
www.dubowdigest.typepad.com. Click her to connect
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