DuBow Digest is a newsletter on American Jewish - German relations.

1. GERMANY EDITION
June 12, 2011
Dear friends:
Normally in the Germany Edition of DuBow Digest I limit myself to writing about the
American Jewish community and its interests – frequently the Middle East. To begin
this edition I am going to digress somewhat and start off with some of my own
reactions to my recent trip to Germany. What follows is reprinted from the American
Edition which mostly (but not exclusively) goes to my American Jewish readers.
Incidentally, both editions are always posted at www.dubowdigest.typepad.com .
If you disagree with me or have any comments, please drop me a line at
dubowdigest@optonline.net and I’ll be glad, with your permission, to publish
whatever it is you have to say. You can also write if you agree. I’m always glad to
hear from you.
So, on with the news…
I’m back! Neither E.coli nor too much curry wurst got me.
The trip to Germany with this year’s participants in the 31st annual AJC – Konrad
Adenauer Foundation Exchange Program was genuinely exciting. The group itself
was great (smart, articulate and deeply interested in German – Jewish relations) and
the program put together for us (Munich and Berlin) by Ingrid Garwels of the KAF
was outstanding.
We met with many people and heard a lot especially about Germany’s stance on the
Israel-Palestinian matter and the progress made by the Jews from the former Soviet
Union who have settled in Germany. We all took a lot of notes. Rather than quote
each and every source I will try to summarize the main points that were made
hoping that what appears below is accurate.
Middle East
First and foremost, and almost without exception, we were told that the German
government and leadership stand firmly behind Israel’s security but, (and this is a big
but) they feel that the current Israeli government is not doing enough to bring about
peace. Prime Minister Netanyahu is far from being a favorite (That’s a kind
assessment). If, indeed, the German government’s commitment to Israel is firm, that
of the non-elite Germans (the citizenry) throughout the country is a lot less so. I did
not do any surveys but my guess is that support of Israel is down in the teens
somewhere – and Germany is probably more positive than the results in the other
EU countries. As one speaker put it, Israel’s popularity is down there with N. Korea
and Iran.
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2. A legitimate question is “When will the German unhappiness with the settlement
policy and the alleged Israeli intransigence regarding the peace process builds up
sufficiently to begin to impact upon government policy?” Of course, no one knows
the answer or what will actually happen between Israel and the Palestinians.
Recently the French have suggested some sort of a peace conference in France
and our own government has suggested that the Turks sponsor a conference in
order to hold off the next Gaza flotilla that is planned for later this month. However,
Chancellor Merkel, Israel’s staunchest ally, is having political troubles of her own so
she, nor any other politician, will be able hold off a strong anti-Israel wave forever.
The German policy already favors more accommodation on the part of Israel. No
question! A stronger stand against Israel policy is not far off if nothing in the Middle
East changes.
The battle to make Israel’s case in Germany is left to the Central Council of Jews in
Germany (Zentralrat), the Israeli Embassy and AJC plus a few other small
independent groups. I fear that what they have to say is seen as “special pleading”
and, perhaps, is discounted and does not change attitudes. However, trying to add a
note of objectivity to the public discourse is not an easy task though, of course, it
must and will continue.
I have often asked myself what Germany’s commitment to Israel’s security really
means. Would they commit their military to fight on Israel’s behalf if a war broke out
or would diplomatic and economic assistance be the limit of their willingness to come
to Israel’s aid? Munich based Prof. Dr. Michael Wolffsohn pointed out that Germany
abhors the use of power and force in international relations as they did in the 20th
Century. It is their “Never Again” while Israel believes that “Never Again” means
never again being a victim.
Michael (he’s an old friend) noted that Germany does not believe in the centrality of
territory. They gave up much of their own country to Poland after World War II and
do not believe that Israel should put its focus on territorial boundaries. Of course, the
matter of the religious meaning of the land means a great deal to both the Arabs and
the Israelis. This is not the case with Germany which is, by and large, secularized.
Religion is not much of a factor in German political thinking these days.
Interestingly (at least to me), I had occasion a talk with a very high German military
person (high rank). I asked him the question about whether the German armed
forces would ever become involved in a Middle East shooting war if Israel’s security
was in question. He responded by saying that if Israel requested military help
Germany would have no option than to come to Israel’s assistance. Of course, my
respondent was a military man and not a politician. I wonder whether the politicos
would be in the same boat.
Jews in Germany
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3. There was a difference in opinion among the Jewish speakers (and others) we met
with about the future of the Jewish community in Germany. In 1989 when the Berlin
Wall fell, there were 28,000 Jews (combined East and West) in Germany. With the
implosion of the Soviet Union, Jews from there flocked to Israel, the U. S. and
Germany. Today there are 105,000 registered Jews and, perhaps, another 100,000
to 150,000 who are unregistered. There are even (roughly) 20,000 Israelis who,
mostly, live in Berlin.
Some felt that there is no “intellectual leadership” in Jewish Germany and that the
numbers of Jews will slowly diminish. Much of what is today a substantial number in
the community will largely evaporate. On the other hand, some feel that, while there
will probably be a reduction in numbers, a “Russian leadership” will emerge from the
second generation, change the nature of the community’s leadership and make for a
smaller but more stable German Jewry.
I tend to lean toward the latter assessment. It’s only been 20 years since the vast
majority of Russian Jews landed in Germany – almost all without knowledge of the
German language and with no employment. Even in the U. S. in the 20th Century it
was the second and third generation that finally became full blown “Americans”. Our
Russian immigrants (in the U.S.) are undergoing the same sort of process that the
German Russians are experiencing. Yes, the death rate among Jews in Germany
now exceeds the birth rate and the immigration has largely stopped. That is a
statistical concern but that does not mean the end of the community. Far from it!
There are now over a hundred Jewish communities in Germany. Some are very
small and they probably will not all survive. My guess is that there will be a
consolidation and in 20 or 30 years there will be 10 or 20 solid communities. The
overall number may drop to even 100,000. So what? That’s better than the 28,000
that there were in 1989. I don’t think we’ve heard the last of the “Jews in Germany”
whose children will one day be “German Jews”. To quote a former NY Mets baseball
player, “You gotta believe”.
Anti-Semitism
Depending on who you talk to, the level of this virus is either up or down. Speaking
to the people who monitor such things in Bavaria, we were told that there have been
very few incidents. There are more in the former East Germany where there are a
few members of the neo-Nazi National Democratic Party (NPD) in state legislatures
but none in the Bundestag. Islamic extremism is being watched carefully.
I didn’t detect any great change in the situation over last year. The various
government agencies that follow the extremists continue doing their job but it does
not appear as if anti-Semitism has expanded. It’s certainly there but not affecting
government policy or the mass of population in any way. As long as that’s the case
I’m not too worried.
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4. IN THIS EDITION
UNITY FISSURES – Splits: between the U.S. & Israel -- Palestinians & Palestinians
ISRAEL’S SUPPORT IN THE U.S. CONGRESS – How come? It’s not the Jewish
lobby.
JEWS IN EASTERN EUROPE – Quite at home.
NEW SQUARE – Life in an American ultra Orthodox Jewish village.
DURBAN III – America opts out.
THE SURVEY – Thanks to those who participated.
UNITY FISSURES
Because I was in Germany I missed the dueling speeches made by President
Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu which seem to have succeeded not in moving
the Middle East peace process any closer to a solution but, rather, to moving the two
leaders further away from each other. Not a good situation.
Pres. Obama used an unfortunate phrase. He said the two states should be
established along the borders from 1967 - before Israel had occupied East
Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza - with the scope for "mutually agreed swaps." It
wasn’t anything new but focusing on “the 1967 borders” which any military person
will tell you are indefensible raised the hackles of many of Israel’s supporters. P.M.
Netanyahu focused on that in his speech before the U.S. Congress and something
that previously had not been a point of major contention – became one.
This almost needless point of contention will probably hurt Pres. Obama’s 2012
election campaign in terms of the Jewish vote and Jewish campaign funding. He is
already seen in some Jewish circles as being less friendly to Israel than previous
presidents. The 1967 borders phrase certainly didn’t help him.
A more important break in unity has emerged in the last week. This one has to do
with the Palestinians. Haaretz.com reported, “The Palestinian leadership is sharply
divided over the unilateral move to seek recognition from the United Nations
General Assembly in September. While Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud
Abbas is determined to go through with the move, a group of senior Palestinians
have said in closed conversations that they oppose it because they believe seeking
recognition from the United Nations could do more harm than good to their cause.
Two senior European diplomats who have been holding talks with the Palestinians
over the past few weeks, as well as three Israeli officials - some of whom are not in
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5. governmental roles and some of whom are in senior government positions - told
Haaretz that the Palestinians are debating the matter.
Among those opposed to the United Nations declaration are senior officials,
including PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, former Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia
and the former Palestinian UN envoy Nasser al-Qudwa. The latter's opposition is
particularly significant because he is considered the most experienced Palestinian
official when it comes to dealing with the United Nations. He is also considered likely
to run for PA president after Abbas retires.
"More and more senior Palestinians are beginning to reconsider the approach to the
United Nations," said a senior European diplomat who met about a week ago with
two Palestinian ministers.
An Israeli official who met with senior Palestinians and who disagrees with the move
said, "Some of them are beginning to understand that approaching the United
Nations might hurt Israel, but it won't help the Palestinians."
Opponents say a declaration of statehood in the United Nations could negatively
impact relations with the United States, especially with the U.S. Congress. Six
months ago, Congress passed a resolution, albeit a declarative one only, stating
that it would oppose a unilateral declaration of Palestinian statehood in the United
Nations.
Opponents also say that even if the resolution passes in the General Assembly,
there would be no change on the ground, which could mean escalation to a new
intifada. They also say that such a declaration could provide the Palestinians a state
within provisional borders, taking issues like East Jerusalem and refugees off the
table.
There is more to story which you can read by clicking here.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/palestinian-leadership-divided-over-plan-to-seek-
un-recognition-1.366679
Granted, the story comes from the Israeli press so there must be some question as
to its accuracy. However, there seems to be, at least, a kernel of truth in it. The great
Israeli diplomat Abba Eban once said, “The Arabs never miss a chance to miss a
chance”. The only real chance they have to establish any sort of a nation is to get
back to the negotiating table and see what they can work out.
In years gone by I always thought that a deal could not be consummated because
the Palestinians would be giving up what they consider “Arab land” and that could
never be acceptable to the extremists. However, with the Arab world in such turmoil
these days change in views might rule the day and allow the Palestinians to cut
some sort of deal. While in the past I have strongly believed that such a thing was
not possible, times have changed and, perhaps, thinking can as well. Let’s hope!
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6. ISRAEL’S SUPPORT IN THE U.S. CONGRESS
I have made to point many times that support for Israel in the U.S. comes not only
mainly from American Jews but from a wide spectrum of American Christians – and
not only the conservative ones. During P.M. Netanyahu’s visit to the U.S. his
address to the Congress was a rousing success. Why? It was certainly not an anti-
Obama warm welcome as Democrats as well as Republicans joined in what,
seemingly, was a love fest. How come Israel is so popular in the Congress?
A reasonable answer comes from Walter Russell Mead, the James Clarke Chace
Professor of Foreign Affairs and Humanities at Bard College and Editor-at-Large of
The American Interest magazine, and is recognized as one of the country's leading
students of American foreign policy. Quoted in an article The Atlantic in an article by
Jeffrey Goldberg, Mead says, “Full-throated support for hardline Israeli positions is a
populist position in American politics -- like full-throated support for a fence on the
Mexican border. It is a foreign policy idea that makes elites queasy and that they try
to steer away from, but support for it is so strong in public opinion, and therefore in
Congress, that presidents have to figure out how to work with this force rather than
taking it on directly.
Lobby groups like AIPAC play a role, because most politicians do not want to be
branded "anti-Israel" by AIPAC. The reason is that getting called anti-Israel by
AIPAC weakens your support among pro-Israel gentiles. But if gentiles don't
support hardline Israeli positions (like releasing convicted spy Jonathan Pollard), all
the alleged mighty power of the Israel Lobby vanishes in a heartbeat.
The Israel Lobby is all powerful when it has gentile public opinion behind it; it is a
much weaker creature when it doesn't. What Netanyahu demonstrated in Congress
was not that he has the backing of the Israel Lobby. It was something much more
important and, depending on your viewpoint, more alarming: he has the backing of
the American people.
I think that says it all. It’s not lobbying or Washington pressure that puts Israel in
such a favorable light. It is its democratic political system, Western oriented culture
and religious connection (across the Christian spectrum) that gives it its
Congressional strength. That’s a tough combination to beat.
JEWS IN EASTERN EUROPE
Ruth Ellen Gruber, a noted European Jewish journalist writing in JTA notes, “A
generation after the fall of communism, Jews in Central Europe feel comfortable
where they live but are concerned about anti-Semitism.
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7. They like to visit Israel but don't want to move there. And they feel that they don't
have to be religious to be a "good Jew."
These are some of the findings in Identity a la Carte, a landmark study of post-
Communist Jewish identity, affiliation and participation released Monday.
"The most important feature for the post-Communist generation is that Judaism is no
longer experienced as a stigma that needs to be concealed," said Marcelo
Dimentstein, operations director for the American Jewish Joint Distribution
Committee’s International Center for Community Development, which commissioned
the study.
"On the contrary," he said, "this is a generation that is proud of being Jewish and
has positive feelings about it."
Carried out in 2008-09 by a team of leading demographers, Identity a la Carte is the
most wide-ranging and in-depth comparative examination of Jewish life and
attitudes in Central Europe since the Iron Curtain came down more than 20 years
ago -- Central Europe’s version of the decennial U.S. National Jewish Population
Survey. In fact, one of the demographers on the Identity a la Carte team, Barry
Kosmin, directed the 1990 NJPS.
The survey sample was made up of 1,270 Jews aged 18-60 living in urban centers,
where most of the Jewish population in each country resides. Face-to-face
interviews were carried out based on a common questionnaire for all the countries.
Identical criteria and terminology were used in all five countries, where Jewish
populations range from 5,000 in Bulgaria to 100,000 in Hungary.
At least one-third of respondents in each country -- and more than half in Poland
and Romania -- said they were more involved in Jewish life now than five years ago.
Between a quarter and one-third of respondents said they wish to be more active in
the future.
"The strength of Jewish identity, when contrasted with the mixed backgrounds of
participants, is something that is quite surprising," Dimentstein said.
In all five countries, however, religious observance was found to play a minor role in
the formation of Jewish identity, with cultural, educational, social and other "non-
religious communal activities" ranking higher.
This study did not include Germany and I’m not sure how much of it would apply to
Russian Jews who have settled in the Federal Republic. However, it seems to me
that a large number have found peace, security and a place where they can practice
their religion without discrimination. The threat of anti-Semitism is always there to be
concerned about but the same thing, perhaps in a different way, is also present in
the U.S. The point, however, is that Jewish life in Eastern Europe is not dying as
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8. many predicted it would. Perhaps it is on a smaller level but it is there and, at least
for the time being, seems to have an aura of communal health surrounding it.
You can read the entire Gruber article by clicking here. http://www.jta.org/news/article/
2011/05/31/3087946/landmark-study-provides-snapshot-of-new-jewish-identity-in-central-
europe
To buttress the fact that the Jewish communities in Eastern Europe are reaching
genuine stability, JTA reported, “After months of turmoil, a communal umbrella
organization for Europe’s Jewish communities was re-established in Paris.
The European Council of Jewish Communities was re-established with 20 member
organizations that approved articles of association at a board meeting last week.
Rather than political matters, the council will focus on its original mandate, including
Jewish education, welfare and heritage for member communities.
Real estate lawyer Evan Lazar, a founder of the Czech Jewish communal
organization Bejt Praha, was elected as president at the meeting. Newly elected
vice presidents are Marguerite Zauberman, who serves on the board of the Paris-
based United Jewish Social Fund, and Alexander Oscar, president of the Jewish
Community of Sofia, Bulgaria.
Igor Kolomoisky, who had been named president of the ECJC during its meetings
last fall in Berlin, had withdrawn from the position and started another organization,
the London-based European Jewish Union, with fellow Ukrainian billionaire
philanthropist Vadim Rabinovitch, a former ECJC vice president.
Many ECJC members had resigned following the naming of Kolomoisky as
president last fall, objecting to the manner in which he was chosen and fearing that
he would take the organization in a more political direction.
Some members decided to "do our best to rebuild the organization," Oscar told JTA
in a telephone interview.
An interim board was elected during a meeting Jan. 30 in Milan; its members
designed a new structure for the organization. All bank accounts were closed and
the organization was reincorporated, Oscar said, and meetings with Kolomoisky and
Rabinovitch were positive.
"We are working toward rebuilding the image," Oscar said, "and we are perfectly
aware that it will take some time until the communities that were disappointed and
resigned will believe in the ECJC again and rejoin the organization."
It’s not clear how involved the German Jewish community is but I imagine they are
or will be once this newly re-constituted organization gets going. It’s also not unusual
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9. that previously there was bickering in the organization which brought about
resignations. As I have pointed out many times previously, Jews value their
democratic right to voice their opinions and even to battle out important matters with
each other. However, when it comes down important values, “Jewish education,
welfare and heritage” always win the day.
NEW SQUARE
I live in a New York suburb about 25 miles north of New York City. My village of
South Nyack is part of a larger government unit called Rockland County. Because of
its relative closeness to New York City and because there has been open land on
which to build, many Orthodox Jews have move to Rockland County and established
communities, which, of course, must be open to all, but have in effect become
almost totally Orthodox .In some of the villages since almost all of these Orthodox
Jews are followers of a certain rabbi, the residents are of the same sect. They are
very insular and self-contained and do not welcome even those of other sects to
their village. Of course, they must adhere to all civil and criminal laws even though
they seem very closed to the world around them. Their children attend religious
rather than public schools and the word of the chief rabbi (rebbe) is taken almost as
law. Such a community is New Square. It is populated by members of the Skver
Hasidim. Click here for more on the Skver sect. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skver_
%28Hasidic_dynasty%29
Recently, one of the Skver followers, unhappy with the tight rule of Rebbe David
Twersky decided to worship in a place other than the New Square Synagogue in
spite of a ruling against such practice by the Rebbe. According to him his children
were kicked out of the school, he was threatened and eventually had a fight with a
young Skver who was about to fire bomb his house. Both were burned badly and the
fire bomb perpetrator was arrested. Eventually the “outcast” moved to another
community even the Skvers made it difficult for him to sell his house.
A rather negative story about the life in New Square appeared in The Forward. It
gives one a intimate, and perhaps, a distorted view of life in New Square. However,
I’m sure there is some truth to it. You can read it by clicking here.
http://www.forward.com/articles/138211/
I’m including this story not because the Skvers are a significant in American Jewry
(They’re not) but because they are indeed part of it and you should have a well
rounded view of our makeup. However, I expect that they and other Orthodox
groups will grow in numbers as they marry early and have many children.
While they are inward looking they are not so oblivious to their surroundings that
they do not vote. In fact, they tend to follow the lead of the Rebbe and vote as a bloc
focusing mainly on issues that affect them directly such as educational funding,
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10. health care and land use. In Rockland County they are an important political factor.
Local politicians are very aware of them and their needs.
DURBAN III
What is Durban III?
It is a conference to be held at the UN in New York on Sept. 21st to mark the 10-year
anniversary of the U.N.'s World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa,
during which the delegations from the United States and Israel walked out in protest
as the tenor turned increasingly anti-Israel and anti-Semitic.
JTA recently reported “The United States will not participate in the United Nations-
sponsored Durban III conference this September, the State Department said.
In a letter to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Joseph Macmanus, acting assistant
secretary of state for legislative affairs, confirmed that the United States would not
attend the conference, which in its previous iterations has been a forum for anti-
Semitism and anti-Israel rhetoric. JTA obtained a copy of the letter.
In November, the United States voted against a U.N. resolution to establish the
conference. The following month, Gillibrand led a coalition of 18 senators in signing
a letter to the American ambassador to the U.N., Susan Rice, urging the U.S. not to
participate in the conference, scheduled for Sept. 21 in New York.
Gillibrand applauded the decision in a statement Wednesday.
"I commend the Obama Administration decision to withdraw from this event,"
Gillibrand said. "We all witnessed how extreme anti-Semitic and anti-American
voices took over Durban I and Durban II, and we should expect the same thing to
happen with Durban III."
The U.S. and Israel, along with seven other countries, boycotted Durban II in 2009,
during which Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad delivered a keynote speech
assailing Zionism.
In November, Canada was the first country to announce it would not participate in
Durban III. Israel announced the following month that it would boycott the
conference
Pure and simple Durban III is another of the growing attempts to delegitimize Israel
in as many ways and in as many venues as possible. Even if one is not in synch with
Israel’s policies any attempt to “make it go away” is a fool’s errand and, obviously, as
a political ploy is not going to work. There are 6 million Jews living in Israel. Will they
evaporate or move elsewhere. Not likely! What conferences such as Durban III do
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11. succeed in doing is to give what is seen as a legitimate voice to virulent anti-Semites
and those hiding behind them. They get a seeming neutral opportunity to vent and
spew the sort of stuff that respectable people should be ashamed to be connected
with. .
Is that all? Not really! What it has succeeds in doing is putting up Israel as a “straw
man” so that the real inequities that many Arab leaders have foisted upon their own
citizens do not become part of public discourse. This sort of political ploy is nothing
new. Blame Israel and the citizenry will not focus on what their leaders are directly
doing to them.
I hope Germany and the other EU countries will stay away from Durban III. I
understand politics, oil and large populations versus small ones. However, there is a
self-respect issue here. I hope my friends in the Federal Republic understand that.
THE SURVEY
Many thanks to all of you who took the time to answer the brief survey I sent to you.
The responses were very helpful.
A vast majority (roughly 95%) said that I should keep the title, DuBow Digest. I bow
to your superior knowledge on the subject of “branding”.
A sizeable minority, 30% felt that receiving it twice a month was too much and that it
should be monthly. A few suggested a middle course – namely once every three
weeks. No one suggested that I stop.
I am going to take that criticism to heart and feel that I can be more flexible in the
future when thinking about when an edition should be e-mailed. I will not be
compulsive about twice a month and rely more on how much there is to report.
However, much of what is reported is time sensitive. I hate to wait too long and lose
the timeliness of a subject.
So, in the future you will receive DD on a slightly less frequent basis. I don’t think
we’ll lose much by doing it that way.
Again, my thanks for your cooperation. I deeply appreciate it.
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DuBow Digest is written and published by Eugene DuBow who can be contacted by
clicking here.
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