GERMANY EDITION
July 6, 2009
Dear Friends:
IN THIS EDITION:
*MY TRIP TO GERMANY
*MERKEL - OBAMA VISIT
*MADOFF & ANTI-SEMITISM
*A NEW JEWISH SENATOR
*GREAT BRITAIN TOO
*OBAMA, ISRAEL & THE AMERICAN JEWISH COMMUNITY
*DOES ISRAEL HAVE A NEGOTIATING PARTNER?
*HOLOCAUST RESTITUTION
I am just back from a terrific 11 days in Germany. I headed our 29th annual
American Jewish Committee – Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Exchange delegation
which visited Hamburg and Berlin (I also visited a friend in Koeln). We had some
fascinating meetings including ones with Generals Bergmann and Schreiner at
the Fuerungsakademie der Bundeswehr, Kartsen Voight at the Foreign Office,
Christian Schmidt at the Defense Ministry, Ruprecht Polenz at the Bundestag
and Gerhard Wahlers at the Stiftung itself. There were many other meetings (one
of our participants counted 24) and I apologize for not mentioning all those who
addressed us. The importance of the “mission” always is to familiarize the group
of leaders from AJC with contemporary Germany and I think the program
organized by Ingrid Garwels of the KAS this year was just outstanding.
I don’t think it’s any secret that American Jews are far behind, for instance,
Israelis, in understanding and being familiar with the Germany of today. I think
I’ve said it before (but I’ll repeat it). Even for many AJC people who are well
educated and are up on current events, the Germany of the 1930’s and 1940’s is
burned into their minds and the new democratic Federal Republic comes as a
surprise to them. On the subject of secrets, I don’t think I’m betraying any
confidences by telling both my German and American friends – and anyone else
who will listen to me - that Germany is very important to “Jewish interests” which
include Israel and fighting anti-Semitism and so deeper knowledge about it and
its people is vital. AJC is certainly doing its part and in this instance the Konrad
Adenauer Stiftung is a great help.
MERKEL- OBAMA VISIT
The height of self-aggrandizement is to quote yourself as an authority. I try to
maintain at least a patina of humility but – the following paragraph comes from
my American Edition of DuBow Digest which I usually write before I write the one
for Germany. In it I said, “In terms of publicity, how do you compete with the
deaths of Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson plus the demonstrations in Iran?
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The answer is – you don’t! So the meeting between Chancellor Merkel and
President Obama was hidden somewhere on the back pages of most
newspapers if, indeed, they reported on it all. Even the German websites I follow
didn’t have much coverage. Frankly, there wasn’t much to cover. They met, they
said they’re good friends and will cooperate on everything, shook hands and
went their separate ways.
As far as I could tell the Merkel - Obama visit didn’t even make a dent in the
American Jewish press. However, Chancellor Merkel did strongly condemn the
way the Iranian government ran roughshod over those demonstrating against
what certainly looked like a fixed and crooked election. She certainly aligned
herself with those that do not in any way trust Ahmadinejad and the Ayatollahs
running the country. Iran, its nuclear plans and its threats to Israel are very high
of the list of concerns that American Jews have. To see how little regard they
have for their own people is not very reassuring and I’m glad the Chancellor sees
things that way as well.
In any case, the need Obama and Merkel have for each other is important. Dr.
Jackson Janes of the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies at
Johns Hopkins University said it best when he recently wrote, “Berlin and
Washington have always argued, sometimes rationally, sometimes emotionally,
about challenges. That will no doubt continue, no matter the leaders. American
and German democracies are loud and complicated, as are most healthy ones.
For Obama, Merkel remains one of the few reliable players on the political stage
in Europe. Great Britain is in turmoil, French President Sarkozy is unpredictable,
and the remaining leaders are less influential than the chancellor. For Merkel,
Obama's popularity in Germany can be an important asset for her next term,
assuming she gets another term and assuming they can work together in setting
a shared agenda. For Obama, having a steady partner in Germany will help
steer Europe to his benefit.”
I must say that I am not unhappy that there is very little to report about on the
meeting of Obama & Merkel. The relationship seems about as secure as one can
be and if, indeed, there are differences they are small in comparison to the
agreements. In this case less certainly seems to be more.
MADOFF & ANTI-SEMITISM
If the front pages had little to say about the President and the Chancellor they
made up for it reporting on the sentencing of Bernard Madoff – who happens to
be Jewish. Unless you have been hiding in a cave in the Fichtelgebirge for the
last 6 months I’m sure Mr. Madoff’s name is not unknown to you. The greatest
swindler of all time has been sentenced to 150 years in jail and considering the
fact that he is 71 years old we are not likely to swindled by him again any time in
the future.
I don’t care at all about Mr. Madoff or even about the fact that my tax money will
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be paying for his housing and food fro the next 150 years. What I am interested
in is whether his crime is seen by a number of my fellow Americans as a “Jewish
crime” or worse, that they link Madoff with our economy and blame the economic
crisis in the U.S. on the Jews. The Jewish Week recently reported, “An online
poll on anti-Semitic attitudes in the wake of the Bernard Madoff scandal suggests
more than a third of Americans blame “the Jews” to some degree for the
economic crisis.
The poll, by two professors at Stanford University, did not distinguish between
financiers, corporate CEOs, economists, government officials or others who are
Jewish, but simply inquired “How much to blame were the Jews for the financial
crisis?”
Five answer categories ranged from “a moderate amount” to “a great deal,” with
24 percent giving the strongest answer, and a total of 38.4 percent attributing at
least some blame for the biggest financial crisis since the Depression on “the
Jews.”
The poll brought forth a lot of criticism from other Jewish demographers who
think that the methodology was deeply flawed. Maybe it was. In fact, I certainly
hope it was. However, I do know that anti-Semitism, like tuberculosis, lies
dormant but does not ever seem to be subject to a permanent cure. The fact that
researchers even thought that there might be a connection between Madoff and
the current economic plight troubles me. In any case, if you want to read about
the conflict over the polling method click here:
http://www.thejewishweek.com/viewArticle/c37_a16142/News/National.html
A NEW JEWISH SENATOR
Eight months after our national election Al Franken of Minnesota, finally winning
a very long court battle, has been officially elected as a new Senator from that
State. The JTA reported, “With its decision in favor of comedian Al Franken, the
Minnesota Supreme Court has given the U.S. Senate its first veteran of
“Saturday Night Live” -- and left the chamber with no Jewish Republican
members. Senator Franken will be sworn in as soon as the Senate returns from
its July 4th recess.
The number of Jews in the Senate (if anyone is counting) will be 13 out of a
hundred with the addition of Franken. Even if he had lost it would have been 13
because his opponent, Norm Coleman is also Jewish. The important statistic is
that with Coleman’s loss (He was the incumbent), as noted above, and the switch
from Republican to Democrat by Pennsylvania’s Arlen Specter, the Senate now
has no Jewish Republicans. And, in the House of Representatives there is only
one, Eric Cantor of Virginia out of 31 Jews.
The point in my reporting all this is to show how entrenched the American Jewish
community is in the Democratic Party. American Jews gave Barack Obama 78%
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of its vote. I think that gives you a pretty good picture of where Jews stand in
American politics.
By the way, Franken is a well known comedian and a TV personality. However,
he is a cum laude graduate of Harvard so he is no clown. However, given the
antics of some members of the Senate, becoming a member of that body might
be just the place for a comedian. He might feel right at home.
GREAT BRITAIN TOO!
While important government posts are being filled by Jews in the United States,
Great Britain is also getting into the act. For the first time ever the new Speaker
of the House of Commons is Jewish. Conservative MP John Bercow was elected
to the post and will preside over that august body. Read the Jerusalem Post
article by clicking here:
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1245184901650&pagename=JPost%2
FJPArticle%2FShowFull
OBAMA, ISRAEL & THE AMERICAN JEWISH COMMUNITY
Gary Rosenblatt, the editor of The Jewish Week, posted an interesting column
this week pointing out some of the concerns American Jews and their leadership
have about the Middle East policies of the Obama Administration. In his opening
paragraph he wrote, “Accustomed as he is to public speaking here and around
the country, David Harris, the executive director of the American Jewish
Committee, can read an audience as well as anyone. Lately, he says, he is
"hearing a growing number of questions and concerns about the U.S.-Israel
relationship, and a sense that the Obama administration’s response to the Iran
crisis was slower than it should have been."
Harris is not alone. Abraham Foxman, director of the Anti-Defamation League,
says the normal anxiety level among American Jews when a new administration
takes shape has been heightened to new levels because President Obama
"champions change, and American Jews tend to approve of U.S. policy toward
Israel and don’t necessarily welcome change"
Leaders of American Jewish organizations note an unease among mainstream
supporters of Israel and Jewish causes — we’re not talking about marginal
"Obama is a Muslim" critics here — who say they voted for and admire Barack
Obama and support many of his policies, but feel he is being overly critical of
Israel and too soft on the Palestinians and on an Iranian regime bent on
developing nuclear weapons that could end up aimed at the Jewish state.
Rosenblatt raises a question about the “unbreakable bonds” between the U.S.
and Israel being weakened. And, he notes, “And is the gap growing between
leaders of mainstream Jewish organizations and the majority of American Jews,
more than three-quarters of whom voted for Obama, support a two-state solution
to the Israel-Palestinian crisis and may well agree that settlements are a
hindrance to peace?
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I think these are legitimate questions that have to be looked into. Rosenblatt
further notes (accurately) that the matter of “settlements” is more complicated
than most American Jews (and almost everyone else) understand. However, I
think the Israeli Governemnt understands it and that is why their Defense
Minister Ehud Barack is in direct negotiation with our governemnt on the issue.
I think my friends in Germany should understand that the American Jewish
community, its leadership, the Israeli Governemnt and the that of the United
States are not always in lockstep with each other. It’s good thing that Rosenblatt
has raised the question about the quality of those relationships but, frankly, I
think it’s more of a rhetorical question than anything else. In looking back over
the more than 60 years of relationship among those elements I think you will see
“discussion and negotiation” arises whenever there are problems. Rarely are
there splits. That’s the sign of a good and productive relationship and it’s not far
different than one the U.S. ejoys with Germany.
To read Rosenblatt’s column click here:
http://www.thejewishweek.com/viewArticle/c52_a16222/Editorial__Opinion/Gary_
Rosenblatt.html
DOES ISRAEL HAVE A NEGOTIATING PARTNER?
I try my best to keep DuBow Digest focused on American Jewish matters.
However, at times it is difficult to keep them separate from those having to do
with Israel. It should not come as a shock to anyone that what happens in Israel
and the Middle East are “Nummer Eins” when it comes to what American Jews
are thinking about.
While there is a lot of talk even on the part of our own President and Chancellor
Merkel about a “Two State Solution” the question remains, “Who do the Israelis
negotiate with”? I myself do not see a partner as the Palestinians continue
warring with each other. One of the Israeli real authorities on the subject is Yossi
Alpher, the former Director of the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv
University and the former Director of AJC’s Israel Office. Yossi is co-editor of a
fascinating website/blog www.bitterlemons.org .
In a recent article Yossi talks about the negotiations between the Palestinian
leader Mahmoud Abbas and former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. He notes
that in 2008 Olmert made a very generous peace offer to Abbas yet “Abbas looks
at an offer of virtually the entire territory of the West Bank, internationalization of
the disputed holy sites in Jerusalem and (according to him) the right of return,
turns it down and says "the gaps were wide".
So Yossi concludes, “Can we Israelis be blamed for suspecting that we really do
not have a partner for a two-state deal?” And finally says,” I can only hope that
somewhere, waiting in the wings, is the Palestinian leader capable of broadly
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accepting at least Olmert's offer--and without distorting it. Or that some sort of
international leadership, Arab or American, will prove ready and able to persuade
the Palestinian leadership and public to make the necessary concessions.
Otherwise, the chances of a successful two-state breakthrough in the near future
were definitely reduced by Abbas' statements.
Yossi Alpher is not some way out right-wing extremist. He is a moderate, very
reasonable and realistic surveyor of the Middle East scene. If he does not see a
path to peace in the near future then perhaps, the best we can hope for is “no
war”. I hope we’re both wrong.
HOLOCAUST RESTITUTION
Restitution of/and for art works, land and other valuables stolen by the Nazi
period is still a very important issue for the Jewish community. The JTA reported
this past week, “In a significant gesture this week, 46 countries signed a
declaration at the close of a Holocaust Era Assets Conference in Prague aimed
at easing the restitution process for Jewish property taken during the Nazi era.
The Terezin Declaration is a nonbinding set of guiding principles aimed at faster,
more open and transparent restitution of art and private and communal property
taken by force or under duress during the Holocaust.”
I recognize that the identification and restitution of stolen property is a difficult
and complicated matter especially 65 years after the Holocaust. That, of course,
is no reason why it should not go forward. After all, justice sought after should
never be denigrated. However, in this case it has caused in some countries an
ugly reemergence of anti-Semitism. In Vilnius, Lithuania a daily paper attacked
my AJC colleague Rabbi Andrew Baker who been very visible in restitution
matters with a vile front page story. That is really unforgivable. You can make up
your own mind by looking at it. Click here to see it:
http://jta.org/news/article/2009/06/30/1006242/last-chance-for-holocaust-
restitution
See you again soon.
DuBow Digest is written and published by Eugene DuBow who can be contacted
at [email protected] Both the American and Germany editions are also
posted on line at www.dubowdigest.typepad.com as well.
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