AN AMERICAN JEWISH GERMAN INFORMATION & OPINION

NEWSLETTER dubowdigest@optonline.net

AMERICAN EDITION
October 28, 2013

IN THIS EDITION THE NEW BUNDESTAG Who is in and who is out. THE WEAK OPPOSITION The Greens and the The Left BLACKS IN BUNDESTAG Yes! There are two. THE DIFFERENCE IN ELECTIONS Germany vs. USA GERMANY & ISRAEL: ANY CHANGES? - Not many. ALTERNATIVE FOR GERMANY: A NEW PARTY Important? Maybe! NEO-NAZIS: INTERNATIONAL Growing like a cancer. JEWISH BERLIN: A WASHINGTON COMPETITOR for dysfunction SYNAGOGUES ATTACKED 82 in five years Dear Friends: I could fill an entire newsletter with what is being written about the spying on Merkel calamity. Germany, its Chancellor and just about everyone in Germany is mad as hell about the USs NSA telephone intercepts. The French and the Brazilians arent happy either. Merkel called Obama directly to bitterly complain. Roger Cohen in The New York Times opined, Merkel is measured. For her to lift the phone and go public with her criticism leaves no doubt she is livid. As she said last July, Not everything which is technically doable should be done. This, on the now ample evidence provided by the former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, is not the view of the N.S.A., whose dragnet eavesdropping has prompted fury from Paris to Braslia. 1

Obama, in his cool detachment, is not big on diplomacy through personal relations, but Merkel is as close to a trusted friend as he has in Europe. To infuriate her, and touch the most sensitive nerve of Stasi-marked Germans, amounts to sloppy bungling that hurts American soft power in lasting ways. O.K. what happened was bad. However, it will eventually blow over. Our government might have to apologize more profusely and sign some sort of a no -spy agreement but Germany and the U.S. need each other in too many ways to let the thing get out of hand. Need almost always trumps emotion. Granted! Its a mess. Messes get cleaned up and before you can say, Handyberwachung (cell phone spying) well be on to some other problem. In the meantime, perhaps more important even to us, Germany is on the cusp of having a new government so lets get on with the news

THE NEW BUNDESTAG With the German election over, the victorious CDU/CSU Parties got 42% of the vote but ending up 5 seats short of a majority so a coalition is necessary. Chancellor Merkels CDU/CSU Parties did win 311 seats, the SPD (Social Democrats) got 146, the Left Party (Die Linke) 64 and the Greens 63. The FDP (Free Democrats) won only 4.8% of the vote and, therefore did not make it over the need 5% hurdle and so they did not get any seats. The CDU/CSU could have coalesced with Greens but they were too far to the left on some issues so that didnt work. The Left Party is even further to the left so the process of putting together a grand coalition with the other large party, the SPD, is now underway. DW reported, Wednesday's [Oct. 16th] 88-minute meeting in Berlin was only the first step in what is likely to be a long and laborious process to iron out major differences before forming a new "grand coalition" government in Germany. The mood was upbeat following the gathering, which involved 75 leading figures from Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU), its Bavarian sister party the Christian Social Union (CSU) under Horst Seehofer, and the Social Democrats (SPD) led by Sigmar Gabriel. "It was a good start," Hermann Grhe, the CDU general secretary said following the talks, adding that there was a perceptible will on the part of all parties to bring the negotiations to a successful conclusion.

CSU general secretary Alexander Dobrindt saw tangible signs of this good will in the fact that participants "hugged each other at first and that was very helpful." His counterpart from the SPD, Andrea Nahles, struck a more sober note, saying that there was "much to do, and we now have to tackle that together." Officials said Wednesday's talks were focused on the labor market and Germany's public finances. The next round of talks, scheduled to take place on October 30, is to concentrate on European affairs. Before then, 12 working groups and four subgroups set up by the parties will endeavor to establish more common ground. The negotiations could theoretically last until December 17, when the German parliament, or Bundestag, is due to formally elect Merkel as chancellor of a new ruling coalition. The issues to be decided on are largely domestic. Taxes and the possibility of a minimum wage are among the most important. Until they can agree the current government remains in office including Foreign Minister Westerwelle whose party will not even be in the Bundestag once the new government is formed. The thing that impressed me the most was the willingness to come to workable arrangements somewhere down the line so that a government can be in place to govern the country. No talk of a government shutdown. Maybe we should try a parliamentary system instead of the warlike one we have. Apparently the dividing up of the ministries and the appointment of Ministers will be taken care of after all the issue matters are decided. Of course, the most important for the purposes of this newsletter is - Who becomes the Foreign Minister? Normally the winning party takes the Chancellors role and the junior partner is awarded the Foreign Ministers position. I am concerned that, in this case, the SPD Chairman, Sigmar Gabriel might become the Foreign Minister. Why am I concerned? Last year The Times of Israel and many other media outlets reported, The chairman of Germanys main opposition party has accused Israel of running an apartheid regime in Hebron. I was just in Hebron. Theres a legal vacuum there for Palestinians. This is an apartheid regime, for which there is no justification, Sigmar Gabriel who has a good chance of becoming Germanys next chancellor posted on his Facebook wall. The post quickly drew hundreds of responses, mostly from pro-Israel surfers, some of whom threatened to cancel their memberships in the SPD, the party that Gabriel leads. Gabriel then clarified his remarks in two follow-up posts, saying that he didnt mean to compare Israel with South Africas apartheid regime but that he is immensely angry about how Palestinians are treated in Hebron. 3

I think [Israel's] current settlement policy is wrong and I consider the conditions [in Hebron] undignified. There is no guarantee that the SPD will want or get the Foreign Ministry. They may want some other. Even if they do get their person into the Foreign Ministers position, they might opt for someone other than Gabriel. Well have to wait and see what happens. Stay tuned! THE WEAK OPPOSITION With a grand coalition on the horizon for the German government, what about the minority or, as its known in the UK, the loyal opposition? With the two major party groups, the CDU/CSU and the SPD in the majority, whos left, who will speak for them and how powerful will they be? DW/DE notes, An elephant sits across from a tiny mouse. At least that's the sort of metaphor being used to describe the yawning gap in power between the likely coalition government and its miniscule opposition. Of 631 seats in the Bundestag, Germany's lower house of parliament, no less than 504 would be taken by a potential "grand coalition" between Chancellor Angela Merkel's union of Christian Democrats, its Bavarian sister party of Christian Socialists, and the Social Democratic Party. That leaves just 127 seats for the likely opposition candidates, The Left and the Greens. Prior to September elections, opposition parties accounted for more than twice as many seats in German parliament; at that time, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) was still among them. Having likely lost the SPD heavyweight from its bench, opposition forces are now left with few options for participating in - as well as critiquing - the work of the coalition government. Opposition parties in Germany normally have an extensive toolbox for procedurally reigning in the governing parties: They can lodge official inquiries that the government must answer in full; they can assemble attention-grabbing investigatory committees to uncover behind-the-scenes wheeling and dealing in government ministries; and they can call on Germany's highest court to judge the constitutionality of proposed legislation. But in the plenary hall of the Bundestag, opposition voices will now be muffled. Since microphone time in the chamber is apportioned on relative political fraction strength, opposition speaking privileges will be curtailed. In a one-hour debate, for example, the opposition would have just 12 minutes to voice their concerns. "The Greens and The Left will no longer be able to propose a committee of inquiry, nor to file a motion of no-confidence in the government," said political scientist Stephan Brchler at the University of Giessen. 4

The right to invoke such proceedings is only afforded to opposition factions holding 25 percent or more of the Bundestag's seats, according to Article 44 of Germany's Basic Law as well as parliamentary rules. The Left and the Green Party together account for just 20. "If it stays that way," Brchler told DW, "there's the danger it'll do damage to democracy." As far as the Speaker for the Opposition is concerned, because The Left Party outpolled the Greens by one seat, it appears that Gregor Gysi will have that post. According to another DW/DE story, The 65-year-old politician even manages to appear nearly unchanged since when, under his leadership, the defunct socialist SED party of the former East Germany became the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS). The PDS and the Electoral Alternative for Labour and Social Justice (WASG), a leftwing breakaway from the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) eventually merged and became the Left Party. The point here is that the Left Party is, indeed, the most left-wing party in the Bundestag far more in that direction than the Greens. This is the first time a member of The Left Party will have such an important post. Well have to see what he does with it. A personal note: Back in my days of dealing with the Jewish Community in East Germany I got to know Gysis father, Klaus Gysi who was the State Secy. for Church Questions and was sort of the Godfather to the small Jewish community there. It was well known that Gysi himself was of Jewish extraction. While there is nothing particularly Jewish at all about his son Gregor, he is seen by some as Jewish. Its a hard label to shake. BLACKS IN BUNDESTAG After all the votes were counted it came to pass that something quite amazing happened two African-Germans were elected to the Bundestag. The Local. De reported, Germany's first two lawmakers of African origin cheered their victory as trailblazers on Monday after winning seats in parliament in Sunday's elections. Senegalese-born Karamba Diaby, 51, will represent Halle, an eastern city of 230,000 people, for the Social Democrats in the Bundestag lower house of parliament. And a German actor of Senegalese extraction, Charles M. Huber, captured a seat for Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats (CDU). "I'm in!" Diaby wrote on Twitter under his handle @KarambaDiaby. "Thank you for your trust," he added on his Facebook page.

"It is a good feeling," he said, after failing to capture a direct mandate but clinching his seat via the party list. "I am looking forward to having the chance to shape policy in the Bundestag." Born in Dakar in 1961, Diaby moved in 1985 to then communist East Germany with a scholarship to study chemistry. Settling first in Leipzig, he moved to Halle in 1986 where he now lives with his German wife and two children. Diaby said he aims to focus on education, a national minimum wage and social justice as a lawmaker. As far as his victory's historic importance, Diaby was modest. "If I can contribute to raising awareness to create more opportunities for people with foreign roots then that is good," he said. Huber, 56, will represent the southwestern city of Darmstadt. "Dear friends. I AM IN THE BUNDESTAG," he tweeted under his handle @charlesmhuber49. Huber is seen posing with Merkel on his Facebook page and is widely known in Germany for his role as a detective on the television crime show "The Old Fox", which ran from 1986 to 1997. Born in Munich in 1956, Huber is the son of a Senegalese diplomat and a German woman. The election of these two men is truly a sea change for Germany and proof that the country is becoming less insular. I guess I would be less surprised if they were elected for constituencies in Berlin. However, Halle and Darmstadt are much less mixed and so it is a genuine step forward THE DIFFERENCE IN ELECTIONS Ruth Marcus writing in The Washington Post wrote a fascinating column on the differences between German and American election campaigns. She starts off by saying, For a visitor from the land of win-at-any-cost elections and ceaseless partisanship, the election that just concluded here, resulting in a triumphant third term for Chancellor Angela Merkel, offers a glimpse of politics from another planet. On the most technical level is the fact that the campaign, by U.S. standards, was fleetingly short and bargain-basement cheap. No surprise there, except the magnitude of the financial gulf. Merkel spent about $27million, mostly in public funds, during the six-week campaign and that was for the entire slate of her Christian Democratic

Union (CDU). By contrast, the Obama reelection campaign alone spent $700 million not including extra cash from the party or outside groups. The notion of data-driven micro-targeting is offensive to Germans, for whom the idea that a political party would purchase information about voters p references and behaviors evokes an unwelcome history of overbearing government. Even the most rudimentary of information voters party preferences and records of participation is unavailable here. [A] staple of modern American politics negative advertising was absent, for the simple reason that it would be certain to backfire. We dont attack each other, Stefan Liebich, a member of parliament from the Left Party said as he campaigned in a gentrifying district of East Berlin. Germans wouldnt like it. I channel-surfed in vain for a single German campaign commercial, only to be informed that each party is given a set amount of time, based on voter share, on the two public networks. Ads from the two main parties Merkels CDU and the Social Democrats ran eight times on each channel; smaller parties were consigned to four. The parties can purchase time on private networks as well, but the relative paucity of funds limits such airings. As Emily Schultheis of Politico observed, the Merkel ad was slated to run 140 times, while the Obama campaign ran more than 100,000 ads in Ohio alone. The Merkel ad, by the way, offered a fascinating glimpse of cross-cultural gender politics. With 90 seconds of the chancellor speaking directly to the camera, it featured close-ups of jowls and wrinkles that no female politician in the United States indeed, that no female politicians opponent in the United States would dare risk. And for U.S. visitors inured to tight security, campaign events here were disconcertingly open; even at Merkels final rally, supporters did not have to pass through the metal detectors ubiquitous at American campaign events. But perhaps most astonishing for those immersed in the polarized American political landscape is the edges-rounded-off nature of the German political debate. U.S. voters may say they want their politicians to cooperate and compromise, but a system built on party primaries and gerrymandered districts pushes relentlessly toward division. In theory, a multiparty arrangement accommodates and reflects a wider range of political views. In Merkels Germany, it has resulted in a race to the middle not just in forming a coalition government but in the campaign itself. [The campaign] offered a soothing respite from the arrows-flying atmosphere of divided Washington and the permanent campaign. Given where our own government is these days with total gridlock a possibility 7

(certainty?), the parliamentary system seems a reasonable alternative. Even if in Germany no party gets a majority of Bundestag seats or a coalition cannot be arrived at, there is always the possibility of a minority government or the calling of new elections. Our own constitution just doesnt allow for that. Yes! Were an exceptional country with an exceptional political system. Sometimes it aint so good to be exceptional. GERMANY & ISRAEL: ANY CHANGES? While I do not think Chancellor Merkel and any of her prospective government partners were thrilled with P.M. Netanyahus strongly accusative speech given at the UN about Iran, nothing much in German policy toward Israel will change. Even if the new Foreign Minister is someone who is less pro-Israel than Fr. Merkel things will remain about the same. Alexander Hasgall writing in The JC.com following the German election wrote, The results of yesterdays election in Germany can be summarized quickly: as far as Israel and the Jews are concerned, nothing will change. On Israel, there are only small differences between Chancellor Angela Merkels victorious party, the Christian Democrats (CDU), and the SPD, with whom she is likely to seek a governing coalition. With both, Germany will remain one of the closest allies of Israel in Europe. Even if Ms Merkel builds a coalition with the Green Party which is unlikely not much will change. The Greens, like the SPD and several other political groups in Europe, have an increasingly critical attitude towards Israeli policy in the West Bank. However, they are interested in maintaining relatively good relations with Jewish state. If, as is more likely, we are left with a tie-up between the CDU and the SPD as there was from 2005 to 2009 the result will be a carbon copy of that government, perhaps even with the same foreign minister. When it comes to Jewish life in Germany, no big changes should be expected. Official Jewish bodies and the government work together closely, and this will not change quickly. However, there are unresolved issues to be dealt with. Around 80 per cent of the Jews left in Germany after the war migrated to the former Soviet Union. Many of them are now asking for dual citizenship, a demand which Ms Merkel has refused. In addition, civil society groups do not enjoy consistent funding from the state as they struggle against anti-Semitism and other forms of intolerance. The election night led to another surprise. The AfD (Alternative for Germany), a right wing populist party, failed to put any MPs into the Bundestag. AfD based their campaign on a demand for Germany to leave the Eurozone. This is remarkable: Germany is one of the few countries in Europe without a successful populist party in the parliament. 8

Having AfD in parliament would have sent a negative signal to religious and ethnic minorities in the country. Whatever the next government looks like, it will face major challenges. Taking into account the raise of extremist and anti-Semitic groups in other European countries particularly in Greece Germany has to assume a more active and less egotistical role on the continent. The people gave Ms Merkel a significant gift of trust. Time will tell how she uses it.

ALTERNATIVE FOR GERMANY: A NEW PARTY Since the Alternative for Germany Party (AfD) is mentioned in the prior article, and since they came within a whisker of getting enough votes for Bundestag membership, some explanation about this group is merited. AfD was founded less than a year ago. According to Wikipedia it, is a conservative, euro-currency-skeptic German political party founded in 2013. The party states that it is anti-euro, but not anti-EU, and not against European unity. The party's central argument is that the euro is a failed currency that threatens European integration by impoverishing countries with uncompetitive economies and burdening future generations. The AfD competed in the German federal election and the state election in Hesse in September 2013. Their manifesto was endorsed by a number of prominent economists, journalists, and business leaders. The group argued that the eurozone had proven to be "unsuitable" and that states in southern European states were "sinking into poverty under the competitive pressure of the euro" The party is seen as offering a home to socially conservative voters who have been disenfranchised as chancellor Merkel has allegedly shifted the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) to the left in areas of social policy such as same sex marriage. Some members of the AfD have been critical of same sex marriage, particularly Beatrix von Storch, an AfD candidate in Berlin. Co-founder of the party Konrad Adam has stated that the party does not yet have an official position on the matter. In contrast with other anti-euro movements in Europe, the AfD claims that it is neither nationalist nor anti-immigration. Its program calls for Canadian-style policies to entice more skilled foreign workers to Germany. Alternative for Germany party organizers have been sending out the message that they are not trying to attract right-wing populists or radicals. The AfD check applicants for membership to exclude far-right and former National Democratic Party of Germany (NPD) members who support the anti-Euro policy (as other mainstream German political parties do). The party toned down rhetoric on their Facebook page following media allegations that it too closely evoked the language of the far-right. 9

AfD is certainly worthy of keeping ones eye on it. Some political commentators think that it took away votes from the Free Democrats and were a major cause of their failure to get enough votes to enter the Bundestag. No doubt it also drew votes away from the right wing of the CDU. However, at least thus far, they have focused almost exclusively on economic issues and certainly stayed away from the neo-Nazi NPD kind of extreme right wing people. As far as I can tell that have not uttered a peep about Israel or the Jews. As above, well keep an eye on them.

NEO-NAZIS: INTERNATIONAL Ever since starting this newsletter (4 or 5 years ago) I have been writing and reporting about the neo-Nazis in Germany, especially the NPD Party. Having the kind of attraction that that this sort of hate group has for some elements of the population, it shouldnt surprise us that they would be in touch with others like themselves in other countries. Recently DW.com reported, In Germany, recent investigations into the murders committed by the neo-Nazi group NSU (National Socialist Underground) have revealed an extensive international network that serves the interests of right-wing extremists. "Neo-Nazis began to network, also on an international level, in the mid-1990s or even earlier," said Berlin-based political scientist and right-wing extremism expert Hajo Funke. Andreas Speit, a Hamburg-based author of several books on right-wing extremism, says that neo-Nazi activity can be broadly divided into three different categories. "You have to distinguish between three types: the subculture scene, the violent neoNazis and the politics," Speit said. He has observed that, on the cultural level, networking is being done at right-wing rock concerts. German bands with racist song lyrics tour all around Europe. "As a right-wing rock band, you can perform in countries like Italy or Greece," added Speit. CDs with songs that are banned in Germany are produced abroad and then brought into the country. Experts have observed a form of cross-border cooperation between violent neo-Nazis. Internationally active groups such as the Ku Klux Klan, Combat 18 and Blood and Honour can help individuals wanted for right-wing crimes go into hiding in other countries. "Such groups have become stronger in recent years because domestic intelligence agencies have allowed it to happen," Funke said. This international networking results in violent German neo-Nazis committing crimes abroad. 10

"There have been incidents of German neo-Nazis traveling to the Czech Republic and taking part in attacks on Roma and Sinti people - or going to Greece to see how the Golden Dawn operates," explained Speit. "You could call this violence tourism." However, right-wing extremists also attempt to gain influence through legal methods. The European Alliance for Freedom and the Alliance of European National Movements are two parties that plan to run for office in the next European Parliament elections. But why do nationalists from various countries work with each other? "Neo-Nazis don't think in terms of national borders," said Speit. "They don't hinder each other's activities but instead they want to see the white race maintain power around the world. And as long as foreigners stay in their own countries, the neo-Nazis have nothing against them. The ideology at play here is ethno-pluralism." The one thing that unites the right-wing parties from all countries is hatred of Jews. This is a reason why many neo-Nazis had great respect for former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who openly spoke against Israel and threatened to destroy it. The bond between Islamists and neo-Nazis is not a new phenomenon, however. "Already in the 1920s there were strong alliances between the right-wing groups of Europe but also with the Arab world," said Speit, adding that the ideology behind this was banal. "The right-wing extremists realized that the other group was also fond of upholding its old traditions, including those pertaining to dealing with women." According to Speit, right-wing ideology is spreading internationally. This is partly due to the effects of the economic crisis and the uncertainty felt by the middle class. The networking between neo-Nazis only exacerbates the problem. "We can expect that they will get more mandates during the next EU parliamentary elections," said Speit. The movement is also "unbelievably active" on the music scene. Young people from small towns are easily excited by the local right-wing extremists getting the chance to travel to Italy to attend a concert. This is why it is important to take preventative measures. "Turning away doesn't solve the problem," said Speit. "If you confront right-wing extremists, you have a chance to change them." So, there you have it. Neo-Nazis have a natural affinity for one another and with Internet communication they are able to talk with each other and, therefore, plot and plan without much interference. In Germany the NPD is constantly under the microscope of the security services. However, for instance, in Greece the Golden Dawn was able to grow into a significant political force until recently. Could the NPD grow its strength in Germany? They are already in two state legislatures and got about 2% in the national election. At present they are under control but who can

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tell about the future? Stay tuned. JEWISH BERLIN: A WASHINGTON COMPETITOR If you think Washington politics are disastrous, you dont know Jewish B erlin. Several months ago I wrote about the very difficult situation the official Jewish community had gotten itself into. Well, its become worse. Donald Snyder writing in The Forward reports, Germanys largest Jewish communal organization, the Berlin Juedische Gemeinde, is nearly dysfunctional. At the center of the controversy crippling the Gemeinde is its president, Gideon Joffe, an Israeli immigrant to Germany whose background and style of leadership reflect a broader, seismic demographic shift in the historic face of German Jewry. According to longtime observers, the deteriorating situation enveloping Berlins organized Jewish community renders Jews a diminished force in Germany and damages their influence. With firsthand memories of the Holocaust fading in the rearview mirror, [Rabbi Josh] Spinner fears that the internal strife and negative media accounts will ultimately erode Germanys commitment to issues of Jewish concern. Today, some 120,000 Jews live in Germany. This compares with an estimated 25,000, consisting of survivors and displaced Jews from elsewhere, after World War II. But the legendary stereotype of Germanys punctilious Jewish community, one steeped in German culture, history and propriety, as evoked by the slang term yekke, is a t hing of the past. Joffes leadership and the responses it has provoked project an implicit contrast with this image. His tenure has included, among other things, a heated debate over secretive financial transactions that climaxed in fisticuffs at a May 23 meeting, to which the police were summoned. A chorus of critics has condemned Joffe for lack of transparency, citing his failure to disclose the use of community property as collateral for a loan. Other critics have complained about incompetent management, neglected maintenance and low salaries at Jewish schools. The Gemeinde is also in a court fight with the city of Berlin, its largest benefactor. According to Guenter Kolodziej, spokesman for cultural affairs for the Berlin Senate, the governing body of the city-state, the city subsidizes between 60% and 80% of the Gemeindes operating budget. The government initiated court action after the Gemeinde refused to supply information that the city requested about the communitys employees, which number more than 300. This information is critical for the city in calculating the Gemeindes annual budget. The Gemeinde also owes the city of Berlin millions of euros because of pension miscalculations that go back decades. Joffe has been uncooperative in working out an agreement with the government to address this problem. 12

The Juedische Gemeinde must repay those debts to the city that have been accumulated due to inappropriate spending on pensions, Kolodziej said. We want the Juedische Gemeinde to grow and flourish; however, we cant tolerate mismanagement. Right now we are in the process of auditing, and some issues are under litigation. Deidre Berger, director of the American Jewish Committees Berlin office, estimates that only half of Berlins Jews with German citizenship affiliated with the Gemeinde and that the number of Berlin Jews is closer to 25,000. Separately, there are 18,000 Israeli Jews living in Berlin, according to AJC estimates. The Israeli Embassy estimates this number to be 13,000. When Israelis are included, Berlins Jewish population is estimated to be between 40,000 and 50,000, according to AJC figures. The vast majority of the Israelis have no connection with the Gemeinde. Today, Berlins einheit gemeinde, or unified community, has become predominantly Russian. And with the addition of the Israelis, Jewish life has become more diverse. Its a much bigger community, as the German government had hoped. But some question the continued viability of the big-tent concept. Many Jews are totally disconnected from the Gemeinde. The future of Jewish life in Germany rests in the hands of this younger generation. Will those Jews reconnect with their roots, or will they completely assimilate? And if they reconnect, will they be inclined to transform the Gemeinde? There is much more to Snyders article and you can read it all by clicking here. http://forward.com/articles/184592/germanys-largest-jewish-organization-is-atthe/#ixzz2hcb6127Z Not only is the future of Jewish life in Germany in the hands of the young people but, in my opinion, the future of Jewish life throughout Europe depends to a large degree on what happens in the most important country in the continent. If German Jewish life fails I fear that the positive developments in other countries will follow suit. Obviously, only time will tell. Stay tuned! SYNAGOGUES ATTACKED It was disheartening to read in the JTA that, There have been 82 reported attacks on synagogues in Germany from 2008 to 2012, according to a report requested by Left Party legislator and Bundestag Vice President Petra Pau. But the reported number may actually be too low: An investigation by Germanys main Jewish weekly, the Juedische Allgemeine, showed that several notable incidents were not included in the report from the German Interior Ministry that was released last week, including an attack on the Dresden synagogue in 2012, as well as desecration of synagogue property in Regensburg and Wuppertal that same year. Most of the reported cases involved property damage and graffiti featuring banned Nazi slogans. According to the report, the main perpetrators are far-right extremists, credited 13

with more than 90 percent of the incidents, though some cases originate in Muslim circles. The lowest number of reported incidents was in 2010, with nine cases; and the peak over the past five years was in 2008, with 21 reported incidents. Most of the incidents occurred in the former West German states of North-Rhine Westfalia and RheinlandPfalz. Pau told the Allgemeine that attacks on synagogues are the tip of the iceberg when it comes to anti-Semitic crimes in Germany. Of course, one attack is one too many. 82 attacks over a five year period is 82 too many. However, that many does not add up to a Kristallnacht. As you know from my from my writings over the years there is an unacceptable amount of anti-Semitism in Germany. The fact that it is worse in other European countries d oesnt make it any better. However, in considering the above news article we must take into consideration that the German government is strongly opposed to the kind of hate groups that make these attacks. This is not 1933. We should be thankful that Chancellor Merkel is the kind of person she is and is due to head the government for another four years. She may not be on the same page as many Jews about Israels settlements but when it comes to the Jews in Germany there is just no better protector. 82 synagogue attacks (with no fatalities as far as I could find out) is something that deserves condemnation but we shouldnt be going overboard thinking that were on the verge of a new Holocaust. ************************************************************************************************* DuBow Digest is written and published by Eugene DuBow who can be reached at edubow@optonline.net Both the American and Germany editions are posted at www.dubowdigest.typepad.com

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