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Germany's Jewish Problem

Anti-Semitism is on the rise in Germany. But is Angela

Merkel doing anything about it?

German authoritiesrecorded 184 anti-Semitic incidents in June and July.

• BY BENJAMIN EIN!"A#-SE$!EMBE% &'( &)*+

BE%#IN , ith anti-Semitism on the marh( Germanys/olitiians and o/inion makers are gra//ling 0ith 0hat 0ent 0rong 0ith the

ountrys se1en-deade-long struggle to ome to terms 0ith its /ast( or as

they all it( Vergangenheitsbewältigung.

Sine the "oloaust( Germany has measured its /rogress by ho0 the

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ountry treats Je0s. 2or e3am/le( the go1ernment /ro1ided generous

4unding to rebuild Je0ish ommunities and allo0ed Je0s 4rom the 4ormer

So1iet 5nion to reloate to Germany. But 0ith a rising tide o4 anti-Semitism

in reent months( there are no0 6uestions about ho0 signi7ant the ulture

o4 "oloaust remembrane has been in /re1enting hatred o4 Je0s.

 !he 0a1e o4 modern anti-Semiti rhetori and 1iolene inundating Germany

in reent months 8olted 9hanellor Angela Merkel and religious and /olitial

leaders to /artii/ate in a :Stand-5/; Je0-"atred-Ne1er Again<: rally

organi=ed on Se/t. *+ by the 9entral 9ounil o4 Je0s in Germany in the

heart o4 Berlins go1ernment distrit( not 4ar the ountrys national

"oloaust memorial.

 !he list o4 anti-Semiti inidents bet0een July and early Se/tember is long.

$rotests against Israels >/eration $roteti1e Edge in Ga=a led seamlessly

to Moloto1 oktails tossed at a synagogue in u//ertal( a ity in 0estern

Germany( on July & -- the 7rst torhing o4 a u//ertal synagogue 0as

during the "itler era in *@. Anti-Israel /rotesters attaked Je0s 4or

0earing kippot on the streets o4 Berlin in a ou/le o4  inidents in July. And

thats 8ust a taste.German authorities reorded *+ anti-Semiti inidents in

 June and July. Aording to a study by German human rights NG> Amadeu

Antonio 2oundation( there 0ere &' anti-Semiti inidents in August.

:!hese are the 0orst times sine the Na=i era. >n the streets( you hear

things like !he Je0s should be gassed( !he Je0s should be burned(: ieterGraumann( the /resident o4 Germanys 9entral 9ounil o4 Je0s( lamented to

theGuardian in August.

Merkel( 0hom Je0ish organi=ations ha1e honored 0ith many a0ards 4or her

0ork o1er the years to ulti1ate German-Je0ish li4e and 4oster a robust

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relationshi/ 0ith Israel( deli1ered a tough s/eeh at the rally. :It is our

national and i1i duty to 7ght anti-Semitism(: the hanellor delared in

4ront o4 the Brandenburg Gate -- a symbol o4 German uni7ation and

demoray.

In the a4termath o4 the "oloaust( Germany has had a om/liated

relationshi/ German Je0s -- and 0ith Israel. hile it 0as sarely re/orted(

Merkel did re4erene the Je0ish state at the rally( saying( :I do not ae/t

any kind o4 anti-Semiti message or attaks at all( not least the ones that

0ere reently seen at the /ro-$alestinian demonstrations( disguised as

alleged ritiism o4 the /oliy o4 the state o4 Israel.:

But( so 4ar( Merkel has done little to ombat anti-Semitism in Germany

beyond gi1ing a s/eeh. She has oCered no /oliy /resri/tions. And yet

the hanellors anger at her 4ello0 iti=ens 0ho abuse Je0s has long been

1ie0ed as sinere. Julius Shoe/s( a /rominent German Je0ish /ro4essor

and a desendant o4 the *th-entury /hiloso/her Moses Mendelssohn( told

me a4ter Merkels s/eeh( :I an ount on her.: "e added( ho0e1er( that heould not rely on the other /eo/le( like $rotestant and 9atholi hurh

leaders( 0ho also s/oke against anti-Semitism at the rally.

>rgani=ations aDliated 0ith the $rotestant and 9atholi hurhes ha1e

hosted e1ents( along 0ith German /olitiians( o1er the years that ha1e

strained relations bet0een Je0s and Germans.

In &)*)( the E1angelial Aademy( an eduational enter that seeks :to

build bridges bet0een /eo/le(: in1ited Bassem Naim( a "amas minister( to

a on4erene on :$artner 4or $eae; !alking 0ith "amas and 2atah.:

Naim has argued 4or :resistane: against Israel( and stated that there is

:e3/loitation o4 the "oloaust by the ionists to 8usti4y their rimes and

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harness international ae/tane o4 the am/aign o4 ethni leansing and

sub8etion they ha1e been 0aging against us.: Naims 1isa to tra1el to

Germany 0as ultimately denied due to the E5s designation o4 "amas as a

terrorist entity.

 !0o years later( in &)*&( Albreht ShrFter -- the Soial emorati mayor

o4 Jena( a to0n in eastern Germany -- signed a /etition alled :>u/ation

 !astes Bitter(: organi=ed by the German 9atholi /eae organi=ation $a3

9hristi( 0hih urged a boyott o4 Israeli /roduts. Germanys 9atholi

9hurh did not e3/liitly disa1o0 the $a3 9hristi grassroots ation 4or some

ritis( the am/aign realled the Na=i-era slogan :ont buy 4rom Je0s.:

 !his year( Israels ambassador to Germany( Yako1 "adas-"andelsman( and

a Jerusalem-based 0athdog organi=ation( NG> Monitor( shar/ly ritii=ed

German grou/s 4or 4unding anti-Israel ati1ity. NG> Monitor issued an

e3hausti1e re/ort on German go1ernment 4unds 4unneled to :organi=ations

that ontribute to the gro0ing demoni=ation o4 Israel and BS Hboyott(

di1estment and santions am/aigns( in diret ontradition to German

4oreign /oliy.: Merkel o//oses boyotts o4 Israel 4or its settlement

/oliies.K In a 8oint letter( think tanks aDliated 0ith all o4 the ma8or German

/olitial /arties -- inluding Merkels -- re8eted NG> Monitors ritiisms.

"igh-ranking di/lomats 4rom the Israeli embassy in Berlin say that Merkel is

the most /ro-Israel hanellor in German history. Ne3t year( Israel and the

Germany 0ill mark ') years o4 di/lomati relations. Grand elebrations are

/lanned. And the hanellor has long mathed her strong rhetorial su//ort

4or Israel 0ith onrete military assistane 4or the de4ense o4 the Je0ish

state. In a &)) address to Israels Lnesset( Merkel delared that Israels

seurity is :non-negotiable: 4or her administration. Germany has /ro1ided

Israel 0ith 4our ad1aned seond-strike ol/hin submarines sine Merkel

began her tenure as hanellor( and a 74th 0ill arri1e in si3 months these

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/ro1ide a signi7ant nulear-armed deterrent. In addition( Germanys

intelligene ageny BN 4re6uently oo/erates 0ith the Mossad.

But e1en as Berlin has deli1ered 1ital military assistane to Israel( i1il

soiety and others in German /olitial li4e ha1e done little to urtail the

outbreak o4 anti-Je0ish sentiment.

:!here is a startling indiCerene in the German /ubli to the urrent dis/lay

o4 anti-Semitism(: said Samuel Sal=born( a leading e3/ert on anti-Semitism

at the 5ni1ersity o4 GFttingen in #o0er Sa3ony( in early August. Merkels

rally on Se/t. *+ /rodued a mere '())) /eo/le( aording to /olie. !he

 Je0ish ommunity( 0hih organi=ed the e1ent( said ())) /eo/le ame.

Gi1en that the 9entral 9ounil o4 Je0s hartered buses 4rom ommunities

aross the ountry( the turnout 0as lakluster at best.

In om/arison( a4ter a 7rebombing o4 a synagogue in sseldor4  in &)))(

then-9hanellor Gerhard ShrFder alled 4or a nation0ide /rotest against

raism and anti-Semitism. Some &))())) /eo/le marhed in a /roession

through Berlin( and tens o4 thousands /rotested in other ities aross

Germany.

 !he a/athy o4 today has many /eo/le 0ondering 0hats gone 0rong. In a

ommentary 4or eutshland4unk radio( Lirsten Seru/-Bil4eldt( a 8ournalist

and author 0ho 0rites about German-9hristian relations( 0ent as 4ar as

to argue that the :on4rontation 0ith Germanys National Soialist /ast has

4ailed.: In a ountry that takes /ride in its ability to on4ront the Na=is

rimes( Seru/-Bil4eldt issued a death erti7ate to illusions that

remembrane o4 the "oloaust 0ill alone be enough to sto/ anti-Semitism.

German Je0ish leaders ha1e mirrored Seru/-Bil4eldts lament that

Germanys 1ersion o4 the a1erage Joe( :>tto Normal1erbrauher(: made no(

or little( ob8etion to the attaks on Je0s.

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 !he Se/t. *+ rally sho0ed that the German go1ernment( rather than taking

ation to organi=e Germans against anti-Semitism( has outsoured the 7ght

to the 9entral 9ounil and its more than *))())) members. Je0s in

Germany onsist merely o4 ).* /erent o4 Germanys more than ) million

iti=ens. Most Germans ha1e ne1er met a Je0( a 4at e3em/li7ed by an

e3hibit in Berlins Je0ish Museum last year titled :!he Je0 in the Bo3(: to

4oster more understanding among the /ubli about Judaism and anti-

Semitism. In 0hat some ritis 1ie0ed as a bi=arre s/etale( a Je0 0ould

sit in an o/en glass bo3 taking 6uestions 4rom 1isitors about Je0ish li4e and

Israel.

Some say that Germanys memorial ulture has soothed guilty onsienes

0ithout leading to ation against urrent e3istential threats to Je0s( suh as

Irans threats to :0i/e Israel oC the ma/.: "enryk M. Broder( a leading

e3/ert on German anti-Semitism and olumnist 4or the large daily Die

Welt ( said in an inter1ie0( :!he remembrane o4 Aush0it= has deteriorated

into a trite ritual( 0hih is about sa1ing the dead Je0s. And this ritual o4

sa1ing the dead Je0s is used as a moral alibi. !he remembrane o4 the

"oloaust is an e3use to not ha1e to deal 0ith a /otential seond

"oloaust in the Middle East.:

"e has long ritii=ed many German intelletuals and /olitiians 4or /laying

do0n or ignoring the Iranian threat and its hard-ore anti-Semitism. In

&))( Irans urrent s/eaker o4 /arliament( Ali #ari8ani( made a statement

about :diCerent /ers/eti1es on the "oloaust: at the Munih Seurity

9on4erene. And in &))( #ar8anis brother denied the "oloaust and alled

4or the elimination o4 Israel at a German 2oreign Ministry e1ent near the

"oloaust memorial. Neither Iranian 4aed /roseution( though "oloaust

denial is a rime in Germany.

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hile /rior to Israels >/eration $roteti1e Edge there 0as a 7ne line

bet0een anti-Semitism and anti-Israel ritiism( the barrier olla/sed during

the 0a1e o4 /rotests. 9ritis argue that :Israel ritiism(: as it is alled in

Germany( has beome a national /astime. !here are no similar debates

about( 4or e3am/le( %ussia ritiism. Merkel is the 7rst German hanellor

to identi4y the use o4 rabidly anti-Israel rhetori as a o1er 4or anti-

Semitism.

 !here 0ere ounter1ailing urrents to outbreaks o4 anti-Semitism and

hatred o4 Israel during >/eration $roteti1e Edge among setions o4 the

media and German elites. !he ountrys largest daily -- the mass-

irulation Bild -- reruited /rominent elebrities( dignitaries( and /olitiians

to e3/lain 0hy Germans should raise their 1oies against anti-Semitism :in

a strong sign o4 solidarity 0ith Israel and our 4ello0 Je0ish

iti=ens.: Bild highlighted the July attaks 0ith a 4ront-/age headline;:Ne1er

Again Je0-hatred.:

 !here has been gro0ing o//robrium against lassial anti-Semitism( but

ontem/orary anti-Semitism( largely de7ned as hostility( ontinues. As #on

$oliako1( the 2renh historian o4 anti-Semitism 0rote( Israel has beome

:the Je0 among nations.: Anti-hate la0s in Germany bar initement against

 Je0s( but the line bet0een Je0s and Israel is thin. Studies o1er the last

deade o4 German 1ie0s to0ard the Je0ish state re1eal that nearly hal4 at

times more than ') /erentK onsider Israels treatment o4 the $alestinians

to be the e6ui1alent o4 the Na=i e3termination o4 Euro/ean Je0ry.

Germanys on4rontation 0ith its /ast has entered a ne0 stage. Shrinking

the ga/ bet0een ombating ontem/orary 4orms o4 anti-Semitism and

soietal indiCerene to those mani4estations remains a tall order. !ake the

e3am/le o4 "e=bollah in Germany. 2or Je0s in Germany( the grou/

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re/resents a sinere threat. Sine *O( "e=bollah has staged a yearly al-

Puds ay marh in Berlin alling 4or the destrution o4 Israel. !his years

marh sa0 hants o4 :gas Israel: and alls o4 :Sieg "eil: -- an outla0ed Na=i

slogan.

2or Je0s to 4eel om4ortable in &*st-entury Germany( rising anti-Je0ish and

anti-Israel sentiments 0ill need to be blunted. Merkels a//earane earlier

this month at the rally sho0s that she understands this. :Young Je0ish

/arents are asking i4 it sa4e to raise their hildren here(: she said to the

small ro0d in attendane. !he /ressing 6uestion is 0hether Merkel 0ill

math her harateristially tough s/eeh against anti-Semitism 0ith /oliy

/resri/tions -- and 0hether Germans are listening.

Adam Berry( Getty Images Ne0s

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