Dubow Digest Germany Edition Nov, 17, 2009

GERMANY EDITION NOVEMBER 18, 2009 Dear Friends: The excitement and celebration surrounding the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall came through quite clearly on American TV and the print media. I’m not sure that everyone truly understood the importance and meaning that event has for all of us even to this day. I believe that most American Jews watching their screens or reading their newspapers saw the falling dominoes and shooting rockets in American terms – a celebration of freedom. I, rather, saw it more in Jewish terms. Certainly the freeing of 17 million people and the unification of Germany is, and was, vital. However, the ensuing collapse of the Soviet Union and the freeing of its Jews to emigrate should not be lost in the greater overall celebration. That so many Jews were able to find new lives in Israel and the U.S. made the fall of the Berlin wall a major event in contemporary Jewish history. Perhaps an even more fascinating result was the substantial emigration of Jews to Germany. From a tiny population of 28,000 Jews in 1989, the German Jewish community has risen to somewhere between 100,000 and 200,000 today. From a community that was getting older and shrinking, new life has been injected and a new future is possible. It is too early (20 years is just an “Augenblick” in history) to tell what impact this immigration will have on Germany in the years to come. Somehow I think it will be positive and great. I would not want to gloss over the importance of the “fall” for those Jews who still reside behind what was the Iron Curtain. Jewish life has sprung up in Russia and in many of the other East Bloc countries. Their lives are much the better for what happened in Berlin on November 9, 1989. We should all be thankful. It’s strange isn’t it that Nov. 9th in 1938 was so much different for Jews in Germany than the same date in 2009. Both occurrences should not be forgotten. Now, on to the news… IN THIS EDITION CHANCELLOR MERKEL IN WASHINGTON – I was there! It was exciting! J STREET – A new sort of voice emerges in American Jewish life. ANTI-SEMITISM IN THE U.S. – Yes, it exists here. Read about the latest study. ANTI-HAMASISM – Hamas is radical. Who is more radical-er?

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DANIEL JONAH GOLDHAGEN’S NEW BOOK – A broader group of “Willing Executioners” CHANCELLOR MERKEL IN WASHINGTON Through the good offices of my Congressman, Elliot Engel, I was able to represent the American Jewish Committee at the speech given by Chancellor Angela Merkel at a joint Congressional session (House & Senate) on Nov. 3rd. The House Chamber is stunning in itself. Dark wood, an historic portrait of George Washington and a feeling that this is one of those places where important decisions about our lives as Americans are made. I got there early and watched all the Senators and House members file in. Many familiar faces. “Talking heads” to those of us who watch TV. It was reassuring to see that they also had bodies – all sizes and shapes. After Speaker Pelosi appointed an honor delegation to escort Chancellor Merkel, she arrived wearing her signature pants suit (black) to a rousing welcome. The place shook. She seems almost shy and retiring (she’s not that at all) but was greeted like a rock star. A long standing ovation roared a welcome as she stood at the podium. It was an outstanding speech. She delivered it in German (translation devices were supplied by an army of Congressional Pages) and was greeted by seven more standing ovations. The Congressional people really love her as did those in the packed gallery. Historic and a little hysterical. For my perspective, I could not have written a better speech for her myself. She thanked the U.S., talked a lot about freedom and issued a clarion call on global warming. However, the parts that most interested me (of course) were those that dealt with the “Jewish issues.” She talked about the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989 but noted that, “it was also on November 9 in 1938 that an indelible mark was branded into Germany’s memory and Europe’s history. On that day the National Socialists destroyed synagogues, setting them on fire, and murdered countless people. It was the beginning of what led to the break with civilization, the Shoah. I cannot stand before you today without remembering the victims of this day and of the Shoah”. Later, she talked about tolerance. She said, “But let there be no misunderstanding. Tolerance does not mean “anything goes” There must be zero tolerance toward those who show no respect for the inalienable rights of the individual and who violate human rights. Zero tolerance must also be shown if, for example, weapons of mass destruction fall into the hands of Iran and possibly threaten our security. “Iran must be aware of this. Iran knows our offer, but Iran knows where we draw the line. A nuclear bomb in the Hands of an Iranian President, who denies the

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Holocaust, threatens Israel and denies Israel the right to exist is not acceptable! “For me, Israel’s security will never be open to negotiation. Not only is Israel threatened but the entire free world. Whoever threatens Israel also threatens us! This is why the free world meets this threat head-on, if necessary with tough economic sanctions. Germany will therefore provide staunch support to the peace process with the aim of realizing a two-state solution a Jewish State of Israel and a Palestinian State.” I am a firm believer that Chancellor Merkel is (as David Harris, AJC’s Director, put it to me) “the real deal”. She is great friend of the Jewish people, Israel and fully understands the threat Iran poses. We just could not have a better friend. J STREET Outside the Jewish community, I believe there is a common misconception that all of Jewish America speaks with one voice on Middle East issues and that voice is in lock step with whatever current Israeli policy happens to be at that moment. Nothing could be further from the truth. While most see an eventual “two state solution” there is wide discrepancy as to how to get there and what sort of policies should be followed by Israel and the U.S. to reach the goal. The major Israel lobbying group in the U.S. is the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) which advertises itself as “America’s Pro-Israel Lobby.” It adheres very closely to the Israel government policy line and has a very large following. It is considered the strongest lobbying group in all of Washington. In the recent past, many American Jews with a more “peace oriented” point of view felt that AIPAC was not speaking for them and so another lobbying group, J Street, was formed. J Street is not the name of an avenue in Washington. Actually there is no J Street in the capital. Most of the powerful lobbying groups are located on K Street so J Street indicates “lobbying” in a “Jewish” vein. J Street has recently held its first big Washington meeting which turned out to be very successful. The Forward noted, “There have been times during the 18 months since J Street burst on the national scene that the Jewish establishment acted as if it were an annoying teenager with wacky, dangerous ideas, who was better left isolated and alone until adulthood set in. But J Street is tapping into a well of discontent shared by many American Jews who are troubled by the actions of the current Israeli government and sometimes don’t feel connected enough to Israel and the American Jewish community to work through their questions and concerns. Especially when raising those questions in certain venues is most assuredly unwelcome. So they grumble, or stay away. And now some of them have found a new address to park their passion.”

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So, as you can see the opinions of different groups of American Jews are being voiced by new and different lobbying outfits. I think we’ll hear a lot more from J Street in the months and years to come. IMPORTANT! It should be noted that there is a great difference between single issue lobbying groups and multi-issued non-profit organizations such as my own American Jewish Committee. AJC is focused on “global advocacy” seeking a “secure Jewish future” in many ways and in cooperation with many people. Its office and programs in Germany are a very good example of what a “Jewish nonprofit” does that a lobbying group would not. Klar? ANTI_SEMTISM IN THE U.S. The Forward reported several weeks ago, “The level of anti-Semitism in the United States has tied a historic low point, according to an Anti-Defamation League poll. “The survey, which was released Thursday, found that 12 percent of Americans hold anti-Semitic views, down from 15 percent in 2007 and matching the 12 percent figure recorded in 1998. The highest number on record was 29 percent in 1964. “The poll of 1,200 men and women has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percent. “It asks respondents whether they agree with 11 statements about Jews -- such as whether they are "more loyal to Israel than America" and whether they have "too much power in the U.S. today" -- and are classified as holding anti-Semitic views if they agree with six of them. “The survey also found that foreign-born Hispanics and African Americans continue to hold anti-Semitic views at much greater levels than other Americans, with 35 percent and 28 percent of the two groups falling into that category, respectively. Eighteen percent of U.S.-born Hispanics hold such views, the poll found. “In other findings, 30 percent of respondents agreed that ‘American Jews are more loyal to Israel than to America’ and 29 percent believe that Jews are responsible for the death of Christ. "’The fact that anti-Semitic attitudes have reached their lowest point to date is good news, the product of many years of constant and intense efforts by ADL and others to make America a more accepting society,’” ADL national director Abraham Foxman said in a statement.

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“At the same time, there continues to be violence targeting Jews and an increasing use of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. We can’t dismiss that 12 percent of the American people means that there are still over 30 million Americans that hold anti-Semitic views.” Needless to say, one can only be delighted at the ADL’s findings. I do believe that we have gotten anti-Semitism down to an almost irreducible minimum. However, as Foxman points out, that minimum still contains 30 million people with anti-Semitic views. Not a small number! I believe that anti-Semitism is indeed a socio-political virus and like a physical virus it lies dormant in the body (politic) to be revived when a special set of circumstances emerge. When it does, it is not only a Jewish concern. In fact, it has dire implications for the general community, not only the Jews, as it is a sign of political turbulence below the surface that requires investigation and societal correction. I love the fact that numbers are low. However, thousands of years of antiSemitism tell us that disasters and pogroms are just around the corner. Eternal vigilance is the strategy we must follow. If we always see the dark side possibilities it’s mostly because the dark side is always there for us. ANTI_HAMASISM I try to keep this newsletter focused on subjects dealing with America Jewish – German relations. However, every once in a while I come across an article outside that realm that catches my eye and my fancy. Bloomberg.com carried a story about a group in Gaza called the Salafi. Now, I thought Hamas, which calls for war against Israel and its eradication as a country, was pretty radical. It now comes to light that the Salafi, an even more radical group, is, according to Bloomberg.com, “a branch of Islam that advocates restoring a Muslim empire across the Middle East and into Spain. Some preach violence, even killing Muslims deemed not pious enough. While historically a fringe group in the southeastern Mediterranean, they have sought inroads in Lebanon and Jordan and are battling Hamas in Gaza….Gaza Salafis say Hamas surrendered its credentials as an Islamic resistance group when it declared a unilateral ceasefire after a 22-day war with the Jewish state.” When I read the article my first reaction was laughter. Here are the radicals being out-radicaled by a group living more in the 15th Century than even those that just want to de-Judaize the entire Middle East. However, on second thought it occurred to me that if these sorts of groups continue to develop and have some power the hope for peace is even further away than most reasonable people think it is. I have said it before (and I’ll say it again) I believe that the Palestinians are very far away from any semblance of being a united group. And, even if they were, I think they have no desire to be a “country” in today’s world. I believe they feel they are better off being a “movement” wherein they have no governmental responsibilities. They think that is the way to final victory and that time is on their

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side. Too bad for most of their people. They’ll have a long wait while their people suffer. The Salafis make it worse. You can read the Bloomberg.com article by clicking here: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aUoNgl6ipurk DANIEL JONAH GOLDHAGEN’S NEW BOOK I am sure that most of you remember “Thirteen years ago, the historian Daniel Jonah Goldhagen caused an international sensation with his book about the Holocaust, Hitler’s Willing Executioners. The title alone gives a good sense of why Goldhagen’s thesis was so provocative, especially in Germany, where it sparked a nationwide debate. The mystery of why so many ordinary German citizens proved ready to participate or collude in genocide had confounded thinkers since 1945; philosophers, theologians, sociologists, and historians had done their best to answer it. Goldhagen cut through this Gordian knot by simply asserting that the people who tried to annihilate the Jews did so because they wanted to annihilate the Jews. As he writes, they were “willing because they were antisemites who believed that exterminating Jews was right and necessary.” Adam Kirsch, a noted writer reviews Goldhagen’s new book in TABLET, a new Jewish web magazine. Kirsch writes, “That is, in fact, the premise of Goldhagen’s new book, Worse than War: Genocide, Eliminationism, and the Ongoing Assault on Humanity. In this passionate, informed, and often frustrating book, Goldhagen essentially turns the monocausal explanation of Hitler’s Willing Executioners into a universal model. Each time we find a genocide—or, as he prefers to call it, “eliminationist” violence, a term that avoids the technical limitations of genocide—we will find something like what prevailed in Nazi Germany: a people, under the sway of an ideologically extreme leadership, which out of fear and hatred decides to annihilate a group of perceived enemies. “The problem is extreme, even life-threatening,” as Goldhagen summarizes this mindset. “The enemy is an identifiable group of people, demarcated by skin color, ethnicity, religion, class, or political allegiance. The solution to defang said enemies must in some way be ‘final.’ Hence eliminationism.” I am not much of a philosopher, sociologist, historian or, for that matter, an intellectual. I think I know right from wrong but I am absolutely convinced that nice people in bad circumstances, listening to deeply emotional messages can be made to do very bad things. As we have seen, even after the Holocaust, mass killing has not faded away. It continues in many places carried out by many people – as Kirsch indicates who were “ordinary citizens and soldiers, wives and husbands, just as most of the people who committed the Holocaust were before 1933. That is the real mystery of evil, which Goldhagen has not so much solved as declined to contemplate according to Kirsch.

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I have not read this 600 page tome nor, in all likelihood, will I. However, given the impact Goldhagen had in Germany I thought I should, at least, mention it. Frankly, I don’t know whether Goldhagen “declined to contemplate” the “real mystery of evil” or not as Kirsch notes. So what I think you should do is to read the review and go out and get a copy of the book and read. If you do that and want to see your own thoughts in print, send them to me and I’ll put them in DuBow Digest. The review is at: http://www.tabletmag.com/arts-andculture/books/19226/deliberate-evil/ A PERSONAL NOTE By virtue of a very generous offer from the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, I will be visiting Berlin from Nov. 30 – Dec. 6 as part of a group that the KAS is bringing over from the U.S. (mostly policy people) to hear about and familiarize themselves with the new German government. It is a very tightly scheduled program so I do not think I’ll have much time to meet with so many of you that I would love to see. However, I’ll be at the Grandhotel Esplanade in Berlin (03025478 0). Maybe a late afternoon glass of wine? I’ll be reporting on my trip in the next edition of DD in December. DuBow Digest is written and published by Eugene DuBow who can be contacted at [email protected] Both the American and Germany editions are also posted on line at www.dubowdigest.typepad.com.

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