AN AMERICAN JEWISH – GERMAN INFORMATION

& OPINION NEWSLETTER

dubowdigest@optonline.net

AMERICAN EDITION

June 30, 2010

Dear Friends:

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On to the news…

IN THIS EDITION

THE NEW PRESIDENT, THE CHANCELLOR & THE FUTURE – And the winner
is…

THE ANTI-SEMITISM OF CHILDREN – Children throw stones at an Israeli

dance company.

GERMAN JEWISH BLOCKADE RUNNER – The Turkish ships were bad

enough. How about one with German Jews?

UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL SAYS DISCRIMINATION IN GERMANY – Let

he who is without sin cast the first stone…

NEO-NAZI SPEWS HIS VENOM – A State legislator no less.

NO ROOM IN THE INN – Certainly not for a neo-Nazi

LEFT-WING VIOLENCE REPORT – A growing problem

THIS & THAT – A couple of leftover items.

CONTACT – Want to send a comment? Click here. (dubowdigest@optonline.net)

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THE PRESIDENT, THE CHANCELLOR & THE FUTURE

And the winner is…(Be patient!).

Before we get to that…

I’ve held off sending this edition waiting for the outcome of the Presidential
election which is taking place as I’m writing (and re-writing) this segment.

You should know that a number of vitally important events impacted negatively
on the CDU/CSU/FDP governing collation in the last couple of months. Prior to
the election it became clear that a loss by their candidate (Christian Wulff) would,
in all likelihood, eventually bring down the government and result in new
elections being called. It certainly would mark the end of Angela Merkel’s time as
Chancellor, or, at best, substantially weaken her.

The most damaging of these preceding events was the loss by the CDU in the
North-Rhine Westphalia State election. In spite of the fact that the SPD (Social
Dems) and the Greens could not forge a majority, neither could any other
coalition (the peculiarities of a parliamentary system) so since they controlled the
most seats (one shy of a majority) they have decided to form a “minority
government” which will be installed in July. The CDU loss has tremendous
implications because of the (again) peculiar German system. Due to the State
defeat of the CDU/CSU/FDP, the national coalition loses its majority in the Upper
House (Bundesrat). Domestic legislation will now be very difficult to get passed
and enacted into law. With the two Houses of Parliament having different political
majorities’, standoffs or the need to radically compromise become the rule of the
day.

On top of that, the junior partner in the government, the FDP (Free Dems), has
been losing popularity and, in addition, is having spats with the Chancellor and
with the CSU leadership. To make things worse, President Koehler (CDU)
resigned his post as have two important CDU State governors. What a mess!

Remember…Germany's federal president is not chosen through a popular vote.

Instead, a special committee is formed with the sole purpose of selecting the
president via a vote.

The Federal Convention is a special body in Germany’s political system, which

gathers only for the election of the president. It is made up of all the members of
the Bundestag - the German parliament - and an equal number of
representatives chosen by Germany's 16 states. The assembly has 1,244

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members: all 622 members of parliament and 622 delegates from the states and
the balloting is secret. That’s an important point.

There were actually three candidates (Coalition, SPD/Greens and Left Party).
Nobody got a 623 vote absolute majority on the first ballot. The national coalition
had enough delegates but not everyone in the Coalition voted for their candidate,
Christian Wulff. He got only 600 votes. Unhappiness in the ranks!

The candidate of the opposition Social Democrats (SPD) and the Greens,
Joachim Gauck, the former East German dissident and pastor, won 499 votes.
Lukrezia Jochimsen from the socialist Left party won 126.

Time out was called so the parties could caucus. I’m sure arms were being
twisted but it’s a secret ballot so there is no telling how each individual voted..
However, the second round of voting failed to produce a clear result either. The
Coalition candidate and favorite, Christian Wulff received 615 votes. To have any
chance of victory, Gauck would have to win over the supporters of Left Party third
candidate, Lukretia Jochimsen. However, her party had ruled out supporting
Gauck before the ballot.

As the Convention went to a third round, the various party “spin-doctors” were
out in full force with the Coalition people saying that only the final result counted
while the SPD/Green talking heads say it showed the weakness of the Coalition
even in its own ranks.

(Editors note: I’m following this via Internet and it’s almost as exciting as a tied
Super Bowl going into the last few minutes of play).

In the third round, a simple plurality - which Wulff has comfortably held in
both ballots so far - will suffice for victory. In the first two rounds it was an
absolute majority. So, I’m waiting…waiting…waiting

No matter what happens, it looks as if Chancellor Merkel, by not being

able to pull enough votes for her candidate on the first two ballots has
sustained a serious defeat. Der Spiegel, though the final result is not yet
in, is calling it a debacle.

However…

FINALLY WE HAVE A WINNER! Christian Wulff, on the third ballot

received 625 votes, an outright majority. However, according to DW-
World the manner in which Wulff won was anything but convincing, and
points to frictions within Germany's ruling coalition.

Of course, it is much too early to tell how this very difficult election will
impact the governing Coalition. Obviously, getting their candidate elected

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 is a great relief. However, as the Der Spiegel pointed out the way it was
accomplished did not show strength. Nothing will happen overnight. But
as new State elections come up there might be a genuine question as to
how connected they want to stay to the current leadership.

Stay tuned in the months to come. I’ll try to keep you on top of it.

P.S. Don’t underestimate Chancellor Merkel’s ability to engineer a real

comeback. She is a master politician and she’s still the “top dog”.

THE ANTI-SEMITISM OF CHILDREN

The Local reported “Germany’s Jewish community has reacted with shock to a
stone-throwing attack by Muslim children as young as 10 on a Jewish dance
troupe performing at a Hannover festival, media reported Thursday.

About 30 children and youths, largely of Lebanese, Palestinian and Iranian

descent, threw stones at the dancers on Sunday, shouting “Jews out!” daily
Berliner Morgenpost reported. The youths were aged from 10 to 15, the paper
reported.

The dance troupe, named Chaverim – Hebrew for “friends” – broke off their
performance after one of their members was hit in the leg by a stone and lightly
injured.

Lower Saxony Integration Minister Aygül Özkan said through a spokesman she
was “deeply shocked” by the incident.

Charlotte Knoblauch, president of the German Jewish Council, said the incident
showed “a new social provocation, which already in the past weeks is clearly
visible as it hasn’t been before.”

Anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic feelings were evidently simmering among Muslim

youths living in Germany, she said, adding that this case “saddens me especially
because these anti-Semitic attitudes are encountered already in children and
youths with this vehemence.”

Hannover Mayor Stephan Weil branded the incident “unacceptable.” The city
was meanwhile pursuing charges of incitement and attempted assault. He said
at a press conference Wednesday there was “no evidence that the crime was
prepared by an organisation or in advance.”

The chairman of the Jewish community in Lower Saxony, Michael Fürst, said
however that “the children acted at least with the approval, if not even the
direction of their parents.”

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According to police, this was the first violent anti-Semitic crime in the Hannover
area this year that was not committed by neo-Nazis, though there had been anti-
Israeli demonstrations outside of the far-right movement.

This sort of thing, it goes without saying, is tragic. I expect that with the Israel –
Gaza situation as heated as it is, we will see more of it. When this kind of
behavior comes from children, the finger of blame must be pointed at, first, the
parents and, secondly, the schools. It should be a matter of deep concern for the
local government as well and the national education bureaucracy to see to it that
the sort of materials and direction the students receive in school has tolerance
education built in to them. Let’s see if they live up to their responsibilities.

GERMAN JEWISH BLOCKADE RUNNER

Believe it or not, Haaretz reported, “An organization of German Jews that wants
to send an aid ship to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza says that its intentions
are no betrayal of the Jewish people.

In an interview with the German Press Agency dpa in Berlin, Kate Katzenstein-
Leiterer, a leader of the German Jewish Voice organization said instead that they
wanted to help preserve the state of Israel by showing that its current policies
were wrong. "We want Israel to behave in a way that it can be recognized as a
democratic state. Now it is recognized as a criminal state. That is not what we
want," she said. Jewish Voice in Germany says that it has gathered the funds for
its aid ship project from personal donations, loans, and a donation from the Left
Party, a small political grouping with strong support in the former East.

Katzenstein-Leiterer grew up in the former East Germany, to where her

committed Communist parents returned after fleeing Hitler's regime in World War
II. Her organization is part of the European Jews for a Just Peace movement, a
ten-country peace-activist network.

Katzenstein-Leiterer says that her group's stance has caused them to be

ostracized by the mainstream German-Jewish community, which numbers a little
over 100,000.

"Most of the Jews in Germany are immigrants from the former Soviet Union, and
they are not on our side. The other members of the community are not on our
side either. They say that everything that Israel does is OK, and they close their
eyes to what is going on."

I don’t like accusing any Jew of being a betrayer of the Jewish people. That is
about as harsh an accusation as I can think of. I don’t know Kate Katzenstein-
Leiterer and I’m not sure that Jewish Voice has many more members than K K-L
herself. Frankly, I’ve never heard of her or Jewish Voice before. But there are

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people in every camp that somehow get it into their heads that they should do
something with burning fervor and think the fervor alone justifies the act. Political
acts demand clear thinking, a full analysis of a situation and the injustice
involved. The Freedom Riders in our own Civil Rights struggle did what they did
back then when the injustice was clear. They did it in a non-violent way and their
cause did not have backing from those widely considered as terrorists. Their
acts, I believe, passed the test of rational, reasonable and valid. However, no
matter how bad the day to day situation in Gaza might be, I wonder if K K-L
factored in the terrorist role Hamas plays and its desire to destroy Israel. The
blockade may or may not be good policy but the article (click here to read it)
doesn’t mention any criticism by K K-L of the rockets and Hamas’ dedication to
Israel’s destruction. Where, at least, is the “evenhandedness”?
http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/organizer-of-german-jewish-flotilla-we-aren-
t-betraying-israel-1.296724

In addition, I wonder where the money (personal donations, loans) to buy a boat
and purchase all the aid material that it will carry really comes from? Might there
be a little Middle East funding mixed in?

If K K-L is to become a blockade runner I hope she understands the military

dangers that such activity might bring down her and her followers.

In summary, this “Jewish undertaking” (no pun intended) would normally just
plain sadden me. However, the negative public relations possibilities for fellow
Jews make it dangerous. Jews battling Jews is, to me, always tragic.

GERMAN MINISTER – ISRAEL – GAZA FLAP

Ten days ago German Minister of Development, Dirk Niebel was refused
permission to cross over from Israel into Gaza. It turned out, especially in
Germany, to eventuate into very bad P.R. for Israel.

TheLoclal.de reported, “The minister had hoped to visit work being carried out in
the stricken region with German funds, but despite talks with the Israelis which
continued until the last minute, he was not allowed in. Niebel called the incident a
“big foreign policy mistake” on Israel's part over the weekend.

However, there is more to the story. Niebel, a Vice President of the German –
Israel Society, evidently tried to negotiate the crossing well in advance with the
Israeli authorities in both Berlin and Jerusalem. He says he was promised
permission to cross but that it was cancelled at the last minute. The Israeli
government justified its decision by explaining that letting high-ranking politicians
into the Gaza Strip would only legitimize the radical Hamas government.

The entire matter is very peculiar. Niebel, a member of the Free Democratic
Party (FDP) was generally seen as a friend of Israel. He was obviously trying to

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make some sort of a statement. Why? Who advised him to do it? After all, if he
really wanted to enter Gaza to inspect the project(s) Germany was funding in
Gaza, he could have done that easily through the Egyptian border crossing.
Instead he made a public point of the refusal of permission by Israel. Did the
business interests of the FDP trump his commitment to Israel? He has strongly
supported a lifting of the blockade.

On the other hand, maybe it was just an attempt to get himself into the
newspapers and on TV. Die Welt commentator Clemens Wergin noted, “…
Niebel was able to present himself on [on the television news show] heute
journal as a humanitarian fighter for justice and to score points with the Israel-
skeptical German population, which would hardly have noticed the minister’s trip
without this staged scandal.”

Who know why people do what they do? However, for politicians it mostly has to
do with political self-interest. I think Wergin got it right. If there’s more I’ll let you
know.

In fairness to Minister Niebel, you can read an interview he did after he was
refused permission to enter Gaza. Click here.
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5725065,00.html

UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL SAYS DISCRIMINATION IN GERMANY

According to DW-World, “Discriminating against someone because of their race,

ethnicity, or national origin is illegal in Germany. But a new report says that laws
alone are not going to solve the problem of racism and unequal treatment. The
United Nations Human Rights Commission has said in a report
released Wednesday that Germany is not doing enough to combat discrimination
and racism.

The report, compiled by UN Special Rapporteur Githu Muigai, praises Germany

for signing international conventions against intolerance and for having anti-
discrimination laws. But he said these legal standards are not always being
implemented at the ground level.”

If the report was from any group other than the UN Human Rights Council (It
used to be Commission) I might really get interested and do a little research to
see what it’s all about. However, the UNHRC is so discredited that I think
whatever they say has little value. The fact that Libya has been elected to the
Council tells you what sort of human rights advocates sit in judgment on other
nations.

The Jerisalem Post noted, “Hillel Neuer, executive director of Geneva-based UN

Watch, which heads a coalition of 37 human rights organizations that
campaigned for the US and European Union to defeat Libya's candidacy, said

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that "by electing serial human rights violators, the U.N. violates its own criteria as
well as common sense."

"Choosing Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi to judge others on human rights is a

joke," Neuer said in a statement. "He'll use the position not to promote human
rights but to shield his record of abuse, and those of his allies."

I’m amazed that the UNHRC took the time to look into Germany’s policies.
Normally, they are so busy putting out report after report on Israel’s human rights
violations they don’t have time or energy for anything else. However, if you want
to read the DW-World piece you can do so by clicking here. Take it with a grain
of cynicism.
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5691561,00.html

NEO-NAZI SPEWS HIS VENOM

While there are no neo-Nazis in Germany’s federal parliament (Bundestag) there

are several in state parliaments including, the former East German State of
Saxony. Y-Net recently reported “"Stop cooperation with the state of Jewish
scoundrels", "Don't give in to the thriving Holocaust industry." These statements
were not said in the Tehran parliament, but in the German city of Dresden,
during a parliament meeting in the state of Saxony.

Leader of the extreme right National Democratic Party (NPD) Holger Apfel stirred
up a storm in the parliament on Thursday when he carried a speech titled "no to
cooperation with scoundrel countries – and end cooperation between Saxony
and Israel. Most parliament members urged Apfel to change the title, fearing it
would damage Saxony's image – but to no avail. Apfel, a former neo-Nazi,
stepped up to the podium and carried out his hate speech, while being booed by
other parliament members.

Even after his time was up, Apfel refused to step down from the stage and
continued to denounce the "Jewish terror state." His speech was finally stopped
after the chairman turned off his microphone and instructed ushers to escort
Apfel out of the hall.

President of the Saxony Parliament Matthias Roessler instructed to keep Apfel

out of parliament hearings until December.

This is not the first time Apfel has expressed his harsh feeling toward Israel, and
the need to cut ties with it. On NPS' official website, the former neo-Nazi
published his reaction to the recent flotilla incident, saying: "Today's attack, with
at least 10 fatalities, demonstrates a new 'characteristic' of 'state terror' employed
by Israel.

Since the establishment of the state in 1948 and the expulsion of millions of

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Palestinians – the history of Israel has been accompanied by bloodshed." Apfel
called to "cut off Germany's political ties with Israel and issue economic
sanctions against it."

Of course, it’s depressing and scandalous that a member of even a State

parliament should be able to spew such anti-Semitic hatred. However, for better
or worse (worse in my opinion), Apfel was democratically elected so he is entitled
to get up and make a speech. Somewhat upsetting, as reported, other members
of the parliament wanted him to change the title of his speech because it might
injure Saxony. I hope that was not the only thing on their minds. Finally (as
reported above) His speech was finally stopped after the chairman turned off his
microphone and instructed ushers to escort Apfel out of the hall and President of
the Saxony Parliament Matthias Roessler instructed to keep Apfel out of
parliament hearings until December.

Good for Pres. Roessler. At least he showed a little in the way of guts.

NO ROOM IN THE INN

The Local reports, “Hotels are entitled to refuse rooms to neo-Nazis, a court
ruled late Tuesday in overturning a complaint by far-right leader Udo Voigt
against a Brandenburg hotel. Voigt, leader of the far-right National Democratic
Party, had sued the Esplanade Resort & Spa in Bad Saarow, Brandenburg.

But on Tuesday, a court in Frankfurt an der Oder ruled that the hotel “had been
entitled to bar the NPD leaders to protect their own reputation and image in view
of the polarising effect of the NDP in the community.”

Furthermore, Voigt was not entitled to have the ban overturned under anti-
discrimination laws, the court ruled.

A court spokesman said Voigt had taken the decision calmly. But Voigt’s lawyer
said his client planned to appeal to a higher court.

Voigt’s wife had in autumn last year booked the hotel through a travel agent. But
the hotel management then told Voigt on November 23 that he was banned from
the hotel.

The Brandenburg chief of hotels association Dehoga said: “We share in the
Brandenburg concept of a ‘tolerant Brandenburg,’ but for us, tolerance ends with
right-wing extremism.”

Another show of guts!

LEFT-WING VIOLENCE REPORT

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In an annual report for Germany's internal security agency, an increase in left-
wing violence and the need for increased vigilance to guard against industrial
espionage were listed as the biggest threats to democracy in Germany.

The report was presented … by Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere, along with
Heinz Fromm, head of the agency…(An).area of concern highlighted by de
Maiziere was the rise of left-wing crime in 2009. Figures released in the report
indicate a rise in the number of violent crimes, with around 1,100 cases of
extreme left-wing violent crime last year compared to about 700 cases in 2008.

De Maiziere pointed to examples of May Day protests last year in Berlin and a
series of 'action weeks' in June of 2009 that turned violent as an example of the
rise in left-wing extremism.

To counteract the growth of left-wing extremism, de Maiziere said the

government intended to take steps to get the situation under control. This
included identifying leading figures in left-wing organizations and uncovering
their means of communication.

The report showed that the number of right-wing extremists had remained stable
in 2009.

Of course, I’m glad that the Interior Ministry is getting more serious about left-
wing violence. Should we be happy that the number right-wing extremists have
remained stable? It’s true that it is a small number and, perhaps, irreducible. But
“the same as last year” doesn’t exactly thrill me.

THIS & THAT

***Israelis are flocking “back” to Germany. How come? Click here to find out
why. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3908228,00.html

***If you want an explanation of why Germans demand budget cutting rather than
more stimulus This Week In Germany has a very good explanation. It says a lot
about the way Germans look at their economic situation – as opposed to the way
Americans do. Click here.
http://www.germany.info/Vertretung/usa/en/newsletter/The__Week__in__Germa
ny/TWIG__100625,variant=issue.html

See you again in July.

Comments? Click here to send me an e-mail.

********************************************************************************************

DuBow Digest is written and published by Eugene DuBow who can be contacted

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at dubowdigest@optonline.net Both the American and Germany editions are also posted on line
at www.dubowdigest.typepad.com.

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