1. AN AMERICAN JEWISH – GERMAN INFORMATION & OPINION
NEWSLETTER
dubowdigest@optonline.net
AMERICAN EDITION
January 16, 2013
NEO-NAZI REDUX
In my last newsletter I wrote about the attempts that were being made to outlaw the
neo-Nazi NPD Party and the legal issues that might complicate such a move. Thus
far nothing has happened, however, before the corpse has even been laid to rest,
another extreme right wing party has emerged to take its place.
A report by DW notes, “As German politicians debate banning the extreme right-
wing NPD, a new right-wing party has crept onto the political scene. The Right
appears ready to take over political leadership of the far-right.
Founded in May, "Die Rechte" - or The Right - chose a name that reflects its
program and was likely deliberately chosen as an analogy to the left-wing party "Die
Linken" - or The Left. In its political program, The Right claims it fully adheres to the
German constitution and aims for democracy and stronger citizens' participation.
The program, however, also calls for the "preservation of the German identity,"
which is defined as a "core concern" for the party. The program calls for the
abrogation of "tolerance permits granted to foreigners permanently living in
Germany."
"The program is an amalgamation of various right-wing political ideas, based on the
Deutsche Volksunion," Bernd Wagner, an expert on right-wing extremism at the
Centre for Democratic Culture in Berlin, told Deutsche Welle.
It's no coincidence. Since The Right sees itself as the successor of the "Deutsche
Volksunion" (German People's Union, DVU), a right-wing extremist party that
merged with the Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands (National Democratic
Party of Germany, NPD) in 2011.
One of The Right's founding members and current chairman is Christian Worch, a
former high-ranking member of the DVU.
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2. The Right has adopted large swathes of the DVU's political program. "But, in fact,
everything from ultra-militancy to moderate criticism of the democratic order fits
under this umbrella. We need to wait and what direction the party takes internally,"
Wagner said.
On its website, The Right positions itself as "less radical than the NPD," but "more
radical than the REPs" (Die Republikaner, the Republicans, a right-wing party
founded in the 1980s) and the "Pro-movements" (right-wing citizens' movements
that recently made headlines for their aggressive stance against Muslims).
But, "in the foreseeable future," The Right does not see much common ground with
these groups, according to its program.
This underlines that The Right aims to be more than just another alternative on the
of the right-wing fringe of the political spectrum. Instead, the party sees itself as a
catch-all for everyone to the right of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the
major German center-right party led by Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The ongoing political debate of a possible ban of the NPD likely played its part in
convincing The Right members to form a political party.
"That was probably one of Christian Worch's main political considerations. After all,
he's a Neo-Nazi political veteran and he probably senses an opportunity to increase
his political strength," Hajo Funke, an expert on right-wing extremism and anti-
Semitism who teaches at the Free University in Berlin, told DW.
There’s more to the story but I think you get the idea. If, indeed, the NPD is outlawed
there are other neo-Nazis primed to come up with new organizations that would be
specifically designed not to fall under legal ban. No matter what, there are neo-
Nazis, though small in number, alive and well in Germany who are dedicated to
carrying out their vicious right wing, extremist programs. There would be more of a
problem if they were able to grow. However, the current government and, indeed,
most Germans are very opposed to such groups knowing full well what their
expansion would do to Germany. They’ve already seen that movie.
BUT ON THE OTHER HAND…
Getting rid of the NPD is a great idea. Who needs neo-Nazis, especially in
Germany? However, as always, there is another side to the story and one that
should be considered.
Lucian Kim, an American born, Berlin based, Eurasian independent journalist writing
in The New York Times, observed, “The chances are slim that the Constitutional
Court will back the ban and rule that the N.P.D. threatens Germany’s democracy.
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3. Only two parties — West Germany’s Communist Party and the immediate successor
to the Nazi Party — have ever been banned, both more than 50 years ago.
And if the N.P.D. survives, it could emerge stronger than before.
Founded in 1964, the N.P.D. was a fringe party in West Germany. After German
reunification in 1990, it experienced a brief revival in the former East Germany
among the young, disgruntled and unemployed. Today, it has about 6,000 members
and holds seats in just two state assemblies. The N.P.D. represents about 1 percent
of the electorate nationwide and has no hope of getting into Parliament.
Mainstream politicians already tried to ban the party for undermining the German
Constitution a decade ago. The case fell apart before the Constitutional Court after it
became clear that government informants had infiltrated the N.P.D.’s leadership,
making it impossible to distinguish the party’s true intentions from the state’s efforts
to forbid it. Renewed pressure for a ban followed the discovery last year of a
murderous neo-Nazi terrorist cell with connections to N.P.D. members.
As Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger pointed out in a recent
newspaper interview, it’s not enough to prove that the N.P.D. criticizes Germany’s
constitutional order. In order to be banned, the party would have to be actively and
aggressively fighting it.
It’s ridiculous to argue that a party as tiny and unpopular as the N.P.D. could
somehow threaten Germany’s robust democracy. The fact that nobody can predict
how the Constitutional Court will rule is the best indication of the independence and
integrity of democratic institutions here.
Even if the court rules in favor of the Bundesrat, the N.P.D. could appeal to the
European Court of Human Rights to argue that a ban violates Germans’ freedom to
assembly — only raising its profile in the process.
In the unlikely event of a ban, there would be little practical benefit. N.P.D. members
could join other far-right groups, such as the new anti-immigrant party called Die
Rechte, or “The Right.” Others might go underground.
With a national election approaching next fall, the effort to stub out the N.P.D. reeks
of politics. Chancellor Angela Merkel may have little choice but to throw her
government’s support behind the cause. After all, two-thirds of Germans are for a
ban.
Far-right parties are a scourge of many European democracies. But trying to prohibit
them does nothing to uproot chauvinism or stop racist violence. It only creates the
illusion that politicians are taking action.
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4. My sainted mother always said, “Nothing’s easy!” and making a decision about the
NPD fits that category. Perhaps it’s better if Germany, like the U.S. just learns to live
with the evil it already knows (NPD) than driving it underground or making it adopt a
new name with a slightly smarter, less extreme public face. Maybe it is all politics.
One thing is for certain. If the Constitutional Court rules against the NPD being
outlawed we shouldn’t consider that a victory for the Nazis. If that is their ruling I am
sure that it will be because they wish to take a pro-democracy stand and not one
taking sides with the neo-Nazis.
SPORTING CLUBS
In the normal course of events I wouldn’t even think about sporting clubs in
Germany. However, I came across an article in The Local indicating that, “As New
Year resolutions lead many to join German sports or community clubs over the
coming weeks, one official has warned that many need to do more to protect
themselves from infiltration by neo-Nazis.
Any student of 1920’s – 19330’s German history knows that that during that period
the Nazis formed and joined various kinds of clubs which were the precursors of
such organizations as the Luftwaffe, the SS, etc.
The article continued, “"Sports have long had difficulty [taking action] because they
have been regarded as non political," said Winfriede Schreiber, head of the
Brandenburg state intelligence service.
But she said sports clubs were increasingly recognizing the danger. "More and
more, the associations realize that that they must profess their dedication to
democracy," she said.
The kick-boxing scene in the Lausitz region has a bad reputation for having many
neo-Nazi members, despite many successful anti-fascist initiatives in the area.
"Neo-Nazis do not exist in a vacuum. They have families, go to school, develop
careers, play sport or are in the volunteer fire brigades," said Schreiber.
"Many neo-Nazis are in no way uneducated these days, and can be successful in
their careers. Civil society now has the problem of how to deal with them. In small
places this is sometimes particularly difficult. The boys are the sons of people, or
brothers. And often enough it is pure chance where someone ends up - in the fire
brigade or the Nazis."
She said neo-Nazis were using sports groups to reach young people and either
influence their thinking, or recruit them to their gangs. They attended club meetings
and sports events wearing neo-Nazi T-shirts or showing off their tattoos - and then
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5. organise tournaments at which their scene meets, she suggested.
"The neo-Nazis pull in young people in this way and alienate them from democracy.
They use normal life to push their movement," she said.
It’s hard to know how important this development is. However, when the “head of
the Brandenburg state intelligence service” starts talking about it, it is something to
be concerned about. There has been right wing extremist activity in Brandenburg
previously and so I hope that the federal government intelligence and security
people become involved as well.
GERMAN FOREIGN POLICY
Academic discussions of the direction of foreign policy may make good reading for
political science wonks but frequently have little meaning for those who are trying to
implement everyday hard-nosed political dealing in the very difficult theater of
foreign affairs. However, agreed upon foreign policy is not without meaning as it
does give the implementers some general direction to follow when trying to do their
job.
I must say that the guiding principles of German foreign policy have not been clear
to me. Now, DW has published a piece that clarifies them and indicates that they
may be in for a change. The article deals with the Arab Spring and policy in the
Middle East generally. To get an overall picture you should read the entire piece
which you can do by clicking here. http://www.dw.de/germany-considers-a-shift-in-
middle-east-policy/a-16467435
More specifically and appropriate to our interests DW notes, “Christian Democrat
Ruprecht Polenz, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Bundestag …
says the German government is currently guided by five policy objectives: economic
cooperation, migration and refugee policy, combating international terrorism, gaining
acceptance for Israel as a democratic Jewish state with secure borders so that it can
live in peace with its neighbors based on a two-state solution, and finally a
commitment to modernization, democratization, the rule of law, and human rights.
Germany also faces challenges when it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
With its decision not to oppose the Palestinians' motion for non-state membership of
the UN, but rather to abstain from the vote, Germany sent a clear signal to Israel.
Ruprecht Polenz says that Germany acted as it did because, in the resolution text,
the Palestinians largely adhered to the premises set out by the Middle East Quartet.
In particular, they agreed to recognize the state of Israel within the borders of 1967.
In this respect, says Polenz, the motion could be seen as an opportunity to resolve
the conflict, and this was what the German government had acknowledged. "You
cannot vote against something if it is essentially something you agree with, albeit not
identically worded."
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6. I have known Ruprecht Polenz for roughly 20 years. He is a man of principle. He
thoroughly believes that Israel’s security and its future as a democratic Jewish state
is wrapped up in the two state solution. We have had many a number of discussions
and he, like many Germans, feel that it is Israel that must do more to achieve that
goal. I have argued that it is the Palestinians with their desire to rule over all of the
area including Israel that are the main roadblocks to peace and that they are
standing in the way of face to face negotiations. Agreement between us is not near.
My purpose in printing this piece is twofold. First, to give you an opportunity to read
a good article about German Middle East foreign policy in general and, second, to
give you some insight into the way they look at Israel’s position vis a vis the two
state solution. I hope some clarity can therefore be gained.
THE LATEST POLL NUMBERS
I don’t think we need Nate Silver here to figure out who is ahead in the German
political polls. Given Germany’s parliamentary system all one has to do is to figure
out which combination of parties can reach 50% plus one in Bundestag seats and
you will have the makeup of the next government to be installed in the fall.
DW reports, “Berlin-based public opinion research institute Infratest dimap, for
instance, conducted its (pre-Christmas) last poll of the year this week, surveying
1,008 representative German citizens about who they would currently give their vote
to in the election.
According to the survey, German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic
Union (CDU) party and its Bavarian sister party CSU could have a particularly merry
Christmas: it managed to increase its popularity by one percentage point from the
last survey on December 6, bringing it to 40 percent. The rival Social Democratic
party (SPD) stands unchanged at 30 percent, while the Greens have yielded a little
to 13 percent. The Left party (Die Linkspartei) would also stand unchanged at 13
percent if the election were to occur this Sunday.
The Free Democratic party (FDP) and the Pirate party (Piratenpartei) do not have as
much to celebrate, as they have not managed to get themselves out of their slump.
According to the Infratest survey, the FDP would grab four percent of the vote, the
Pirates only three percent. Neither party would clear the five-percent hurdle
to secure seats in the German parliament.
Although two other research institutes - Forsa and Insa - registered the FDP this
week at five percent, it is little comfort to the free-market liberal party, which is
currently in a governing coalition with the CDU. For FDP party leader Philipp Rösler,
that means using the holidays to gear up for the traditional meeting on the Feast of
the Epiphany - January 6 - in Stuttgart. There, delegates will expect Rösler to lead
the party out of their muck in the electoral year. The FDP will be put to its first test as
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7. early as January 20, when Lower Saxony holds state elections. Things will get tough
for Rösler if the FDP does not do well in that vote.
Given the weak state of the FDP at the moment, it is unlikely the CDU would
continue in coalition with the party after next fall's election. And a CDU gaining in
force could also give a possible SPD-Greens coalition a run for its money.
So politicians are wrapping up this year with in various moods. For German
Chancellor Angela Merkel, the holidays mean a few days of rest and relaxation -
something she can use before things pick up in 2013 for the election.
So, as you can see there is not much change in the standings. The CDU and the
FDP, even if the FDP gets 5% enough to be admitted to the Bundestag, do not
enough to continue the current government setup. The SPD and the Greens, the
current opposition, also can’t make the 50% plus one to take over. Therefore, a
“Grand Coalition” of the SPD and The CDU or a long shot possibility of the CDU and
the Greens remain the best possibilities. Things don’t seem to change radically in
German politics. Now that the candidates for Chancellor are known I would doubt
seriously that the numbers will change unless something radical happens – always a
possibility. I’ll keep you up to date.
GERMAN-JEWISH CULTURAL HERITAGE
In my last edition I ran a piece about Germany’s attempt to save German-Jewish
culture. One of my most dedicated readers and a guy who knows a lot about
Germany wrote to me asking, “What are the organizers looking for? Is it documents
and objects brought by German Jews to their new homes in the 1930s and 1940s
alone, or are they also looking for something having to do with the distinct German
Jewish communities that existed in various places – but particularly in the US – well
before then? How are they reaching out?
I really did not have an answer. While one never knows about emotional and
psychological reasons, it is now clear to me that Deutsche Welle (DW) Ute
Schaeffer DW’s editor-in-chief for regionalized content is the person behind the
project which, frankly, is grander than I imagined. It is entitled, “Traces of German-
Jewish Heritage”.
In an introduction to the project Fr. Schaeffer writes:
”Starting in 1933, our country marginalized, abused, banished and destroyed Jewish
culture and Jewish lives. Millions of people became victims of the National Socialist
racial ideology. Around 400,000 Jews left Germany in order to escape the Nazi
terror and its machinery of extermination.
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8. At the hands of the National Socialists, German society lost authors, artists,
directors, philosophers and leading researchers. The majority never returned.
They took with them their experiences, traditional German habits, their customs and
tastes. Some more than others.
Like the protagonists in our multimedia project "Traces of German-Jewish Heritage."
DW reporters traveled to 10 different countries around the world in search of the
stories of German-Jewish émigrés. When did they arrive? What did they bring? How
did they influence the culture in their new home countries? And how does (their)
Jewish life look today?
The project reflects our mandate and the journalistic values of Deutsche Welle. We
want to show Germany as a modern and open country, but also as a society which
recognizes and knows the value of its cultural and historical roots. It is a society
which at the same time recognizes its unique responsibility in relation to Judaism, a
society in which the majority stands against assaults and hostilities which have at
times occurred in the more recent past.
With the support of the Moses Mendelssohn Center and the Federal Foreign Office,
DW has successfully documented this unique aspect through extensive research. It
is a small cultural history with an array of engaging protagonists.
Now for the best part. You can actually see it all by clicking here. It’s great!
http://www.dw.de/top-stories/german-jewish-cultural-heritage/s-31805
Bravo Ms. Schaeffer and your entire crew!
BERLIN & JEWISH SITES & A NEW KIND OF SYNAGOGUE
Since I’m on the subject of culture and places to visit, I’m going to assume that many
of you have never visited Berlin and, even if you have, my guess is that there are a
number of sites that you haven’t seen.
If my assumptions are correct you should read a recent JTA article by Toby Axelrod
entitled, “Berlin Offers More Than Holocaust History.” which you can do by clicking
here. http://www.jta.org/news/article/2012/12/21/3115166/for-jewish-tourists-berlin-offers-
more-than-holocaust-history
Toby spells out all the Holocaust related things to see but adds a little more spice at
the end particularly about some of the new Jewish institutions that have developed.
Berlin has become a place has become a city of artistic experimentation. Jewish
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9. artists, musicians, etc., especially many from Israel, have flocked there to work and
rub shoulders with others like themselves. It has become a fascinating environment.
.The thing that grabbed me was mention of Ohel HaChidush Jewish Renewal
Congregation. If you want to read about this “do it yourself” kind of synagogue click
here. Not only will you not be disappointed but you may want to participate next time
you’re in Berlin. Ohel HaChidush
GERMAN TEXTBOOKS & ISRAEL
Under the heading “Israel Gets Bad Rap in German Textbooks”, DW notes in an
article, “Little room is given for Israeli history in German textbooks and, when it is
mentioned, the image presented of the Middle-Eastern state tends to be
unbalanced. A new commission is calling for change.
It will soon be 68 years since the end of the Second World War and the end of the
National Socialist regime in Germany.
To this day, the handling of this dark chapter in history has been a difficult issue,
especially with regards to the Holocaust and the Israeli state. The way in which
Israel is presented to young people in Germany remains the subject of continual
debate.
For that reason, the German-Israeli Textbook Commission was founded in 2010 by
the Georg Eckert Institute for International Textbook Research in Braunschweig.
"Arousing fear, developing trust - textbooks are a political issue," said Israel expert
Dirk Sadowski, one of the initiators of the project.
Upon first inspection, the commission found that the textbooks from German
publishers - such as Klett, Westermann, Buchner and Cornelsen, who together
account for almost the entire German textbook market - were lacking when it came
to accurate coverage of Israel.
Around 500 history, geography and social studies textbooks currently in use in
schools in the states of North-Rhine Westphalia, Bavaria, Berlin and Saxony, were
assessed.
"Many facets of Israeli reality were airbrushed out, especially regarding aspects of
civil society," Sadowski said. Textbook authors tend to present Palestinians as
victims and Israelis as the perpetrators, he added.
One clear example of that can be found in "Geschichte Real 3," published by
Cornelsen and currently used in high schools in North-Rhine Westphalia.
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10. The very first image in the book depicts Israeli soldiers pointing weapons at
unarmed people. The Israeli barricades were photographed from the ground up and
look menacing.
The overall message is that of "Jewish terror," while the issue of Arab suicide
bombers barely receives a mention and, when it does, the impression given is that
of "desperation."
"Tendentious representations of history," Dirk Sadowski said, calling it "cheap
showmanship."
The imbalanced selection of images, he said, is a trend that can be seen in many
German textbooks: "Israel usually comes out badly in the images."
Such examples promote the concept of "the enemy" and foster prejudices, say
critics such as Julius Schoeps, the director of the Moses Mendelssohn Center for
European-Jewish Studies in Potsdam.
There’s a bit more to the story but the sort of damage that has been done and can
continue in the future is clear. The images that are filtered into the minds of young
children tend to stick with them through their entire lives. Look honestly into your
own mind and you will see negative images that you have carried with you even
before you entered kindergarten.
In Germany we have a situation where there is lingering national guilt that emanates
from their Holocaust history. While the vast majorities of Germans, and certainly the
government, understand their responsibility to Israel and Jews, a resentful of
young people reaching maturity with negative images of Israel will seriously
complicate what should be a deep and meaningful relationship between Germans
and Jews.
I’m sure the Textbook Commission will do its job. Let’s hope that their findings are
taken seriously and that the needed revisions can come into being quickly.
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