AMERICAN EDITION

September 2014

IN THIS EDITION

PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN GLASS HOUSES… - If you yourself are spying, don’t…

HELP FROM GERMANY – Care for psychological trauma victims.

SAXONY – A new “populist” party lands seat in the State Parliament

MORE ON THE SUBS – Israel gets another needed U-boat.

HOLOCAUST AFTERMATH – The memory lives on in mind & politics

THE NEO-NAZI NPD PARTY – The NPD gets tossed. Hold your applause.

ANTI-SEMITISM EDUCATION: A NOVEL IDEA – It’s for Muslim students.

A HEADACHE IN WUPPERTAL – “Religious Police” gives “Aspirin City” a headache.

THE ANTI ANTI-SEMITISM RALLY – Wonderful! But who was there?

Dear Friends:

Before anything else, my best wishes for a great 5775.

Since my last American Edition the Jewish world has changed. The Gaza war came to an end (at least for the time being). The war kicked off a wave of anti-Semitic feeling throughout Europe but, at least in Germany, the government leadership got behind a push to fight that deadly virus. The Chancellor was outstanding in supporting Israel’s right to defend itself during war and then carried through with a strong statement in opposition to the outbreak of anti-Semitism that followed. The rest of Europe was –well, not so great.

On the negative side the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany political party gained seats in three State legislatures with its votes coming from the far right and, perhaps weakening the Chancellor’s Christian Democratic Party.

In addition the Left Party, the most critical of Israel in the Bundestag, is gaining strength and may take over the State of Thuringia’s government in coalition with the Social Democrats. The fact that the Left Party is being more and more accepted as a possible partner for the center-left Social Democrats might mean more trouble for Israel at the time of the next national election. The extreme parties seem to be gaining strength. Never good news for the Jews!

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Domestically Germany has banned ISIS cutting off any financial or other that they might be able dredge up. They are also helping supply the Kurds with weapons to fight the in Iraq and probably Syria.

Of course, there’s more. Keep reading to find out what it is…

PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN GLASS HOUSES…

An ancient proverb tells us “People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones”. Perhaps it’s not so ancient as glass houses seem to be a 20th Century construct. However, the moral, no matter the century, has meaning. Perhaps it’s one that Germany should think about.

Earlier this year great anger rose in Germany when it came to light that America’s National Security Agency was hacking German phones and computers right up to Chancellor Merkel’s own cellphone. It now comes to light that the German intelligence people were doing exactly the same thing.

In late August DW reported, “Germany has been spying on Turkey for close to four decades, according to a report that could further raise tensions between the two nations. The allegations could also embarrass Berlin - a vehement critic of US spying. 

Germany's foreign intelligence agency (BND) has been spying on Turkey for almost four decades, Focus magazine said on Saturday, in a report to be published next week that could further antagonize the NATO members.

The article follows revelations that suggested German intelligence had been spying on Turkey, but the details about the espionage go further than initially reported.

Germany's ambassador in Ankara after media reports said Berlin had identified Turkey as a "top surveillance target," quoting a government document from 2009 that confirmed Berlin had been spying on Ankara for years.

Turkey's foreign ministry immediately described the report as "absolutely unacceptable," if verified.

"It is expected that the German authorities present an on the claims reported by German media and end these activities immediately if the claims are true," a ministry statement read.

Turkey is apparently not the only NATO member under German surveillance: Weekly news magazine Spiegel Saturday that the BND also targeted Albania.

Der Spiegel further reported on German spying focused on US political figures. It noted, “…The report could further embarrass Chancellor Angela Merkel's government. Berlin was lambasted with accusations of hypocrisy this week because of its outrage over

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allegations of US surveillance on Germans, including the tapping of the chancellor's phone.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's team is backpedaling. On Friday, the daily Süddeutsche Zeitung reported that the BND -- even if apparently unintentionally -- had eavesdropped on a telephone conversation by then-US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The revelation made Merkel's dictum, "Spying among friends? That's unacceptable," ring a bit hollow.

Information obtained by SPIEGEL indicates that the affair goes beyond Clinton. Last year, it also drew in Clinton's successor, John Kerry, when he was mediating in the Middle East between the Israelis, the Palestinians and the Arab states. At the time, the recording of at least one Kerry conversation was apparently immediately deleted by the BND under orders.

The important point here is that ALL countries spy on ALL other countries – especially their friends. After all, how do you know if another nation is a friend unless you have ironclad proof?

So much for trust!

HELP FROM GERMANY

As the truce in the Gaza War began to take hold, The Jerusalem Post reported, “Deputy German ambassador Benedikt Haller gave NATAL, the Israel Trauma Center for Victims of Terror and War, a check for €50,000 (NIS 235,000) on Wednesday to provide assistance for residents of the South traumatized by the rocket fire from Gaza.

The aid from the German government is earmarked to enable NATAL to provide psychological care to civilians – primarily children and youth – in communities near the Gaza border suffering from trauma stemming from the rocket attacks.

According to the German embassy in Tel Aviv, this is not the first time Germany has supported Natal. “With this support,” the embassy said in a statement, “the German embassy wants to express its solidarity with Israeli citizens suffering from unending attacks from the Gaza Strip.”

German Chancellor Angela Merkel met with the head of Natal, Orly Gal, during the last government meeting in Jerusalem in February and was “deeply impressed” with the organization's work, according to the statement.

During Operation Protective Edge the 16-year-old organization worked on emergency footing, providing assistance to residents of southern Israel, including to children and their parents trying to cope with the trauma, as well as to the elderly and people with special needs.

NATAL's Community Outreach Unit has been conducting training and creativity workshops for teaching staff, as well as managers of companies and organizations

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operating in southern Israel. The group's Mobile Unit, made up of mental health professionals, has visited hundreds of homes in the South to provide psychological and emotional first aid to families and residents too afraid to leave their homes.

This is a lovely gesture and I’m not surprised that Benedikt Haller made the presentation. As mentioned above, he is the Deputy German Ambassador to Israel. Previously he served as the First Special Envoy for Anti-Semitism and Holocaust Affairs at the German Foreign Ministry. He is an old friend of AJC’s and is dedicated to improving German – Jewish relations.

SAXONY

At the end of August, peculiarly, the eastern State of Saxony held its state elections. The Christian Democrats, the party of Chancellor Merkel, once again won more seats in the parliament but, similar to the last national elections, the Free Democrats, the most likely partner in a coalition, did not make the 5% needed to be admitted to the Landtag (Parliament). Not good news but not a disaster.

However, as reported by DW, “Germany's anti-euro party has won its first state parliament seats following elections in Saxony. However, the ruling CDU conservatives will now need to find a new coalition partner.

Preliminary results show that as predicted, Chancellor Angela Merkel's incumbent conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) won Saturday's state election in Saxony, receiving 39 percent of the votes and up to 59 of the 132 seats.

This means Premier Stanislaw Tillich will continue to govern, but will need to seek out a new coalition partner, with the liberal FDP party receiving only 3.7 percent of the votes - failing to clear the 5 percent hurdle required for parliamentary representation.

The AfD won 10 percent of the vote. The AfD, with lead candidate Frauke Petry has capitalized on voter concerns about asylum seekers in its campaign. The party only narrowly failed to enter the national parliament and the state assembly in Hesse last year. It did, however, manage to garner seven seats in the European Parliament at elections in May.

The right-wing, populist party drew voters away from the extreme-right National Democratic Party (NPD), whose re-entry into the state parliament is still unclear [Ed. Note: At that time].

The AfD as far as anyone can tell is not a neo-Nazi party. However, extreme right wing voters have found a home in it. It is anti-Euro and more than flirts with the anti-immigrant issue. It is certainly strongly opposed to the Chancellor and though right-wing is not a candidate for being a coalition partner with the CDU. The most likely outcome will be a “grand coalition” with the Social Democrats, similar to the grouping that there is in the Bundestag.

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The greatest danger is the possible growth of the populist right-wing party in the next years. They could become a force in the next national election. Time will tell.

MORE ON THE SUBS

For the last couple of years I have been reporting to you on the sale of hi-tech submarines to Israel from Germany. They are expensive, take a long time to build and are critical for Israel’s defense.

The Times of Israel recently reported, “Israel will add a fourth advanced Dolphin-Class submarine to its naval fleet within the next few days, the commander of the Israel Navy said”

“At this very moment, after leaving Germany, the INS Tanin, the Navy and the State of Israel’s fourth submarine, is making its way to Israel,” Vice Admiral Ram Rothberg said at a ceremony for graduates of a naval course. “It can dive deeper, go farther for a longer time and can operate at a level we have not seen until today.”

The impending arrival of the INS Tanin will bolster a submarine fleet has seen dramatic increases in the number and duration of its operational at-sea deployments over the past several years.

According to a senior Israel Navy officer, 58 percent of the submarine flotilla’s time at sea in 2013 was spent in operational deployments, the other 42% having been devoted to training. That marks a dramatic increase from the three previous years, when submarines spent just 36% of their time at sea in operational deployments.

The submarines also conducted 54 special operations in 2013, a similarly sharp increase from previous years. The operations included deployments to the Lebanese coast and unspecified deployments lasting several weeks that took the submarines thousands of kilometers from Israel.

Israel is also scheduled to receive a fifth Dolphin-Class submarine from Germany, the INS Rahav, later in 2014.

The new submarines have engines that don’t require surfacing to acquire new air supplies, effectively expanding Israel’s naval (and, reportedly, nuclear) reach and allowing for more distant and long-lasting operations.

In 2012, the German weekly Der Spiegel reported that Israel’s submarine fleet has nuclear capabilities and that Berlin is aware of this but has opted to publicly remain mum about it in order to avoid having to defend the deals.

The submarines, according to Der Spiegel, are equipped with Israeli-designed Popeye missiles, which can carry a warhead of up to 200 kilograms. The nuclear warheads are produced at Israel’s Dimona nuclear reactor, the report said.

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Israel maintains a policy of nuclear ambiguity, neither confirming nor denying that it is in possession of nuclear weapons.

I always thought that the main job of submarines was to torpedo enemy ships. But, then again, I’m a child of the 1930’s and 1940’s. I grew up believing that German submarines were a scourge. Little did I ever think they’d become a main defense weapon to help defend a Jewish nation. Certainly technology is moving more quickly than my very slow moving brain.

HOLOCAUST AFTERMATH

I have tried to make the case previously that the Holocaust is indelibly marked into the German consciousness as well as its sub-consciousness. I know that “forever” is hard to predict but, at least for the foreseeable future.and probably long beyond that, the impact of the Shoah will last and provide continuing attempts by Germany to deal with its awful memory.

To prove my point I offer two items that only this week (as I write this in early September) appeared in the press.

First, it was announced that (according to Israel Hayom), “Germany [is] to provide $250 million to Nazis' child victims Fund. [It is] expected to become operational Jan. 1, [and] will recognize "the suffering endured by these young Nazi victims, including devastating separation from parents at a critical time in a child's development,"

Child survivors of the Holocaust will receive additional financial assistance from the German government to help with increasing problems stemming from malnutrition and psychological trauma inflicted by the Nazis, under a new agreement worth an estimated $250 million.

The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany said the agreement reached with the Finance Ministry late Wednesday would provide one-time payments of 2,500 euros (around $3,200) for Jewish children who were in concentration camps, ghettos or spent at least six months in hiding.

The German Finance Ministry on Thursday confirmed the agreement but refused to provide further details.

The payment comes in addition to other compensation they may have received, and represents the first time the German government has recognized the unique problems facing child survivors, said Claims Conference executive vice president Greg Schneider, who was involved in the negotiations.

A complete story on the new funds appeared in The Jewish Week. Click here to read it.http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/new-york/first-child-survivors-get-payout

The second has to do with an announcement by the German Chancellor. According to

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The Jerusalem Post, “ Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday she would do everything she could to fight anti-Semitism in Germany, amid reports of attacks and a spike in anti-Israel sentiment since the Gaza conflict.

In her weekly podcast, Merkel said she was alarmed that Jewish institutions in Germany still needed police protection and called for a big turnout at a rally against anti-Semitism that she was planning to address in Berlin next weekend.

Authorities and media in Germany, ultra-sensitive about anti-Semitism because of the Holocaust, have criticized chants against Israel and Jews during rallies against Israel's conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

In July, petrol bombs were thrown at a synagogue in the western town of Wuppertal and a man wearing a skullcap was beaten up on a street corner in Berlin.

"I will personally do everything I can - as will my entire government - to ensure that anti-Semitism doesn't have a chance in our country," said Merkel, without referring to specific incidents or mentioning any new policies.

She said there had been a revival of Jewish culture in the country since World War Two. "We're proud and pleased that it was possible for that to grow in recent years."

There were more than half a million Jews in Germany when the Nazis took power in 1933. That number fell to about 30,000 after the mass killings and emigrations, but the population has since grown to about 200,000.

Merkel said she hoped as many Germans would join her at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate on September 14 for the rally organized by the Central Council of Jews in Germany.

"Hopefully there will be as many people as possible there to show that everyone who lives here will be protected," Merkel said.

"We've got a lot of work ahead of us," Merkel added. "We can see that there is not a single Jewish institution here (in Germany) that doesn't have to have police protection ... That's something that very much concerns me."

Jewish schools, shops, buildings and synagogues are regularly guarded by armed police.

German anti-racist laws forbid incitement to racial hatred such as anti-Semitic slogans, and outlaw propagation of the racist beliefs of the Nazis, whose emblems are also illegal.

The memory of the Holocaust remains deeply imbedded. What more could we ask for? Let’s give credit where credit is due.

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THE NEO-NAZI NPD PARTY

Earlier in this edition I noted that in the Saxony (an eastern German state) elections the NPD had, perhaps, been able to hang onto one seat in the Landtag (State parliament). As it turned out when all the votes were counted they came up short and were thrown out. The Times of Israel reported, “Germany’s biggest far-right party, which once fueled fears of a neo-Nazi surge, is now in the doldrums.

While some other European countries are seeing a rise in the far right, National Democratic Party was last week booted out of parliament in Saxony, one of only two German states where it had lawmakers.

The resulting loss of some 2.5 million euros ($3.3 million) each year in public funding, which critics have said the NPD used to finance campaigns in other states, could crush a party that was regarded just a few years ago as a magnet for neo-Nazi sentiment in Germany and a threat to the country’s post-war reputation.

“This could be the beginning of the end for the party as a political force,” said Hendrik Traeger, a political scientist at Leipzig University. “Saxony was their stronghold.”

It was in the eastern German state that the NPD received 9.2 percent of the vote in 2004, shocking Germany’s political establishment and raising the specter of the country’s Nazi past.

The election gave the party 12 seats in the state parliament, a public platform to spread its ideas along with dozens of jobs for far-right activists.

Despite the money, the party had little impact in Saxony, according to Werner J. Patzelt, a political scientist at the Technical University Dresden.

“The NPD failed to fulfill any of the hopes its voters had, it didn’t have any credible representatives and skidded from one scandal to another,” Patzelt said.

Its former leader in Saxony once referred to Israel as a “Jewish criminal state,” party lawmakers refused to honor a minute’s silence for victims of the Holocaust, and one deputy calling for the use of hand grenades against “Zionists,” a common far-right synonym for Jews.

Apart from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, another eastern state, the NPD failed to emulate its success in Saxony anywhere. At the national level, the party hasn’t received more than 1.6 percent in the last decade — far less than the 5 percent needed to enter parliament.

Meanwhile, the NPD’s decline in Saxony has been hastened by the rise of a new party, Alternative for Germany, which has attracted some socially conservative voters who previously voted for the far right by promising to restrict immigration and promote Christian family values.

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Alternative for Germany received 9.7 percent in last week’s vote, taking more than 10,000 votes from the NPD. The far-right party fell 809 votes short of the 5 percent threshold as a result.

The NPD’s fate contrasts with that of other far-right movements in Europe. In France, the National Front received 26 percent of the vote in May’s European elections. In Greece, the extremist Golden Dawn party saw 18 lawmakers elected in 2012.

But unlike France and Greece, Germany is going through a period of economic prosperity.

Traeger expects the party to try to rebuild itself from the bottom up. It still has about 100 seats in local councils in Saxony, out of about 330 nationwide. Unlike other parties, the NPD didn’t hold its final election rally last week in one of Saxony’s major cities, but in the small town of Schneeberg, which has seen regular protests against the construction of a center for refugees. “The party clearly has deep roots at the local level,” said Traeger.

Of course, we should be pleased that the NPD is no longer in the Saxony Landtag. The fewer elected neo-Nazis there are, the better. However, their voters haven’t disappeared from the face of the Earth – they’ve just, by and large, moved over to what seems to be a more respectable party. The kind of impact they will have on the new Alternative for Germany Party remains to be seen.

In addition, as pointed out above, the very local NPD leaders are already thinking about re-grouping and getting back into Landtag. No question! The situation demands continuing close scrutiny.

ANTI-SEMITISM EDUCATION: A NOVEL IDEA

It’s no secret in Germany that much of the anti-Israel and anti-Semitic reaction to the Gaza war came from followers of the Islamic faith, especially youngsters. Rather than moan “Woe is us” though that might not be a bad thing, the Government decided on a more positive path – education.

JTA recently reported, “Germany is ready to allocate funds to tailor education about anti-Semitism for its Muslim students, the country’s Jewish outreach official said.

Felix Klein, Germany’s special representative for relations with Jewish organizations, is in Washington this week to meet with Jewish groups and Obama administration officials over American concerns about a spike in anti-Semitism in Germany during the recent Israel-Hamas conflict in the Gaza Strip.

Many of the offenders were Muslims, and many of those were members of Germany’s substantial Turkish minority.

“Sometimes, we hear it is difficult to teach the Holocaust” to Muslim students, Klein told JTA in an interview Wednesday at the German Embassy in Washington. “We would

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give special tools that would interest young Muslims, that would incorporate the role of Turkey” during World War II.

Klein said there was a “feeling of unease” among Germany’s 100,000 Jews after the spate of anti-Semitic incidents.

He said the money for such an initiative would come from Germany’s Interior Ministry and its Ministry for Families, Youth and the Elderly, as well as from regional governments.

Klein met State Department officials who deal with anti-Semitism and Holocaust issues as well as with officials of the American Jewish Committee, the Anti-Defamation League and B’nai B’rith International.

The idea seems reasonable and rational. Perhaps it can be replicated in France and other European countries where the outpouring of anti-Semitism has been even worse. Don’t bet on it though. Reaction from Islamic leaders reading it as pro-Israel is sure to be negative. Since anti-Semitism is harmful to the Euro countries themselves, maybe their leaders will be able to rise above weak-kneed political positions.

It would not surprise me if the German government turns to AJC Berlin to help in devising the announced programs. It has a long history of developing programs for German schools such as its Hands Across the Campus and Hands for Kids leadership and tolerance educational tools.

A HEADACHE IN WUPPERTAL

The City of Wuppertal in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, on the face of it, doesn’t seem to be the kind of place where Islamic religious police would roam the streets. The city is known for its steep slopes, its woods and parks, and its suspension railway, the Wuppertal Schwebebahn. Two-thirds of the total municipal area of Wuppertal is green space. Aspirin originates from Wuppertal, patented in 1897 by Bayer. It seems that a lot of it might be needed for the headache a small group of “”Shariah Police” has given the community.

DW reported, “[Wearing orange vests]…a group of young men marched up to young people at the doors of Turkish discotheques, cafes and amusement arcades and told them to The self-proclaimed guardians of public morals are Salafists, the fastest growing group of radical Muslims in Germany. The head of the Wuppertal group is German convert Sven Lau, alias Abu Adam.

Real police officers intervened, and took down the Salafists' personal data. Ever since, a debate has raged in Germany. "Sharia is not tolerated on German soil," Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière said, and Justice Minister Heiko Maas warned Germany would not tolerate any form of illegal parallel justice.

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"Minimal effort, maximum attention – these fellows really achieved what they set out to do," said Mathias Rohe.

"They anticipated the outrage," the Islam expert from the southern city of Erlangen told DW. Lau openly rejoiced on his Facebook page, presenting German media coverage ranging from tabloids to conservative papers – including appreciative comments from his supporters.

A few days later The Local.de reported, “Salafists who caused outrage by mounting patrols in western Germany as "Shariah Police" have ditched their vests and changed their name, but pledged to continue to take action. It comes as political leaders were accused of creating a "safe zone" for Islamists.

“North Rhine-Westphalia has become the national front runner in imports and exports of holy warriors,” Christian Democratic Union (CDU) state parliament member and interior policy spokesman Theo Kruse said on Friday.

Kruse argued that the state had become a “national space of peace and recovery for Salafists" and a "safe zone" for Islamists.

But Social Democratic Party (SDP) state interior minister Ralf Jäger said that his opponents were exaggerating the concentration of Islamists in the state.

"Salafism is the fastest-growing extremist threat nationwide,” he said.

North Rhine-Westphalia is host to 1,800 of the 6,600 Salafist supporters across the country, and numbers have more than tripled since 2011.

Around 130 from the state are believed to have travelled to Syria, according to the state branch of the secret service.

Meanwhile, the Salafist group which made headlines across Germany when they published photos of themselves in uniform as the 'Shariah Police' announced that they plan to rebrand themselves as 'Pro Halal'.

The group, organized around well-known preacher and German convert to Salafism Sven Lau, will patrol the streets without the official-seeming 'Shariah Police' uniforms which stoked anger among politicians and the public.

Get the aspirin bottle ready. This headache may show up in other communities. Who says the U.S. is immune?

THE ANTI ANTI-SEMITISM RALLY

On Sept. 14th the Central Council of Jews in Germany sponsored a Berlin Brandenburg Gate rally protesting the recent surge of anti-Semitism throughout Germany. It was a massive undertaken with appearances and speeches by high level German government leaders including both the Chancellor and the President.

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You couldn’t do better as far as top flight names and the expectation (at least by me) was that there would be a massive turnout. I guess the word “massive” is open for interpretation, however the outpouring of participants only measured somewhere between 5,000 and 8,000. In my book that’s hardly massive. When one takes into consideration the number of Jews (many), government people who had to show up and protestors who attended, one has to be more than a little bit disappointed.

There is no doubt that particularly because of the Gaza war, Israel is not popular in Germany these days. Much of that displeasure washes over into anything “Jewish” and that certainly was the case here.

However, the rally was far from a disaster. According to the NY Times, “Chancellor Angela Merkel, along with President Joachim Gauck and leaders of both of the country’s main Christian churches, attended the rally and pledged to fight a resurgence of the hatred that underpinned efforts to wipe out Jewish life in Germany under the Nazis.

“That far more than 100,000 Jews are now living in Germany is something of a miracle,” Ms. Merkel told the estimated 5,000 people who turned out under gray skies. “It’s a gift and it fills me with a deepest gratitude.”

“That people in Germany are threatened and abused because of their Jewish appearance or their support for Israel is an outrageous scandal that we won’t accept,” Ms. Merkel said. “It’s our national and civic duty to fight anti-Semitism.”

Jews from across the country traveled to the capital by the busload to take part in the demonstration that many viewed as an important chance to show their solidarity with Israel, as well as publicly acknowledge their religion.

It doesn’t get any better than that>

A more critical point of view was expressed by DW’s Editor in Chief. “Germany's entire political elite has gathered in Berlin to demonstrate against anti-Semitism. The protest adds 6,000 people to the campaign. But it is far from enough, says DW's Editor-in-Chief Alexander Kudascheff.

It is a clear signal - 6,000 people have gathered in Berlin to protest against anti-Semitism. Only 6,000. No more.

In 1992, over one million Germans held candle-light vigils in cities, villages and communities across the country to speak out against racism. That was at a time when right-wing hate was countered with demonstrative and imposing force.

But this time, 6,000 people have spoken out. That includes Germany's entire political elite. The president. The chancellor. Ministers. Unionists. The Protestant and Catholic churches. They all gathered on Sunday to make a clear statement against anti-Semitism - upon invitation from the Central Council of Jews in Germany, since no

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initiative came from within society, from within Germany itself. That is quite disgraceful, as is the small number of participants.

It is undeniable that there is a discrepancy in how Jews are perceived, especially in what people think of Israel. The German public has become distinctly more critical of Israel than the government. And behind this legitimate critical view of Israel, there are still archaic anti-Semitic resentments lurking - displayed on the streets by Muslim immigrants, spread on the Internet by "normal" Germans at the center of German society.

The amount of vulgar remarks, hate and rage against Jews that can be found isn't only humiliating and disgraceful, it is also very disturbing. And that's why the rally at Berlin's Brandenburger Tor is the right statement: Germany is responsible for the Holocaust, for the "Shoah," for the murder of six million European Jews.

In Germany, there must be more commitment to speak out more loudly, more impressively and more resolute against anti-Semitism than anywhere else. We cannot pretend that everything is ok.

According to opinion polls, around 20 percent of people in Germany have anti-Semitic views or agree with anti-Semitic stereotypes. That, unfortunately, is more than it was 25 years ago. These people are right-leaning, left-leaning, Muslim immigrants, people straight from the mainstream of German society. Seventy-five years after the beginning of WWII, after the annihilation of the Jews, Synagogues still have to be protected by police security. Even kindergartens. Jews wearing kippas have come to expect verbal attacks. Cemeteries are dishonored. This is a reality for Jews living in Germany.

But: despite the Holocaust, and every-day anti-Semitism, there is Jewish life in Germany again. Communities are growing. Jews do not hide, they are self-confident. That was evident at the rally in Berlin. They show their feelings. They will not accept the insults, the abuse. They are a part of German society. They have found their home here. A home that stands up against anti-Semitism. And that's why, as the German chancellor put it, the struggle against anti-Semitism is a self-evident matter of course for the republic. A free society ostracizes anti-Semitism. And it hates racism.

It is obvious that not all is well in Germany when it comes to Israel and anti-Semitism. It is worse in other places (France) but that doesn’t solve the Germany problem. However, we should be thankful that such outstanding leaders like the Chancellor are willing to speak out and that such journalists such as Alexander Kudascheff are willing to put themselves on the line. ‘Nuff said!.

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See you again October.

DuBow Digest is written and published by Eugene DuBow who can be reached at dubowdigest@optonline.net

Both the American and Germany editions are posted at www.dubowdigest.typepad.com

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