AN AMERICAN JEWISH GERMAN INFORMATION & OPINION NEWSLETTER

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GERMANY EDITION December 15, 2012 Dear Friends: At the moment, as I write this, it is very hard for me to think about the joys of the Hanukkah and Christmas holiday season. The shooting and killings that took place in Newtown, Connecticut have overwhelmed us all here in the U.S. This added to the impending Fiscal Cliff budget situation have left many of us in the U.S. with a feeling of impending doom. To read about it click here. http://bonds.about.com/od/Issues-in-the-News/a/What-Is-The-Fiscal-Cliff.htm In my youth I followed a daily comic strip in one off our local newspapers called Lil Abner. One of the characters, Joe Btfsplk walked around with a constant black cloud over his head. It was with him wherever he went and disaster followed. I sort of feel that the U.S. is under Joes cloud at the moment. If youre interested in what Joe looked like click here. http://deniskitchen.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc? Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=bios.joe.btfsplk However, I imagine that in a few days Joes spell will fade away. The Hanukkah/ Christmas/ New Year holiday feeling will come back into focus and perhaps the Fiscal Cliff disaster will be averted. Im trying to be positive! The best of the holiday season to you all. I hope you will have a healthy and happy 2013. On to the news HANUKKAH The real meaning of the holiday. THE PALESTINIANS, THE GERMANS & THE UN A disappointment. 1

ISRAELI & GERMAN CABINETS MEET Disappointments aside, the relationship remains strong. KHALED MASHAAL, ISRAEL & FOUR EURO STATES Disappointment and double standards. JEWISH SECURITY IN EUROPE Not an encouraging situation. CIRCUMCISION - A positive outcome. HANUKKAH I had hoped to get this segment about Hanukkah out to you prior to the Hanukkah holiday but other things got in the way of my writing and e-mailing schedule so you will receive it shortly after it ends. Sorry! Though late, Hanukkah has become an important milepost in the Jewish year so Ive decided to include it with the hope you will get something out of it in spite of its tardiness. If youre a stickler for promptness then you can consider this the first Hanukkah article youll be receiving for 2013 though its about 11 months early. Hilary Leila Krieger, the Washington bureau chief for The Jerusalem Post wrote in The New York Times, Hanukkah is one of the most widely celebrated Jewish holidays in America. But unlike Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur and Passover (or even the lesser-known Sukkot and Shavuot), all of which are explicitly mentioned in the Torah, Hanukkah gets only a brief, sketchy reference in the Talmud, the voluminous collection of Jewish oral law and tradition written down hundreds of years after the Maccabees revolt. There for the first time the miracle of the oil is recorded: the ancient temple in Jerusalem held an eternal flame, but after the desecration by the foreign invaders including the sacrificing of pigs, a non-kosher animal, on the altar only one days worth of purified oil remained. Yet the faithful went ahead and lighted it. The oil burned in the rededicated temple for eight days, long enough for a new supply to arrive. Hence the practice of lighting candles for eight nights to observe Hanukkah, which means dedication in Hebrew. (Perhaps just as significantly, the reference to oil also gave rise to a holiday tradition of eating foods like potato pancakes and doughnuts that had been cooked in it.) Though Hanukkah is a minor Jewish holiday, 19th-century activists in America promoted it to encourage their coreligionists to take pride in their heritage. During the 20th century it was embraced more broadly by Jews who wanted to fit in with

other Americans celebrating the holiday season and to make their kids feel better about not getting anything from Santa. It helped, of course, that Hanukkah falls near Christmas on the calendar and traditionally involved candles and small monetary gifts. Over time, children began receiving grander presents, and Hanukkah-themed seasons greeting cards proliferated. Some families even started to purchase Hanukkah bushes, small trees often decked out with Stars of David and miniature Maccabees. By the 1980s, when I was a child, menorahs had been placed next to mangers in the public square and Hanukkah songs had been incorporated into winter holiday concerts. Despite this recognition, I still felt excluded enough to brag to classmates that my holiday was better than Christmas, since it had eight days of gift giving, instead of one. While elevating Hanukkah does a lot of good for childrens morale, ignoring or sanitizing its historical basis does a great disservice to the Jewish past and present. The original miracle of Hanukkah was that a committed band of people led a successful uprising against a much larger force, paving the way for Jewish independence and perhaps keeping Judaism itself from disappearing. Its an amazing story, resonant with Americas own founding, that offers powerful lessons about standing up for ones convictions and challenging those in power. Many believe the rabbis in the Talmud recounted the miracle of the light alongside the military victory because they did not want to glorify war. That in itself is an important teaching, as are the holidays related messages of renewal, hope and turning away from darkness. But its a story with dark chapters as well, including the Maccabean leaders religious zealotry, forced conversions and deadly attacks on their neighbors. These transgressions need to be grappled with. And that is precisely what the most important Jewish holidays do: Jews on Passover spill out wine from their glasses to acknowledge Egyptian suffering caused by the 10 plagues, and congregations at Rosh Hashana read and struggle with Gods order to Abraham to bind his son Isaac as a sacrifice. If were going to magnify Hanukkah, we should do so because it offers the deeper meaning and opportunity for introspection that the major Jewish holidays provide. I agree with everything Ms. Krieger has written. If its just candle lights and presents why bother celebrating it? I have the feeling that a lot of Christians feel the same way about Christmas. If the message gets lost then just plain celebration doesnt mean very much.

THE PALESTINIANS, THE GERMANS & THE UN During the last month or so the most important international matter affecting the American Jewish community with its deep commitment to Israel was the UNs approval of Palestine as a non-member Observer. Whether it moved things closer to some sort of a peace agreement is in great dispute. It can be seen that way or, given the Israeli response one might say it moved it further away. Since the German abstention vote was so unwelcome by both Israel and the U.S. it was of considerable importance. I covered all the happenings in my AMERICAN EDITION. Rather than try to paraphrase what I wrote, Ive decided, as I do occasionally, just to reprint the original. It follows below. ******************************************************************************************** There is no question that Israel & the U.S. suffered a seeming diplomatic defeat in the UN over the matter of the Palestinian status. Only the U.S., Israel itself, Canada and the Czech Republic among the important nations supported a no vote when it came to non-member observer state for Palestine. Following the vote almost anybody who is anybody gave their opinion on who won and who lost and what the implications for the future were. Taking into consideration the recent Gaza War (I dont know what else to call it) and now the UN vote, Im not sure the Palestinians won anything. Maybe they got some sort of an emotional feeling of victory but they got a lot of people killed, much of their infrastructure destroyed and some sort of recognition by the UN. However, the facts on the ground remain unchanged except that Israel has announced some new construction in the West Bank. Such was the Palestinian victory! Im going to leave it up to you to read the general media so you can make up your own mind about winners and losers. I will only deal with the action Germany took (or didnt take) and then you can make a personal decision on that as well. On the basis that there can be no peace without direct face to face negotiations, it was the hope of Israel, the U.S. and most of the organized American Jewish community that Germany would vote no on the Palestine matter and, perhaps, bring other Western European along with it. It didnt happen. How come? Haaretz According to Haaretz, the hardest blow came from Berlin. In Jerusalem, Germany was considered a certainty to vote against the UN resolution, and the German decision not to oppose the Palestinian bid but rather to abstain shocked the top brass at the Foreign Ministry and Prime Minister's office. A top German official who took part in discussions in Berlin, however, stressed that the writing was on the wall.

The senior German official, who has requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, told Haaretz that Germany has been trying to help Israel on the Palestinian issue for a long time but Israel has not taken the necessary steps to advance the peace process. "The Israelis," he said, "did not respond in any way to our request to make a gesture on settlements." Israeli officials were furious with the Germans. "The turnaround in the British position caused the Germans to change their vote since they did not want to remain isolated within the European Union," said a Foreign Ministry official. Indecisive and confusing Israeli conduct surrounding the Palestinians' move at the UN has angered decision-makers in Germany. The Germans feel they have been taken advantage of, and that Israeli officials have been secretive and uncooperative. The high-ranking German official said "the resolution" to recognize a Palestinian state "is positive in one sense - it clearly recognizes the two-state solution and the right of existence of the State of Israel." The German decision to abstain in the UN vote is expected to exacerbate the considerable tension between Chancellor Angela Merkel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which has been an issue in recent years, regardless of the current situation. There is a great deal of anger among officials in the Prime Minister's Office over the change in Germany's position, especially since the messages coming from the Germans until yesterday morning indicated it was their intention to vote against the resolution. There is no question that the abstention was not a happy outcome. However, a planned summit meeting in Berlin between the governments of Israel and Germany went ahead. (More on that later). The disagreement concerning the vote at the UN did, somewhat, cast a shadow on the discussions. Ever since Netanyahu became prime minister four years ago, his relations with Merkel have been strained. One hears that numerous times Merkel felt Netanyahu did not keep promises he had made to her, and she was especially angry at the continuation of the construction in the settlements. Spiegel On-Line Interestingly Spiegel On-Line seemed more interested in the fact that the European nations did not vote as a bloc than in the issue itself at hand. They opined, For the European Union, however, the vote once again exposed the 27-member bloc's inability to reach consensus on foreign policy issues. Most EU countries, to be sure, voted in favor of Palestinian observer status, including France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Luxembourg and Denmark. Non-EU states Switzerland and Norway also supported Abbas. But others, including Great Britain, the Netherlands and Germany, abstained in an effort at neutrality. Only one EU member state, the Czech Republic, voted against the Palestinians.

"We have doubts that today's resolution brings the peace process forward," said German UN Ambassador Peter Wittig, echoing the statement released earlier in the day from the Foreign Ministry in Berlin. He said he feared it would do more harm than good. Unconfirmed rumors & discussion Who knows if any of this is accurate but it seems to confirm what was published in Haaretz. It is said that the Chancellor herself, according to numerous sources, is upset with the issue of settlements (she has expressed herself publicly and harshly on this for some time) and the ongoing weakening of Abbas through the lack of tangible progress on negotiations. There is a feeling among the Germans that with Israels security situation collapsing on all sides due to Arab political instability, the situation with the Palestinians must be settled soon and Abbas strengthened. The final deciding factor for the Chancellor, the rumor goes, was evidently the language of the resolution itself and its emphasis on the two-state solution. Chancellor Merkel is committed to a two-state solution, which she feels is the only option for maintaining a democratic Jewish state. Deutsche Welle As disappointing to many as the German Governments abstention was, the opposition party Social Democrats (SPD) seem even to have been more proPalestinian. DW reported, The fact that the EU could not agree on a policy was a serious problem, said Rolf Mtzenich, foreign policy spokesman for Germany's center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD). He told Deutsche Welle that a "yes" from Germany would have been perfectly feasible. "I believe we must do everything we can to support the forces in Palestine that want a peaceful agreement with Israel and a fair two-state solution. And that is what President Abbas stands for." Abstaining from the vote was the least that Germany could have done for the Palestinian president, Mtzenich continued. The internal Palestinian conflict between Hamas and Fatah, which Abbas leads, was enough for him to deal with, he argued. "It would have been a fatal signal if on top of that he hadn't had the support of important European governments on the international stage, or even been weakened by them," he said. While the abstention vote caused ill feeling and ruffled personal feathers life goes on. The position of nations is almost always based on perceived national interest, rarely personal feelings. In this case the interests of the two countries involved diverged. Germany has to consider its interests with the Arab and Islamic countries while Israel is dealing at the forefront with immediate national security issues. This does not mean that there was or will be a rupture of relations between the two as exemplified by the joint cabinet meeting which took place a week or so following the UN vote.

Read on about it ISRAELI & GERMAN CABINETS MEET A week after the UN vote the annual get-together of the Israeli and German cabinets took place in Berlin. This annual happening underscores the closeness of the two countries though their governments might have strong differences concerning policy which, indeed, they have. After the UN vote, but prior to the joint cabinet meeting, Chancellor Merkel reaffirmed her commitment to Israels security. A Jerusalem Post article noted, "Germany will always stand on the side of Israel on the issue (of Israeli security)," Merkel said in her weekly podcast, and spoke of Berlin's vocal backing for Israel during its latest clashes with Hamas. Israel has not only the right but the duty to protect its citizens," she added. Shortly thereafter Netanyahu and his ministers [held] consultations with their German counterparts in Berlin. Their talks cover[ed] economic and trade ties and cooperation in science and education as well as regional security issues. Agree to Disagree As the cabinets came together Spiegel On-Line reported, Despite recent differences between Germany and Israel over settlement construction plans on the West Bank, Angela Merkel and Benjamin Netanyahu pledged friendship on Thursday in Berlin. They have, said the chancellor, agreed to disagree. Given that horrific history, Merkel told Netanyahu that she is fully aware "what a pleasure it is that we can cooperate today." She praised the two countries' collaboration when it comes to education and research, and extolled Israel as being the only democracy in the Middle East. The message was clear: The German-Israeli relationship is so solid that occasional differences of opinion are not a threat. And on Thursday in Berlin, the pair made little effort to hide those differences. On Wednesday evening, prior to Thursday's high-level meetings between Israeli and German cabinet members, Netanyahu joined Merkel for dinner in the Chancellery. The two talked about bilateral cooperation, but also about the current situation in the Middle East, including in Egypt, and the danger of chemical weapons in Syria. They also talked, of course, about the plans recently announced by Netanyahu's government to build 3,000 new housing units for settlers near Jerusalem. Brief and to the Point

The construction plans, intended as a punishment of the Palestinians for their successful application to the United Nations last week for non-member observer status, involve area E-1 between East Jerusalem and Ma'ale Adumim, and would essentially cut the West Bank in two [Ed. Note: That is not accurate]. And it is an issue that has long been a point of contention in Merkel's relationship with Netanyahu. In September 2011, Merkel even became irate in a telephone conversation with the Israeli prime minister during a discussion of West Bank settlements. The differences have not disappeared in the meantime. "On the settlement question, we have agreed to disagree," said Merkel on Thursday. Netanyahu struck a similar tone: "One should be able to voice different opinions among friends. The foundations of German-Israeli relations are "untouchable" Merkel affirmed, adding "and they withstand differences of opinion." To read the article click here http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/merkel-andnetanyahu-pledge-friendship-in-berlin-despite-differences-a-871458.html Something else to worry about. There is little doubt that the German governments attitude toward Israel is far more positive than that of the general population. For instance the Israeli government position on the extension of building in the E-1 area is seen as a hindrance to any possible peace. Many in Germany see the Palestinians as an oppressed minority and the Israelis as oppressors. That attitude is one that is not unique to Germany but is apparent throughout Europe. My guess is that even in the Czech Republic, which alone voted with Israel in the UN on the Palestinian matter, the attitudes of the populace is far more pro-Palestinian than proIsraeli. It is very far from clear as to how that situation might be reversed. The rocketing of Israel by Hamas triggered statements by various governments saying that they had the right to defend themselves but I doubt if that moved public opinion. It is a very difficult and troubling situation. KHALED MASHAAL, ISRAEL & FOUR EURO STATES Before I leave the subject of Israel, etc. I want to briefly talk about the attitude toward it on the part of at least four European states. The media recently focused on the return of Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal to Gaza. He was greeted as a hero and in a speech as reported by The Times of Israel he said, that the Palestinians would continue to fight to annihilate Israel.

We are not giving up any inch of Palestine. It will remain Islamic and Arab for us and nobody else. Jihad and armed resistance is the only way, he said. We cannot recognize Israels legitimacy. O.K. I expect that kind of verbiage from the likes of Mashaal. That sort of attitude, to a large extent, is what is keeping the Palestinians from sitting down at a negotiation session. The Hamas extreme position which has weight in Gaza and makes Abbas and Fatah seem weak holds the possibilities of peace as hostage. In any case, thats their position. They seem to feel that time is on their side and somehow Israel will eventually crumble and they will annihilate Israel. While I expect Mashaal to be Mashaal I expect better from the member states of the EU. TToI further reported, Four European Union member states reportedly opposed an official condemnation of Hamas leader Khaled Mashaals incitementfilled speech last weekend, leading to harsh responses from Israeli leaders that Europe was being one-sided. According to an Israel Radio report Wednesday, Denmark, Finland, Portugal and Ireland pressured European foreign ministers to condemn Israel solely for its E1 settlement construction plan at a meeting of the bodys foreign council Monday. In the end, the statement included a brief rebuke of Hamass call for Israels destruction, after an 11th-hour intervention by Germany and the Czech Republic, Israel Radio reported. First of all let me say that I, and I think all Jews, should be thankful for the intervention of Germany and the Czech Republic. However, I am at a loss to understand the position of Denmark, Finland, Portugal and Ireland. There does not seem to be even a semblance of fairness in what they wanted to vote for. Even if we assume that Israels threat to build more settlements in the E-1 area is illegal and should be condemned, what does that have to do with Mashaals stated desire to annihilate Israel? Should Israel be delegitimized? And what about the rocketing of Israel by Mashaals Hamas? Where were the four nations on that issue? Would I be wrong in saying that at least among those States there is a strong Israel bias? Thankfully Germany and the Czechs did the right thing. Where were the voices of the other EU countries? Id be interested in your thoughts on the matter. JEWISH SECURITY IN EUROPE In Europe whenever there is some sort of military action involving Israel demonstrations and, at times, violence breaks out. Needless to say, it puts European Jews in a state of insecurity. They feel, with considerable justification that

they must ramp up their security apparatus to ward off attacks that might be coming. In some countries, such as Germany, the government is sympathetic to the needs so police protection is provided. Go by any synagogue on a Friday evening prior to Sabbath services and you will see that sort of protection. In addition, at least in Berlin (the place I know best) there is internal security as well. Try to get into the Shabbat services and you will go through metal detectors and questions as to who you are. The situation throughout Europe is much worse than it is in Germany. The smaller the Jewish community, the more of their own resources they have to expend. My guess is that even in the smaller communities in Germany security is pretty tight. The fact is that now, after the end of World War II and the defeat of Nazism, Jewish life in Europe is still fraught with anti-Semitism, anti-Israelism and a mixture of the two. Sad and troubling! Recently, The Times of Israel ran an article on the subject. It noted, Theres no telling what would ignite the next wave of attacks against our communities, Moshe Kantor, the president of the European Jewish Congress, said at a crisis management training session that drew leaders from 36 Jewish communities to Brussels on Nov. 6, eight days before the Israeli military launched its Operation Pillar of Defense. It could be hostilities between Israel and Iran or in Gaza or a stupid film on Muslims in YouTube. We have to assume its coming. Nine months after a deadly attack by a Muslim extremist claimed four lives at a Jewish school in Toulouse, France, European Jewish leaders are beginning to take steps to address some glaring gaps in the security capabilities of the continents Jewish communities. But the process is hindered by the enormous costs involved and differing views of where the primary responsibility lies for ensuring Jewish safety. Approximately half of Europes Jewish communities have no crisis-management plan in place. Even in large communities demonstrably at risk of attack like France, which is home to Europes largest Jewish community of about 500,000, security resources remain scarce, and some congregations have virtually no protection. Nine months ago, Jewish communities in Europe received a wake-up call when Mohammed Merah, a 23-year-old Muslim radical, killed three children and a rabbi in Toulouse, said Arie Zuckerman, secretary-general of the European Jewish Fund, which bankrolls much of the EJCs activity. At the same time, the spike in antiSemitic attacks coincides with a recession, which is hampering communities ability to carry the burden of security costs. The subject of funding for security is particularly painful for Europes smaller communities, said Anne Sender, a former president of the Jewish Community of Oslo, which has just 750 members. We simply dont have the deep pockets that larger communities have.

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Norways Jews spend just $87,000 annually on security about half of what they raise each year in fees that also support education and religious services, according to Ervin Kohn, the communitys current president. There is more to the article and, of course, much more to the story which one would hope that someday there would be no need to write about it or print it. You can read it in its entirety by clicking here. http://www.timesofisrael.com/low-on-funds-and-state-protection-europes-jews-remainvulnerable CIRCUMCISION The legal battle in Germany over the matter of male circumcision received a lot of coverage in the media here in the U.S. The fact that the controversy has been finally settled (we think) is good news. It was causing a great deal of anxiety about Germany in the American Jewish community. An AJC press release noted, AJC praised Germanys Parliament for approving a law, by a vote of 434 to 100, with 46 abstentions, to allow circumcision for religious reasons.The Bundestag action is a welcome affirmation of Germanys commitment to religious freedom," said Deidre Berger, director of AJC's Berlin Office. AJC is the global Jewish advocacy organization. Circumcision is critical to Jewish and Muslim religious life, said Berger. The German parliaments action should put to rest reprehensible allegations that Jewish and Muslim religious upbringing violates childrens rights and endangers the welfare of children. Today's vote followed a prolonged public debate prompted by a local German court ruling in Cologne in June determining that circumcision is a criminally liable procedure. While having limited jurisdictional validity, the Cologne judgment sparked national and global controversy on the legal and medical consequences of circumcision. AJC Berlins report, Facts and Myths about the Circumcision Controversy, exposed significant distortions, fallacies and prejudices in claims made by anti-circumcision activists about alleged medical dangers of male circumcision. Chancellor Angela Merkel quoted directly from the AJC Berlin report, and mentioned Deidre Berger by name, when speaking about the circumcision controversy during a recent awards ceremony at the Berlin Jewish Community. The notion that Jewish and Muslim males, together with up to a third of the earths male population, have permanent psychological and physical damage is patently absurd, said Berger. The new German legislation should once and for all consign the arguments of circumcision opponents to the dustbin of history.

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Berger, however, expressed concern about anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim sentiments that surfaced during the public debate on circumcision. Serious media in Germany quoted individuals who claimed on the basis of flawed medical evidence that Judaism and Islam are primitive and archaic religions," said Berger. "Some even outrageously depicted German Jewish and Muslim citizens as foreign elements in German society. Berger praised the German government and parliament for their efforts to counter a misguided local court ruling. The legislation is a victory for religious freedom and tolerance." German Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusser Schnarrenberger said in recent interviews that the legislation reaffirms existing practice regarding circumcision. If there is something to be learned from the circumcision debate, it is that religious freedom and diversity are core principles of a vibrant democracy, said Berger. I imagine (maybe incorrectly) that court challenges to the new law are still possible. If that is the case I hope that they are done away with quickly. The practice of circumcision has been a vital part of Judaism for thousands of years. To have Germany call it into question has not helped the cause of German Jewish understanding, something we should all work for. Lets hope that the Bundestag law has put an end to the controversy. ******************************************************************************************** Happy New Year! See you again in January, DuBow Digest is written and published by Eugene DuBow who can be contacted by clicking here Both the American and Germany editions are posted at www.dubowdigest.typepad.com Click here to connect

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