A newsletter on American Jewish - German relations

1. AN AMERICAN JEWISH – GERMAN INFORMATION & OPINION
NEWSLETTER
dubowdigest@optonline.net
AMERICAN EDITION
February 20, 2011
Dear Friends:
Lots of water under the bridge since the last edition – including two Arab
dictatorships. It’s always good to see people move toward democracy but if that
new status enhances anti-Israel sentiment and, perhaps, anti-Semitism then I
wonder about it.
One would think that especially in Europe, leaders would want to see how things
“shake out” in the Arab world before starting to put more pressure on Israel.
Certainly they understand as one of my colleagues put it, “I may well be missing
something, but I just don't see any big chance for advancing the Israeli-
Palestinian track anytime soon. The Palestinians have dissolved their cabinet,
called for elections, are fearful of the street a la Tunis and Cairo, and are still
reeling from Palestine Leaks. The Israelis are unlikely to take any major new
risks while Egypt plays itself out and other key countries, including Jordan, are in
potential flux, unless, against all the odds, we see a surprise on the Israeli-Syrian
track. It was tough enough to move the Israel-Palestinian process forward before
recent events. Now, it seems to me, it only gets tougher, at least in the short run.
However, with the Brits and French leading the charge among the Europeans
along with the normal pro-Palestinian nations, Germany signed on to a UN
Resolution that would have condemned Israeli settlements as "illegal" and called
for an immediate halt to all settlement building. It was vetoed by the U.S. but all
the other 14 members of the Security Council voted for it.
No question! Germany and the EU are solidly against settlements. We should not
expect Germany to go it alone in spite of how much we wish they would. EU
solidarity is too important to them and, besides, they are really (and have
frequently said) opposed to the Israeli settlement policy (as is the U.S. for that
matter in spite of the veto). It doesn’t thrill me but that is the reality of the
situation.
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2. The UN aside, Germany has other things on its mind at the moment. Their
Defense Minister (Guttenberg) has all but admitted that he plagiarized someone
else’s work in the writing of his Ph. D. thesis, more of their soldiers were killed in
Afghanistan and European leaders clearly are relishing tearing apart Chancellor
Merkel's ideas for a European economic government.
It’s not a happy time. However, let’s get on with the rest of the news which mostly
isn’t very happy either…
IN THIS EDITION
A NEO-NAZI VILLAGE – If you think it’s not possible – you’re wrong!
THE DRESDEN REACTION – The citizens of Dresden take to the streets.
THEY’RE BACK! BUT ALL IS NOT COMING UP ROSES – The national poll
numbers for the CDU/CSU/FDP coalition are better. How about the voting booth?
HAMELN: A GREAT HONOR FOR ME – This was too precious for me not to
include it.
GERMANY & A UNILATERAL PALESTINIAN STATE – The citizenry seems to
have their priorities straight.
THE SPY & POLITICAL PRISONER EXCHANGES – 25th ANNIVERSARY – It’s
more about freedom and political prisoners than spying.
MORE ON SPIES - Who were the post-war spies for Germany and what were
their backgrounds.
GE RMANY & IRAN: THE QUALITY OF THE SANCTIONS – The sanctions
seem to have more holes than Swiss cheese.
ANOTHER COMMEMORATION? – Not for the Holocaust this time.
A NEO-NAZI VILLAGE
A month or two ago I mentioned the fact that Jamel, a village in Mecklenburg-
Western Pomerania (former East Germany) had become infested by neo-Nazis.
It’s gotten worse and the news about what is going on there has finally drifted
back to the United States.
Fox News.com talking about Jamel recently reported, “This is a town taken over
by neo-Nazis.
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3. Wooden signposts by the main road point to Vienna, Paris, and Braunau am Inn
— the birthplace of Adolf Hitler. A far-right leader runs his demolition company
from home, its logo featuring a man smashing a Star of David with a
sledgehammer.
Every few months, townsfolk host outdoor parties where guests sing "Hitler is my
Fuehrer" to chants of "Heil" around a massive bonfire.
Jamel is the most extreme manifestation of a chilling phenomenon in the former
communist East Germany: a creeping encroachment of neo-Nazism that makes
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania one of only two states where Germany's
biggest far-right party, the National Democratic Party, or NPD, sits in parliament.
"Federally the Islamic extremists are the biggest problem; for us the extreme
right is the biggest problem," said Reinhard Mueller, who heads the state branch
of Germany's domestic intelligence agency.
In Jamel, six of the 10 houses are in the hands of the far right, and authorities
consider 10 of the village's 28 adults right-wing extremists. Town life is
dominated by one man: Sven Krueger, a 36-year-old leading NPD official, who
grew up here.
The NPD is marginalized at the national level in Germany, and wherever the
party holds rallies, the hundreds who show up are dwarfed in numbers by
thousands of counter-demonstrators. And even though its popularity has slipped
slightly in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, it appears poised to remain over the
5 percent of the vote needed to keep its seats in the upcoming Sept. 4 state
election.
Germany's domestic intelligence agency estimates that as of 2010 there were
about 1,400 far-right extremists in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania — a small
fraction of the state's 1.6 million population. Of them, 400 are NPD members.
Still, officials acknowledge the far-right extremists in the state make up a
disproportionate number of Germany's overall 26,000.
Mueller said the state government supports a ban of the NPD, which would cut it
off from funding given to all parties that receive a certain proportion of the vote,
based on a sliding scale. The NPD got some €1.19 million in 2009, the last year
for which a figure was available; while by contrast Merkel's conservative party
got €41.9 million.
There is little support federally for a ban, however, after a previous attempt was
thwarted in 2003 by Germany's highest court as it emerged that the argument for
the ban was partially based on statements by NPD members who were also paid
informers for state authorities.
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4. I guess that this sort of national disgrace is the penalty Germany must pay for
being a democratic country. Of course, free speech there is not totally free. Anti-
Semitic, Holocaust denying or pro-Nazi speech are crimes. However, the NPD is
smart enough to walk a tightrope and not get itself (at least, frequently) into
trouble.
But let’s not go overboard in worrying about it. Jamel is not Berlin or Hamburg
and the vast (vast!) majority of Germans have had enough of Nazism. In fact, it
has gone in the other direction with very strong feelings about non-violence, anti-
militarism and support for what they see as the oppressed (It’s what, among
many Germans, that explains their pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel support).
However, Jamel sticks out like a sore thumb. I doubt there is much the authorities
can do about it except watch it carefully and support the anti-NPD population of
which there are, I am sure, many.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/02/06/neo-nazis-dominate-tiny-
german-village-2108123018/#ixzz1DNijbzzu
THE DRESDEN REACTION
Every year the neo-Nazis hold a “funeral march” in Dresden for it was (The
Local) … 66 years ago that a massive Allied bombing raid on the city killed
thousands of civilians in a raid which has since been criticized as strategically
unnecessary as Hitler’s forces were already pretty much defeated.
The number of those who were killed has also been controversial, with an official
estimate lowered to 25,000 a few years ago. Prior to that, hundreds of thousands
where thought to have died in the raid.
Some 1,300 neo-Nazis showed up, as they do every year, to hijack the
commemoration and make the loss of life in 1945 a nationalist event. The
citizens of Dresden did not take it lying or sitting down.
According to DW-World.de, This year… some 17,000 people braved freezing
temperatures on Sunday to protest against the neo-Nazis by forming a giant
human chain around the city.
The thousands of people wore white roses pinned on their lapels and encircled
the city center for 10 minutes while bells tolled from the churches. The White
Rose was the name given to a group of students in Munich who opposed Adolf
Hitler's regime.
"When we remember the victims of the Dresden bombings today, we remember
all the victims of Nazi violence and World War II," said Detlef Sittel, Dresden's
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5. mayor. "There are so many people here who want to express their opinion
clearly and make Dresden a tolerant, friendly and strong city, open to the world."
"The people of Dresden are defending their remembrance," said German Interior
Minister Thomas de Maiziere, who participated in the event along with other
politicians.
Several hundred people also attended a wreath-laying ceremony at the cemetery
where many of the bombing victims are buried.
State Premier Stanislaw Tillich said the people had "once again made clear the
city is theirs and that there is no space for rightist extremists."
What can one say except that it seems as if the citizens of Dresden seem to
have their priorities in very good order?
Der Spiegel also has a good piece on this matter. Click here to read it.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,745423,00.html
As I write this, another Dresden demonstration is taking place with thousands of
protestors massed, perhaps for a melee.
THEY’RE BACK! BUT ALL IS NOT COMING UP ROSES.
I have been reporting that the ruling CDU/CSU/FDP coalition was losing
popularity and things were looking pretty dim for their prospects in the upcoming
seven state elections that will take place this year. I have also noted frequently
that in my opinion Chancellor Merkel is one of the best politicians to come down
the ‘pike (In this case the Autobahn) in a very long time. It now seems that things
have turned around in the national polls and the coalition has pulled almost even
with their opposition, the SPD/Greens coalition.
The Local reports, “Trailing heavily in opinion polls a few months ago, Chancellor
Angela Merkel’s ruling centre-right coalition has clawed back support just one
percentage point behind Germany’s left-wing opposition parties.
Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) and their junior coalition
partners the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) managed to win 41 percent of
voter support in a poll published by news magazine Stern on Wednesday.
Meanwhile the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) and the environmentalist
Greens together garnered 42 percent of their support in the poll.
The results are a drastic swing back in the coalition’s favour after it reached an
all-time low in voter support last October. It is also the narrowest margin since
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6. May of 2010.
Broken down by party, Merkel’s CDU registered the most support at 36 percent,
followed by the Social Democrats with 22 percent. Meanwhile the Greens picked
up 20 percent, the socialist Left party got 10 percent, and the FDP remained at a
lowly 5 percent.
While the overall numbers are better, the 5% for the FDP is still very
troublesome. Parties need at least 5% to be part of any state or national
parliament (Bundestag). If in the national election the FDP remains on “the
razor’s edge” and fall below the 5%, no matter how well the CDU does, their
coalition could not gain the 50% needed for an outright victory.
There’s a long way to go until the national election (2013) but, for the moment,
the CDU/FDP has stopped the bleeding nationally. However, on the State by
State level that is not the case.
As you read this they are about to take a genuine drubbing in Hamburg. The
election is today so I’ll report on it in the next edition. However, in the run up you
can see what’s on the horizon. Click here to read about it.
http://www.thelocal.de/politics/20110218-33193.html
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,746122,00.html#ref=nlint
HAMELN: A GREAT HONOR FOR ME
A few issues ago I wrote about the rebirth of Jewish life and the building of the
first new Reform synagogue in Germany in the small city of Hameln (English
spelling Hamelin). It is the very same community where legend tells us that the
Pied Piper supposedly led its children away never to return. While the children
may not have returned, Jews from the former Soviet Union (sort of) took their
place. There are now about 200 Jews in the community and the synagogue has
been recently dedicated.
With cooperation of the international arm of the Reform movement, the World
Union of Progressive Judaism, a torah was located and purchased. The WUPJ
had a dedication ceremony that I was honored to be invited to for the dedication
of the torah.
The acquisition of this scroll was made possible by generous donations by ACK
Hameln, (Arbeitskreis christliche Kirchen), a consortium of churches in Hameln,
and individuals living in the United States. This Sefer Torah was written in
Germany about a hundred years ago and has served congregations in Israel and
the United States.
Beiteinu, the name of the synagogue, is built on the site that housed the previous
Hameln synagogue, dedicated in 1879 and lost on November 9, 1938. Two
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7. pyramid oak trees, planted at the 1879 dedication, survived the Holocaust and
are an integral part of the new building site.
Hameln’s new Progressive Jewish community was founded in 1997 by Rachel
Dohme, an American living near Hameln, and a small group of Russian
immigrants.
Today, the Jewish community serves over 200 members and is affiliated with the
Union of Progressive Jews in Germany, the World Union for Progressive
Judaism, and the Central Council of Jews of Germany.
Now we come to the personal part. Since I was among the “Honored Guests’, I
was invited to participate in the decoration of the torah – something I did not
know was possible. It is. The decorations are small crowns placed some of the
letters. With my hand on top of that of the “Sofer”, Neil H. Yerman (scribe) (He
did most of the work) a small crown was drawn.
It was very exciting for me and a great honor.
GERMANY & A UNILATERAL PALESTINIAN STATE
One would think that a “peace” oriented, frequently critical of Israel populace
such as there is in Germany would be strongly behind the “quickie” route to
Palestinian statehood such as being marketed throughout the world these days.
It’s not the case! Seemingly, in a poll, the vast majority of Germans are more
perceptive about the road to real peace than we sometimes might give them
credit for – maybe even mores o than their political leaders.
Recently, JTA reported “A new poll suggests that most Germans would oppose
an early declaration of a Palestinian state.
“The poll also found that Germans would view a nuclear Iran as a serious threat
both to Israel and Germany, and that respondents also backed enforcing
sanctions against Iran even if it would hurt German companies.
The survey of 800 people was conducted Jan. 12-19. In addition, focus groups of
opinion leaders were held Jan. 6.
Both polls were conducted by the Greenberg Quinlan Rosner institution for The
Israel Project, a think tank based in Washington and Jerusalem.
Asked if Germany should recognize a unilaterally declared Palestinian state, 57
percent overall were opposed, with 27 percent were strongly opposed. Only 14
percent strongly favored such recognition; 36 percent overall approved of the
idea.
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8. Asked to imagine a nuclear-armed Iran, 69 percent felt this would be threatening
to Germany, and 88 percent saw it as a threat to Israel. Backing up their fears,
76 percent said they approved strong enforcement of economic sanctions
against Iran, even if the sanctions had an impact on German business.
The survey was conducted just as a former German politician raised eyebrows
by calling on the European Union to recognize an independent Palestinian state.
Former German development minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul of the Social
Democratic Party drew a sharp reaction from Reinhold Robbe, head of the
German-Israeli Friendship Society, who called her comments “irresponsible” and
“naive."
We will have to see whether this same sort of opinion is held throughout the rest
of Europe. We already know that Ireland has upgraded the diplomatic level it
accords the Palestinians. The leadership of the EU itself is something to watch
closely. However, after all is said and done, it is good to know that at least the
German population seems to have its priorities in order on the two issues
covered in the poll.
THE SPY & POLITICAL PRISONER EXCHANGES – 25th ANNIVERSARY
Anyone who has traveled from Berlin to Potsdam by car or bus has probably
gone over the Glienicke Bridge. It’s not a very imposing structure but during the
Cold War it had great significance. Being that it was one of the links between
East Germany and West Berlin it became the primary place for the swapping of
spies and political prisoners. The last exchange took place in 1986 when Anatoly
(later Natan) Sharansky, the most famous of the Jewish Refuseniks in the Soviet
Union was traded and freed for a number of Soviet spies. Sharansky now serves
as Chair of the Executive of the Jewish Agency for Israel.
It has been 25 years since the last Glienicke exchange took place and Deutsche
Welle recently produced a brief 5 minute video commemorating the anniversary.
For those who are into spy stuff, were active in the Soviet Jewry movement or
love inspiring stories about the battle for freedom, it’s a must.
You can see it by clicking here. It might take a moment or two to come up so be
patient.
http://mediacenter.dw-
world.de/english/video/#!/73451/Spy_Bridge_25_Years_Ago_the_Last_Cold_War_Exch
ange_of_Agents_Took_Place_on_the_Glienicker_Bridge/Program=3217
In thinking about it, one must conclude that this anniversary really belongs to
Natan Sharansky. We are very fortunate that the Jerusalem Post has done an in-
depth interview with this very amazing man. (Interview by David Horovitz.)
Sharansky tells about the actual facts of his release and the implications of it
8

9. today especially for Israel and the Middle East. Don’t miss it! Click here.
http://www.jidaily.com/2OSTj/e
MORE ON SPIES
Since I’m on the subject spies, Spiegel On-Line tells us, “Germany's foreign
intelligence agency, the BND, is having historians look into its shadowy early
years, when the organization hired former Nazi criminals. The coming revelations
could prove embarrassing for Chancellor Merkel's Christian Democrats and may
even tarnish the legacy of former Chancellor Konrad Adenauer. They were in
power at the time.
It’s a sordid story with former Nazi murderers on the payroll with the whole
operation bankrolled originally by our own CIA. Of course, the Cold War was on
so it was the Russians and the Communists that had become the enemy. Nazis,
well, they had information and knew where to get more so they got cleaned up
and worked on our side.
It’s ugly but it reads better than a John Le Carre novel. The sad thing is that it’s
all true. Read it by clicking here
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,745640,00.html#ref=nlint
GE RMANY & IRAN: THE QUALITY OF THE SANCTIONS
Is Germany doing all it can to keep Iran from developing a nuclear bomb?
Certainly, all of Chancellor Merkel’s public statements supporting the boycott
point us in that direction. However …
Donald Snyder reporting in Fox News notes, “Germany may be scaling back its
trade with Iran, but not fast enough for the United States.
The German government won’t close a Hamburg-based bank that the U.S.
Treasury Department says helps finance Iran’s nuclear weapons and missile
programs.
The bank is the European Iranian Trade Bank, or EIH, founded in 1971. The U.S.
Treasury has barred it from doing business with any American financial
institution.
“EIH has acted as a key financial lifeline for Iran as one of Iran’s few remaining
access points to the European financial system,” the Treasury Department said
in a press release.
9

10. EIH is essential to German trade with Iran. It is also Iran’s gateway to all
European Union member states. It facilitates the sale of Iranian crude oil and
gas, which is 80 percent of Iran’s export revenue and 50 percent of its budget.
India recently announced it will purchase crude oil from Iran and that EIH in
Hamburg would handle this multibillion-dollar transaction. India imports 14
percent of its oil from Iran. It turns to EIH because most financial institutions do
not deal with Iran.
The Treasury Department also said EIH facilitated the sale of more than $3
million in materials for Iran’s missile programs, but gave no details.
Eleven U.S. senators sent a letter to the German foreign minister on Feb. 1
asking that he stop EIH from doing business with Iran. The letter expressed
concern about EIH’s “continued financial support of Iran’s nuclear proliferation
activities.”
“It’s not an option for us to close down a bank simply on the basis that the U.S.
has blacklisted it and approached us,” said a high-ranking official of the German
foreign ministry told Fox News. Speaking on condition of anonymity, he said the
German government would not act against the bank unless the U.S. supplies
evidence that would stand up in court.
During this interview, the official said Germany has introduced trade barriers
against Iran that are tougher than current U.N. sanctions, and that the United
States and Israel have acknowledged this tough policy.
“However, we can’t simply tell German businesses to stop dealing with Iran
unless the company’s activities are prohibited by the U.N. or they violate our own
laws,” he said
Therein lies the problem. Many German corporations do business with Iran and
EIH is a major financial player in that area. The UN sanctions, as I understand it,
are not a total boycott. They apply to materials, etc. that are in some way directly
connected to Iran’s nuclear program. Are stronger sanctions needed? Probably!
However, German industry, like that in other countries, is not going to stop doing
business with Iran unless it is actually deemed illegal. Boycotts and sanctions are
rarely very effective. Yes, they impose economic pain but almost never keep the
country at which they are aimed from doing what they see as important in their
own national interest. Take a look at Cuba when you get a chance. Our sanctions
there are in their 51st year.
Read the rest of Donald Snyder’s article by clicking here.
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/02/11/german-trade-iran/?
cmpid=cmty_email_Gigya_U.S._Presses_Germany_to_Take_Action_Against_Bank_Sai
d_to_Be_Backing_Iran%27s_Nuke_Program
10

11. ANOTHER COMMEMORATION?
Does Germany need another commemoration, this time for Germans displaced
after World War II ended? Well, the CDU/CSU/FDP coalition has introduced the
idea into the Bundestag.
However, according to Dw-World.de, “A group of prominent historians has joined
Germany's Central Council of Jews and the Polish government in condemning a
proposed holiday to commemorate Germans expelled from Eastern Europe at
the end of World War II.
The proposed national holiday was put forth by Germany's League of Expellees.
It was officially proposed Thursday in parliament by the country's governing
coalition parties, Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats and the Free
Democrats.
But on Monday, a group of 70 historians from Germany, Austria, Poland and the
Czech Republic published a petition against the holiday, accusing it of dismissing
Nazi atrocities.
Specifically, the historians reject the proposed date for the holiday: August 5, the
day the Charter of German Expellees was signed in 1950.
"If you read the charter you see how strongly Germans see themselves as war
victims," Eckart Conze, a history professor and petition signatory, told Deutsche
Welle.
"The most problematic part of it is the central statement: 'We expellees renounce
revenge and retaliation.' That sentence is morally and politically totally
inappropriate in light of Germany's mass murder of Jews, Roma and Sinti as its
forced displacement of so many other people," he said.
"The sentence certainly cannot serve as the reference point for a national day of
remembrance 60 years later."
Conze, like other signatories to the petition, does not want to give special
historical weight to German suffering.
But the president of the League of German Expellees, Erika Steinbach, sees
things differently.
"Of course the charter - written in 1950 - doesn't address Nazi atrocities," she
told Deutsche Welle.
11

12. "The charter is about the expellees dealing with their personal plight, overcoming
their own justified resentment to say that they wanted to look forward and bring
about a peaceful coexistence in Europe," she said.
As the leader of a group that purports to represent the 12 million expelled
Germans and their descendants, Steinbach says her demand is "not about self
pity at all."
"It is the sympathy of the German state I am expecting for the particular fate of a
substantial part of the German people."
It is a very personal issue for the controversial Member of Parliament, who is one
the most right-wing members of Merkel's Christian Democrats.
What’s it all really about? Politics pure and simple! With the CDU/CSU/FDP
coalition facing 7 State elections this year they need all the votes they can get.
12 million votes is a lot and they have their eye on the prize. The very right wing
members of the coalition are probably in favor on philosophical grounds,
however, politics is the real answer. We’ll have to see how it is handled in the
Bundestag but rarely is anything introduced by the majority defeated. Stay tuned!
Read JTA story here
http://www.jta.org/news/article/2011/02/17/2743020/jewish-leaders-condemn-memorial-
day-for-expelled-germans
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See you again in March.
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