DuBow Digest American Edition May 15, 2013

DuBow Digest American Edition May 15, 2013

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  1 AN AMERICAN JEWISH– GERMAN INFORMATION & OPINION NEWSLETTER [email protected] AMERICAN EDITION May 15, 2013 Dear Friends: My trip to Germany was great! Accompanying the American participants in the 33rd annual Exchange program AJC has with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) was a treat. The program Ingrid Garwels of KAS worked out for the group (Hamburg and Berlin) was exiting, interesting and all the other adjectives in-between. The impressions and thoughts I had during the six day experience can be read in a following article (below). The best part was seeing old friends. Germany is in a pre-election mode. There is discussion about the September vote but so far there’s very little electioneering. A few speeches. That’s it! Conversely, the American election is 3 ½ years away and there are already attacks against prospective candidates and practically daily polls about who they might be. The trial of the last remaining member of the Nazi murder gang has gotten the attention of the German public but, by and large, I did not discern any major events or issues that were burning up the front pages or the German consciousness. It seemed to me that the Federal Republic was in a “business as usual” mode with people going about their lives in a normal manner. If this is the “European Socialism” that some of our politicians were (and still are) denouncing, all I can say – it ain’t bad! On to the news… IN THIS EDITION PERSONAL IMPRESSIONS – What I saw. What I think. GERMANY & ISRAEL: A SECURITY COUNCIL UP FOR GRABS – A not so friendly dispute. A NEW POLITICAL PARTY – The Alternative for Germany party (AfD) thinks Germany
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  2 should ditch theEuro. NEO-NAZI PRISON NETWORK – Of course there is one. Why should anyone be surprised? THE NEO-NAZI MURDER TRIAL – The last of the murder gang faces justice. NAZI EUTHANASIA – Not well known in the U.S., there was a precursor to the way Jews were liquidated in the Holocaust. The Nazis used it - on their own citizens! DEMOCRACY EDUCATION – AJC started it right after World War II. AJC Berlin is still at it. JEWISH CEMETERIES & THE U.S. GOVERNMENT – A surprising government program. PERSONAL IMPRESSIONS As noted above, I have recently returned from Germany where I staffed the American delegation that participated in the 33rd annual Exchange program between AJC and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. I thought it might be useful if I shared some of my impressions – for whatever they’re worth. Please keep in mind that they are personal impressions and are not based on scientific research. To be crystal clear, they are mine alone. My Exchange colleagues may have different perceptions. Interestingly, one of the delegation members recently wrote, ―What struck me was the sense that we all unconsciously identified strongly as Jews and as Americans and that this was a common bond that informed our impressions of the Germans, both Jewish and non- Jewish. It is likely that the pervasive memory of the Holocaust that permeated the experience reinforced everyone's Jewish identity.‖I totally agree! Our delegation met with many German leaders and almost universally they felt that while Israel’s security was one of the cardinal underpinnings of German government policy, it received much more support from the “political elite” than it did from the public at large. Much of the public sees Israel as an aggressor and the Palestinians as victims. Events in the Israel – Palestinian area are seen through that filter. It was pointed out that German political decisions are frequently made by the political leadership without broad public support and that the public mostly catches up and supports the decisions that have been made. That raised a question for me as to the role AJC should be playing in Germany. Should focus be on the leaders or the public and in what sort of programmatic mode should it operate?
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  3 After thinking itover I concluded that Deidre Berger, AJC’s Berlin director, is exactly following the right course. She has established and maintained contacts with the political leadership as a primary goal while at the same time, for example, promoting programs for tolerance education and leadership in public schools. AJC as a resident (in Germany) voice plays an important role in Germany. In a discussion I had with a German friend he told me that an American single-issue pro-Israel organization was planning to set up an office in Berlin. He indicated that it would be a waste of money as “lobbying” doesn’t work in Germany. As I’ve pointed out previously in this newsletter it is the political party that is important in Germany not individual legislators. I doubt that the Israel Embassy people would welcome any group that barges in and does not understand the delicate workings of German politics. On the other hand, occasionally public demonstrations are needed and it was generally concluded that the German Jewish community cannot rally many people to participate. Even in Berlin, the largest Jewish community in Germany, the turnout is almost always paltry. They’re just not up to doing that yet.As a community they are still developing. When considering the “political elite” Israel has no better friend than Chancellor Angela Merkel. As far as her future as the leader of Germany is concerned, that will be determined in the September national election. There is no question that she is the most popular politician in Germany but whether she will be able to cobble together a coalition government remains a question. If there is one overarching political feeling prevailing in Germany it is pacificism. The Germans have had enough of war and atrocities. It made them a pariah nation something they have been trying to overcome since the establishment of the Federal Republic. Most are horrified by the fact that there was a neo-Nazi murder gang who killed 10 innocent people. The last remaining member is on trial for that crime. However, there are very mixed emotions about the process of outlawing the neo-Nazi NPD Party. An attempt 10 years ago ran afoul of the courts. This time the legislative branch wants a strong case that will make it through this time. The fact that there are two state legislatures that have seated NPD members, in my opinion, puts that horrified feeling somewhat in question. I felt that most of those we discussed the matter with were strongly opposed to the NPD but were not very clear about what to do to get rid of them. I have been working on this Exchange program since it began. In looking back over a third of a century, not surprisingly, I noticed a considerable change in the thinking of the American participants. Back in the 1980’s and 1990’s the AJC participants came to Germany on edge, very suspicious and looking for signs of Nazism in almost everyone we met. This year’s group, of course 20 or 30 years more removed from the Holocaust came, I felt, with a much different point of view. AJC has now had its office in Berlin for more than 15 years and the organization itself has been steeped in American Jewish – German programing. I got the impression that our delegation members had open minds willing to see the positives as well as the negatives. The fact that Germany’s democracy has grown and developed has also been internalized with many more American Jews seeing it in a more favorable light than they did 30 years ago.
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  4 We got avery mixed and somewhat confusing picture of how the Jewish community in Germany is progressing. In Hamburg, a city-state with about 8,000 Jews has a stable population with a Jewish school plus one main synagogue and a couple of much smaller ones. They were without a “Land (Chief) Rabbi” for a couple of years but finally came to terms with the Chabad rabbi who had been placed in Hamburg by that organization several years before. The lead Chabad rabbi in Berlin has now been accepted by the local government for funding. That is a major change. There is no question that the dedication and organizing abilities of Chabad have given them an important place in the development of Jewish life in Germany. However, the vast majority of Russian Jews who came to Germany in the last 20 years are still on the periphery of Jewish life. Of the more than 200,000 (We heard as high as 300,000) Jews now in Germany 110,000 are “registered”. There are many more who either choose not to be organizationally affiliated or do not qualify because they do not fulfill the Halachic requirement of having a Jewish mother. The delegation member who I quoted earlier also wrote, ―I was also struck by the very small size of the German Jewish community, and their own efforts to form a cohesive community despite the usual differences of opinion (on matters which are really trivial in the context, but seem to be important to them). I don't think the Jews from the FSU [Ed. Note: Former Soviet Union] will be a real part of that community for a long time, if at all, but may, rather, end up being something separate and different.‖ Perhaps he is correct. There is no question that as former Soviet Jews come into leadership roles their agendas will be more front and center. I hope they will not be “separate”. However, “different” is something else again. No doubt they can add a lot of life to the community. Maybe “different” will be the factor that puts the community in a position to survive and prosper. On the subject of “survival”, it appears to me that many of the smallest communities will not survive. We have the same problem in the American South. There must be a solid enough base with enough infrastructure in order to continue on. Many of the small cities in Germany don’t have it. What me may see is a smaller number but stronger communities. One thing is for certain though. The sons and daughters of the Russian Jews in Germany will grow up as Germans. They will be educated in German schools and go to German universities. Some will leave Germany but many will stay and move into leadership positions in political and economic life. Their impact is yet to be seen – but it’s coming! It’s certainly happening already in the Berlin Jewish community where a group more oriented to the needs of the Russian Jews defeated the old line leadership in the communal election. GERMANY & ISRAEL: A SECURITY COUNCIL SEAT UP FOR GRABS When Germany and Israel have disputes, they are usually over the Settlements
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  5 question and, normallythey are handled quietly away from the media. However, there seems to be a disagreement over which country should try its luck at getting a temporary seat on the UN Security Council. The Jerusalem Post reported, ―Jerusalem is miffed at Germany‘s decision to vie for a seat on the UN Security Council in 2019, a move which would weaken Israel‘s already distant chances of sitting on that influential body for the first time, The Jerusalem Post has learned. Israel‘s and Germany‘s respective candidacies will be raised when Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle arrives in Israel on Friday One diplomatic official said news that Germany would be vying with Belgium and Israel for one of two slots reserved for countries from the UN‘s Western European and Others (WEOG) regional grouping was received with ―discomfort‖ in Israel. The official said that while Germany was very sensitive to Israel‘s security needs, ―there is not the same kind of attention and sensitivity to Israel‘s battle for international legitimacy.‖ A seat on the Security Council, or even being a serious candidate for such a seat – especially at a time when the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement is trying to delegitimize Israel – is seen in Jerusalem as important because it sends the message that Israel is a ―normal country like all others,‖ the official said. While the official denied that the issue represented any kind of diplomatic crisis with Berlin, he did say Israel intended to enter into a dialogue with Germany over this matter and convey the importance this two-year membership would have in cementing Israel‘s legitimacy at a time when that legitimacy is under attack. Germany, meanwhile, is interested in eventually securing a permanent seat on the Security Council, is the third-largest contributor to the UN after the US and Japan, and has had a policy over nearly the past three decades of being on the Security Council every eight years. Germany finished its last term on the council in 2011. One German official said that ―active support for the UN has always been a foreign policy priority for Germany. This includes regular German applications for one of the non-permanent seats in the UN Security Council, and will be continued.‖ The official added that, ―as we have proven on so many occasions, Germany always strives to coordinate closely with Israel.‖ While Israel began the process of campaigning for the 2019-2020 slot as early as 2005, Germany only began recently because under UN regulations, a country can only declare its candidacy for one of the 10 non-permanent slots after it completes its previous term on the council. Israel was informed at the highest levels of the German decision before it was made public.
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  6 Candidates for oneof the non-permanent seats on the council – the US, Russia, China, Britain and France are permanent members – are allocated according to regional blocs. As of 2000, Israel became a member of the 28-strong WEOG regional group, a move that opened the door to Israel‘s possible participation in the Security Council. I have the feeling that this matter will be handled and solved, perhaps, when Foreign Minister Westerwelle visits Israel. Perhaps it’s not even worth reporting. However, when it comes to national imperatives – and the UN is certainly in that category, there is some pushing and shoving even among friends and that is important to know about. A NEW POLITICAL PARTY There’s a new Party in town. The Alternative for Germany Party (AfD) launched itself last month.According to Spiegel On-Line, ―Interest in the group has been growing in recent weeks, but pollsters say its chances of landing seats in the federal parliament this fall are still slim.‖ …" There's even a punchy slogan: "Straight talk instead of S€datives". Bernd Lucke, the 50-year-old who is co-founding the party and will likely be its first national leader, says the mood is "euphoric." The Alternative for Germany party wants to shake up the traditional party landscape in the country during federal elections this September with its message of "putting an end to the euro." The party is calling for the "orderly dissolution of the euro currency zone." So what do they want to do, return to the deutsche mark? Lucke describes that path as "one option." The party still hasn't defined much in terms of its party platform, but its founders have argued for the right to hold national referenda as well as streamlining tax laws. More than anything, they aim to attract voters with their "no" to the common currency. According to The Local.de, ―The new anti-euro party Alternative for Germany (AfD) could tip the balance in the upcoming election regardless of whether it makes it into the Bundestag, according to a prominent German political expert. At its core, AfD wants Germany to abandon Europe's single currency, the euro. Despite plenty of evidence that Germany has benefited from the single currency, the party's supporters are in particular fed up with funding bailouts of weaker eurozone nations. A mere two percent in the votes for the euro-skeptic party could cost Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives (CDU/CSU) their majority and push their junior coalition partner the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) under the five percent threshold to get seats in parliament, according to Prof. Oskar Niedermayer from Berlin's Free University. "I'm very skeptical as to the prospects of this party entering the Bundestag, but that doesn't mean it's not politically relevant," he said.
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  7 But Niedermayer isreluctant to class the party, which backs a German exit from the eurozone, as right-wing populist. "The party can certainly be classified as a protest party, having been created out of protest at government policy during the euro crisis. [But] one should not place it in the [populist] category yet, even if some of the wording of its [party] platform gives that suspicion," he said. Will the Alternative for Germany be important? At this point one must put it in the “Who knows?” category. When the Pirate Party rocketed on to the scene last year and won seats in state parliaments it looked as if it would have national strength and make a place for itself in the Bundestag when the 2013 election took place. It didn’t happen. Internal strife and, most important, a failure to outline a reasonable program on the important issues of the day has practically destroyed it. So far the Alternatives (if there are any) have only a negative “get rid of the Euro” platform. I understand Prof. Niedermayer’s point of view and maybe in the long run he will be proven right and the AfD could affect the election outcome. However, they’ll have to do a lot more than have a glitzy launch in order to make an impact. So far all they have is a name. NEO-NAZI PRISON NETWORK Why should we be surprised if in German prisons there is a neo-Nazi network? In our own prisons there are all sorts of extreme right-wing connections among incarcerated felons. However, given Germany’s history, when word about such connections leaks out it is even more shocking than when we hear about similar stories right here in the good old USA. However, when German prisoners are in touch with a murder gang, that is serious business. Last month DW reported, “A network of neo-Nazis has been discovered operating in German prisons. They maintained contact with the far right terror group, NSU, whose alleged last member goes on trial next week. [Ed. Note: The trial was postponed]. The public has been shocked by the latest revelations from the world of German neo- Nazis. Authorities have found out that right-wing extremists in prison have been communicating with like-minded inmates under the guise of being involved with an organization that supports imprisoned right-wing extremists. Even worse is the allegation that several of them also maintained contacts with the far- right terror group, the National Socialist Underground (NSU), which is alleged to have killed 10 people - mostly migrants - over a period of seven years. The center of the aid organization was evidently Hünfeld prison in the German state of Hesse, the state's Justice Minister Jörg-Uwe Hahn admitted, telling regional television
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  8 that the organization'sinitial activities could be traced back to Hünfeld. The investigators found out about the network after they collected and analyzed letters and other private documents in several Hessian prisons over a period of weeks. They worked out that the members of the network were communicating via secret messages in letters and small ads in ordinary magazines. According to German newspapers, they used innocent-sounding words and symbols. The neo-Nazi prisoners who are alleged to have been involved in the network have now been transferred from Hünfeld to a variety of other prisons, and checks on far-right prisoners have been stepped up. In addition, prison wards are being trained to recognize neo-Nazi tattoos. Hahn says the neo-Nazis often give themselves away with their tattoos, but he admits that the guards had until now not paid enough attention to them. It’s bad enough that such a group existed but, frankly, there is no way of really stopping it. Prisons worldwide are the perfect breeding grounds for all sorts of extremist connections. The Germans officials are doing exactly what they should. Separation of the prisoners and the training of prison personnel are about as much as can be done. However, it’s only a matter of time until the next neo-Nazi associations come to light. It’s not going away anytime soon. THE NEO-NAZI MURDER TRIAL I would not want you to think that neo-Nazi activities, prison associations and trials are the only things going on in Germany. That would be totally incorrect and misleading. However, the neo-Nazi murder gang and the trial of its last remaining member (plus accomplices) that I have been reporting about have captured the interest of the media and the general population as well. Reuters reported, ―The surviving member of a German neo-Nazi cell went on trial on Monday for a series of racist murders that scandalised Germany and exposed the security services‘ inability or reluctance to recognise far-right crime. The chance discovery of the gang, the National Socialist Underground (NSU), which had gone undetected for more than a decade, has forced Germany to acknowledge that it has a more militant and dangerous neo-Nazi fringe than previously thought. Beate Zschaepe, 38, is charged with complicity in the shooting of eight Turks, a Greek and a German policewoman in towns across Germany between 2000 and 2007, as well as two bombings in immigrant areas of Cologne and 15 bank robberies. Her two presumed male accomplices both committed suicide in 2011. In a tailored black suit, white blouse and big earrings, and with her long hair looking glossy, Zschaepe‘s appearance in court was very different from the surly mugshots that
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  9 have been splashedover German media ahead of the eagerly-awaited trial. One of four other defendants charged with assisting the NSU hid under a dark hood. The case has shaken a country that believed it had learned the lessons of the past, and has reopened a debate about whether it must do more to tackle racism and the far right. ―With its historical, social and political dimensions, the NSU trial is one of the most significant in post-war German history,‖ lawyers for the family of the first victim, flower seller Enver Simsek, said in a statement. The German parliament is conducting an inquiry into how the security services failed for so long to link the murders or share information, despite having informers close to the group. The head of Germany‘s domestic intelligence agency resigned last year after it emerged that files documenting the use of informers in the far right had been destroyed after the discovery of the NSU. Politicians have accused the intelligence agencies of being ―blind in the right eye‖ and of focusing so much on Islamist groups that they overlooked the threat from the far right. We here in the U.S. are as intrigued by murder trials as are the Germans. My guess is that when the remaining Boston bomber gets his day in court the media blitz will be just as intense as the one referenced above. However, there is a big difference. The Boston trial will raise questions about terrorism and the security system in the U.S. The neo- Nazi trial deals with that as well. However, more importantly it raises questions about German society and the destructive force that once almost totally destroyed the country and still has hidden life somewhere in its entrails. Boston is an “outside force” question. Munich is one that deals with the country’s “kishkas”. A Yiddish dictionary will tell you what that is but I think you already know. NAZI EUTHANASIA Most important to a society that intends to cleanse itself from its past ills is to talk openly about them. Most of us who have read about the Holocaust, and especially the gassing of Jews in the death camps, think that this was the first instance of such a horrible undertaking. It wasn’t! According to The History Place, ―In October of 1939 amid the turmoil of the outbreak of war Hitler ordered widespread "mercy killing" of the sick and disabled. [Ed. Note: In Germany!] Code named "Aktion T 4," the Nazi euthanasia program to eliminate "life unworthy of life" at first focused on newborns and very young children. Midwives and doctors were required to register children up to age three who showed symptoms of mental retardation, physical deformity, or other symptoms included on a questionnaire from the Reich Health Ministry.
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  10 A decision onwhether to allow the child to live was then made by three medical experts solely on the basis of the questionnaire, without any examination and without reading any medical records. Each expert placed a + mark in red pencil or - mark in blue pencil under the term "treatment" on a special form. A red plus mark meant a decision to kill the child. A blue minus sign meant a decision against killing. Three plus symbols resulted in a euthanasia warrant being issued and the transfer of the child to a 'Children's Specialty Department' for death by injection or gradual starvation. The decision had to be unanimous. In cases where the decision was not unanimous the child was kept under observation and another attempt would be made to get a unanimous decision. The Nazi euthanasia program quickly expanded to include older disabled children and adults. Hitler's decree of October, 1939, typed on his personal stationary, enlarged "the authority of certain physicians to be designated by name in such manner that persons who, according to human judgment, are incurable can, upon a most careful diagnosis of their condition of sickness, be accorded a mercy death." Questionnaires were then distributed to mental institutions, hospitals and other institutions caring for the chronically ill. Patients had to be reported if they suffered from schizophrenia, epilepsy, senile disorders, therapy resistant paralysis and syphilitic diseases, retardation, encephalitis, Huntington's chorea and other neurological conditions, also those who had been continuously in institutions for at least 5 years, or were criminally insane, or did not possess German citizenship or were not of German or related blood, including Jews, Negroes, and Gypsies. A total of six killing centers were established including the well-known psychiatric clinic at Hadamar. The euthanasia program was eventually headed by an SS man named Christian Wirth, a notorious brute with the nickname 'the savage Christian.' The German euthanasia program has been written about extensively over the years. However, every once in a while it comes to the forefront to, I guess, remind the current citizenry what can happen in a corrupt society. It’s part of the cleansing process. Recently, a new book has come on the market by historian Goetz Aly. He was interviewed by Spiegel On-Line. It begins, ―Some 200,000 people who were mentally ill or disabled were killed in Germany during the Nazi era. The cynical name for the extermination program was "euthanasia," which means "beautiful death" in ancient Greek. This horrific past has shaped the way Germany treats the terminally ill and the disabled. Germany's laws on assisted suicide are restrictive, and the country has stricter rules on pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, a form of embryo profiling, than most other European countries. The interview is complicated. Mr. Aly himself has a disabled daughter and much of it is
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  11 about her andthe way it is dealt with. However, moral questions about assisted suicide are dealt with as is the history of euthanasia in Germany. Aly notes, ―There was no resistance to the euthanasia murders from the leftist or secular side of society. The notion of a healthy society, of capable people who are able to enjoy life, arose in the liberal, middle-class, leftist and non-religious segments of society. The euthanasia idea came from neither the radical right-wing nor the conservative corner. It was and remains part of the modern age and progressive thought. It's just that nowhere in the world was this way of thinking put into practice quite as radically as in Nazi Germany. Assisted suicide is a very accepted practice in some European societies that are closely oriented toward modernity. The Aly interview only deals with the Holocaust peripherally. However, for the purposes of this newsletter I thought it important to point out that euthanasia was something previously practiced in Germany. Getting rid of “imperfect” people was nothing new and is a stain on German history. Mr. Aly gets high marks in my book for writing on the subject. You can read the entire interview by clicking here. http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/historian-goetz-aly-on-nazi-euthanasia- program-and-inclusion-debate-a-896209-2.html If you are further interested in the subject you can Google “Nazi Euthanasia”. There is a great deal to read. DEMOCRACY EDUCATION It’s pretty obvious that if you wish to instill proper thinking about democracy the place to start is in the schools. The AJC Berlin Office (Ramer Institute) has as its major focus fighting anti-Semitism, German – American Jewish relations, Israel – German relations and those sorts of political issues. However, perhaps less well known is the fact that its director Deidre Berger also feels that AJC Berlin has a responsibility to its host country as well. Therefore, it has developed a major democracy education program for the nation’s schools. It was recently reported, ―AJC‘s innovative core values curriculum, ―Hands for Kids,‖ is now available to all 400 elementary schools in Berlin. The initiative was announced today by Berlin State Secretary Sigrid Klebba and AJC Berlin Director Deidre Berger. More than 350 students and teachers attended the annual ―Hands‖ Children‘s Conference in Berlin, where the announcement was made. ―The Berlin government is committed to the importance of learning the basics of democracy and we want everyone to be involved,‖ said Klebba. ―The ‗Hands for Kids‘ program is attractively produced and can certainly be an impetus for schools to deal with issues of democracy and participation.‖ The curriculum promotes core democratic values of equality, respect, fairness and tolerance. It was piloted in several dozen schools in Berlin and Brandenburg. The
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  12 popularity of theprogram prompted the Berlin state government to print copies of the curriculum for all Berlin elementary schools. ―When, if not in their earliest years, should children learn basic concepts of respect and tolerance?‖ asked Berger. ―Starting early is the best way to counter anti-Semitism, xenophobia and extremism.‖ ―Hands for Kids‖ was developed jointly by AJC Berlin, the German Society for Democratic Education (DGD), the Berlin State Institute for Education and Media (LISUM), the Brandenburg Regional Working Group on Education, Integration and Democracy (RAA), and the Berlin Ministry for Education, Youth and Science. Additional funding was provided by the German Federal Ministry for Family, Seniors, Women and Youth. The program deepens understanding of community by promoting the use of class councils as early as first grade to teach children the basics of verbal expression, respectful dialogue and problem-solving. The curriculum provides detailed information about class councils, service projects and peer work that help foster basic group, leadership, and social skills. Chapters on children‘s rights help pupils develop empathy for the lives of others, and provides tools for social engagement. ―We developed this program with German partners to help children understand their rights, embrace core values and gain exposure to democratic decision-making models,‖ said Berger. ―The success of ‗Hands for Kids‘ demonstrates that children can grasp basic concepts of mediation, conflict resolution and consensus in their early school years, creating a positive school environment that sparks creativity and helps defuse conflicts.‖ The ―Hands for Kids‖ program is based on principles in AJC‘s pioneering ―Hands Across the Campus‖ core values curriculum, developed in the 1980s in response to ethnic conflicts in the Los Angeles school system. After a surge of right-wing extremism in Germany in 2000, AJC Berlin began working with German government officials and educators to create model curriculum to promote core democracy values. The 2006 German version of ―Hands Across the Campus‖ was developed with funding from the Ford Foundation and the German federal government. A second edition was issued in 2011. ―Hands for Kids,‖ the first core values curriculum for German elementary-school pupils, was first published in 2011. In addition, AJC, LISUM and the Berlin state government published ―Active Against Anti-Semitism,‖ a handbook for junior-high and high-school students from migrant backgrounds that fosters understanding of Judaism, the Holocaust and the Middle East. All I can add is that I believe this sort of thing is of vital importance and that Deidre and AJC should keep doing what they’re doing. They’re on the right track. JEWISH CEMETERIES & THE U.S. GOVERNMENT
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  13 The U.S. Governmentis involved in all sorts of activities that don’t seem particularly useful or germane to its primary purpose. However, every once in a while you come across one that does seem essential and even tugs at your heart strings – especially if you’re Jewish. Did you know that there was a Government agency called “The US Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad”? Well, there is such a thing and The Times of Israel recently reported that it is, ―…a body established by law ―to identify and report on cemeteries, monuments, and historic buildings in Eastern and Central Europe associated with Americans and to obtain assurances from foreign governments that these properties will be preserved.‖ Many, but not all, of the commission‘s projects are focused on Jewish sites in former Communist Bloc countries that have fallen into disrepair in the decades since World War II due to inadequate care, commercial interests and the effects of time. Despite the Jewish philanthropic world‘s near obsession with young adults and ―Jewish identity,‖ Weiss [Ed. Note: Lesley Weiss, Chairman] says there are still plenty of American Jews interested in connecting with their past. In Central and Eastern Europe, the state of Jewish cemeteries and abandoned community buildings is grim. Thousands of sites are decaying as small Jewish communities lack the resources necessary for their care. In places like Poland and the Czech Republic, surviving communities of a few thousand are responsible for the upkeep of massive cemeteries that were administered by far larger Jewish centers before the war. In Poland, a Jewish community that once numbered 3.5 million today stands at 40,000. In Slovakia, close to 100,000 Jews resided there before the Holocaust; today, there are around 3,000. Last year, a special Council of Europe rapporteur for Jewish cemeteries found a number of instances of burial grounds in Eastern Europe that have been turned into ―residential areas, public gardens, leisure parks, army grounds and storage sites — some have been turned into lakes.‖ Eventually, the Council adopted a nonbinding resolution placing responsibility for the care of Jewish cemeteries on national governments. The Commission, while focusing on Jewish sites, also deals with churches and all other religious properties that have fallen into disrepair. Almost all are in Eastern Europe. I haven’t done a survey but my guess is that very few of the Jewish sites are in Germany. In my 30 years of traveling around the Federal Republic one thing I have noticed is that in many communities that no longer have any Jews the Jewish cemeteries and at times the local synagogues have been restored. Of course, not all, but provision for restoration of these sites have been handled by the local towns and villages with the cooperation of the Jewish leadership in the nearest community that, indeed, has an organized Jewish community.
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  14 To read moreabout the Commission click here. http://www.timesofisrael.com/after-the-survivors-only-the-stones-will-tell-stories/ ******************************************************************************************* See you again in June 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