DU BOW DIGEST AMERICAN EDITION

December 15, 2009

Dear Friends:

It’s always good to return home but I must say that the trip to Berlin, from which I
have recently returned (see below), was exciting. Seeing old friends, visiting
places I know well and being able to dig a little into the subjects that surround
American Jewish – German relations filled me with a sense of renewed energy.
So, it’s time to sit down and get on with this edition of DuBow Digest.

IN THIS EDITION

THE LISBON TREATY & THE EU & THE JEWISH INTEREST – Is it good for the
Jews?

BACK FROM BERLIN – What I found happening in the German capital.

LOSS OF A FRIEND – Otto Graf Lambsdorff was a special person as far as the
Jews were concerned. He died recently and we are poorer not to have him
around any longer.

ANTI-SEMITISM: THE GOOD & THE BAD – The latest study from Germany has
mixed results. Some good. Some frightening.

ARE GERMANS ALLOWED TO CRITICIZE ISRAEL? - A fascinating and erudite

exchange of e-mails between two well-known journalists on the subject. Must
reading!

AJC & THE GERMAN MILITARY – A notable new agreement culminating 15

years of a great program.

THE LISBON TREATY & THE EU & THE JEWISH INTEREST

Do you know what the recently ratified Lisbon Treaty is? Well, if you don’t, you’re
not alone. My guess is 99.9% of American Jews (or Americans in general) don’t
know either, even though this new European Union (EU) agreement might have
great affect on Jewish interests in the years to come.

In short, it’s a treaty to “streamline” the EU and make it stronger and more
unified. As Wikipedia explains, “Prominent changes included more qualified
majority voting in the Council of Ministers, increased involvement of the
European Parliament in the legislative process through extended codecision with
the Council of Ministers, eliminating the pillar system and the creation of a

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President of the European Council with a term of two and a half years, and a
High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to
present a united position on EU policies. The Treaty of Lisbon will also make the
Union's human rights charter, the Charter of Fundamental Rights, legally binding.

I know that these sorts of governmental changes seem boring – and maybe they
are. However, from now on (as of this past Dec. 1st) the EU has a “President” and
a “High Representative” who, as the previous paragraph explains, is charged
with the responsibility “to present a united position on EU policies.” Because the
current leaders of, especially, France and Germany did not want people in those
positions that would outshine them, two “nobodies” were appointed. The Prime
Minister of Belgium, Herman van Rampoy is now the President, and Lady
Catherine Ashton has become the High Representative. President van Rampoy
has been P.M. of Belgium for a grand total of only one year and Lady Ashton, (a
Brit, of course) has absolutely zero experience in international relations. If this is
not worrisome enough, I have been told that the High Commissioner will have a
“civil service” of at least several thousand staff people to back her up.

Why am I concerned? Shouldn’t I be happy that the strengthening of the EU will

make Europe a stronger partner for the U.S.? Well, maybe it will and maybe it
won’t. One thing I do know is that people in strong positions tend to make their
positions stronger as they go along. Yesterday’s “nobodies” are today’s
“somebodies.” There is nothing in either person’s bio to concern us. They’re both
pretty much vanilla. However, who knows what they, and almost more
importantly, who will their staff people be – and of what stripe?

I have been assured by a former very high official in the German Foreign Office
that German policy will not change and that the Foreign office “isn’t going
anywhere” (like away). Maybe that’s true but with the High Representative’s
Office having a major staff, I cannot believe that they will be quiet on the issues
that the Jewish community is concerned with. Will they have nothing to say about
Israel, the “Peace Process” and Iran? Don’t bet on it.

A second issue that concerns me is the further Europeanization of Middle East

issues. We count a lot on Germany whether we’re aware of that or not. They are
the voice of Israel in the EU. Will this new arrangement force them into more
“European” positions where they are not as helpful as they have been in the
past?

It’s just too early in the game to have any answers for the questions posed
above. However, if the latest agreement (or whatever it is) by the EU Foreign
Ministers is any indication of where the organization’s Middle East policy is
headed there is plenty to worry about. The Ministers recently agreed that
(according to dw-world) “Jerusalem should serve as the capital of both Israel and
a future Palestinian state.” German Foreign Minister Westerwelle argued against
it but it carried in spite of his protestations. Read the story here:

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http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,4994660,00.html

While Jerusalem may, indeed, some year serve as a duo-capital, what does this
sort of resolution do to help the peace process along? In my book – nothing! If
anything, it harms it. Stay tuned. This is going to get worse. By the way, after the
statement was published there were protests. Some of the wording was softened
and there were lots of explanations on all sides of what it means. No matter what,
it is not easily explained away that the EU has taken a position that on the
surface is very pro-Palestinian and does not take into consideration Israel’s
stance that any settlement has to be worked out between the two parties.
Trouble is brewing in Brussels.

BACK FROM BERLIN

I’m back! It is always exciting for me to visit the city where I lived for 2 ½ years
and had some of the most exciting professional experiences of my very long
career in the American Jewish Committee. The trip was sponsored and
organized by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation’s Washington Office. It was very
admirably put together by the KAF’s Washington Director, Norbert Wagner, and
his notably proficient wife, Gabriele. The participants (about a dozen) were
mostly think tank and high ranking press people from the U.S. & Canada.
However, it also included Honey Amado and Allan Reich, AJC leaders
respectively from LA and Chicago.

By and large, even those folks in Germany who are not connected to the
Christian Democrats (CDU), seem, at least, relaxed about having Chancellor
Angela Merkel in office for a second term. I think she gives the country a sense
of continuity and reduces the angst many have about the economic situation –
which, believe me, doesn’t even come close to the anxiety many Americans are
feeling. The downturn is just not as severe as it is here and Germany has a much
wider and deeper safety net than we have. Germans are taxed more heavily than
Americans and they receive more services. So, less in the way of problems when
times are tough.

The new CDU – Free Deomcrat (FDP) government is having its troubles coming
together on joint policies – mostly domestic ones. There is a 158-page “treaty”
between the two parties which covers the important issues of tax cuts, health
care reform, education reforms, and minority integration. The FDP wants tax cuts
but the CDU has questions about budget problems without sufficient tax income.

Nothing is easy – even for experienced politicians. No sooner had the coalition
been formed than it was hit by a scandal. In Afghanistan a German military
officer called in an American air strike which resulted in a number of civilian
deaths. The military denied that civilians were killed even though, as it turns out
there was a report admitting it. It was “hushed up.” The new Defense Minister
only found out about it from the press and was very embarrassed. Unlike in the

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U.S. where political embarrassment doesn’t seem to cut very deeply, such a
matter in Germany is another story. The former Defense Minister (who had
become the Labor Minister), one of his top assistants (a Defense State Secy.),
and Germany’s leading military officer (a General) all had to resign. The
government has recently announced that the families of the victims would be
given compensation. After all is said and done, Germany is a very pacifist
country. Anything military goes down very poorly. The German commitment in
Afghanistan is seen as a necessary bow to the wishes of the American
government. It has very little backing in the general population. There are reports
that 70% of the population is opposed.

With FDP Party head Guido Westerwelle as the new Foreign Minister a number
of international relations questions are yet to be answered. I asked many of those
who spoke to our group about the expansion of the EU in foreign affairs and what
that meant for the independence of German foreign policy. One of the top people
in the Chancellery answered quite honestly saying, “We don’t know.” We were
reassured that the Germany will not be giving up its unique role by many
speakers but, again, who knows what the future of a more centralized EU will
bring? Incidentally, I was told that the EU Foreign Service will have between
6,000 and 7,000 staff people and that Foreign Service officers from the various
EU countries will serve on a 3 year rotating basis.

The subject of Russia came up a few times during our discussions. An important
Bundestag member explained that “Russia is our neighbor.” That in itself tells me
that their attitude toward the Russians is different than ours. He felt that the road
to dealing successfully with Putin, et al is through cooperation and not
confrontation. He noted (previously unknown by me) that Russian airspace is
being used to supply our forces in Afghanistan. The Germans get much of their
natural gas from Russia so cooperation is a necessity. They just do not have the
same level of antagonism toward the Russians that we do.

The Israel – Germany relationship did not come up very much in our discussions.
The fact that the cabinets of both countries were to have a joint meeting in Berlin
(postponed because of P.M. Netanyahu’s illness and rescheduled for January)
indicated the continuing closeness of the two countries. The lack of discussion on
the issue I took to mean that the relationship remains firm even though there are
disagreements about the settlements, etc.

In terms of Iran, my Bundestag leader (above) was not sanguine about the
effectiveness of sanctions. Of course, said he, sanctions will be tried and will only
have any effect at all only if the international community and the Security Council
remain united.

He noted that “we cannot force our will” on the Iranians and that a diplomatic
solution was the only thing that might work. The Iranian people are dedicated to
going “nuclear” and a better course would be to analyze Iran’s problems (drugs

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and Afghan refugees) and try to cooperate and help them on these. Trying to
isolate Iran will not work and while that is being undertaken the Iranians are
increasing their leverage with the Palestinians.

All in all, it was not a happy exchange from my point of view. While I’m for
diplomacy and the use of “soft power” nukes in the hands of the Iranians is not
something I think the world can stand for. Germany does not have primary
elections so State elections are seen as very important. In May the State of North
Rhine Westphalia, Germany’s largest State and the home of much of its
industrial might, will have theirs. Historically it has been a stronghold of the Social
Democrats because of the strength of the labor unions. However, five years ago
the CDU made a major inroad. So, the May election will be seen as (sort of) a
vote of confidence if the CDU can hold its ground. No doubt! It will be a big test
for the coalition. We’ll stay tuned.

In general, I would say that Germany “is at peace.” Yes, the government is faced
with a scandal but it is working its way through the economic downturn and the
Christmas season is well underway. It was a great trip for me and gave me an
opportunity to “face to face” it with friends and many interesting people. You
really can’t report on a country unless you get there once in a while to talk the
talk (even if it’s mostly English) and walk the walk. Thanks Adenauer Foundation!

LOSS OF A FRIEND

Otto Graf Lambsdorff, a noted FDP politician and great friend of the Jewish
people passed away recently. This noble man (and he was, as well, a nobleman
whose full name was Otto Friedrich Wilhelm von der Wenge Graf Lambsdorff), in
1999, was appointed by Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder to lead negotiations with
the US government and lawyers and organisations representing victims of the
vast Nazi-era program on a reparations plan funded by the German government
and industry. After two years of talks, the result was a 10-billion mark package
that garnered international praise.

In addition to bringing forth payments for former slave laborers, Graf Lambsdorff
was a leading light in transatlantic relations and always sensitive to the needs of
the Jewish community. He was a member of the American Jewish Committee’s
Berlin Ramer Institute Advisory Board.

He will be sorely missed and not easily replaced. To read AJC’s press release
click here:
http://www.ajc.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?
c=ijITI2PHKoG&b=2818289&content_id={88875189-08DA-425E-A044-
EECB283F6890}&notoc=1

ANTI-SEMITISM: THE GOOD NEWS & THE BAD

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A recent study done by the Universiy of Bielefeld (reported by JTA) “found that
fear of Islam and hatred of Muslims has dropped slightly since 2008 in Europe,
and that general xenophobia, sexism and racism have declined as well. Overall,
Germans are no more xenophobic now than in 2002, when the first study was
conducted.”

That’s the good news. Now for the bad…

“But an increase in anti-Semitism could be linked to economic fears, social

psychologist Beate Kupper told reporters Sunday.

"Whoever feels threatened by immigration is not only hostile to immigrants but is

also anti-Semitic, Islamophobic, sexist and anti-gay," she said.

An international team of social scientists found that French and Dutch

respondents were the least xenophobic, while Poles and Hungarians had the
highest levels of hatred toward Jews, Muslims, foreigners and homosexuals.”

Now for the really bad news.

“On the topic of anti-Semitism, 41.2 percent of Europeans overall agreed with the
anti-Semitic stereotype that Jews try to use the Holocaust for their own benefit.
According to the study, 72 percent of Poles -- the highest of any country --
agreed with the statement, while Dutch citizens were least likely to agree, at 5.6
percent.

“Nearly one-quarter of all Europeans agreed with the statement that “Jews have
too much influence. “ Almost one-third agreed that “Jews in general do not care
about anything or anyone but their own kind."

The 41.2% finding is about double of what was reported on in an Anti-Defamation

League study done in the U.S. recently. Obviously it’s depressing and indicates
that there is much to do in Europe in wiping out the virus of anti-Semitism.
Progress can only be made when non-Jews understand who Jews are, what they
believe and stand for and what their interests are. A tough job! However, I want
to point out (so that you will not become too depressed) that there is a big
difference between what people think and what they do. Certainly, we can work
on their education level and thought processes. However, more important is to
see that a set of beliefs do not translate themselves into political or institutional
programs. People will believe what they want to believe but we have to keep a
sharp eye peeled to see that Jewish interests are not short circuited by biased
thinking. I hope you see the importance of our advocating on behalf of our
agenda and working with foreign governments to see that our interests are taken
into consideration when policies are developed. ‘Nuff said!

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ARE GERMANS ALLOWED TO CRITICIZE ISRAEL?

Der Spiegel, one of Germany’s great magazines, recently ran an exchange of e-

mails between two of its most important writers on the question, “Are Germans
allowed to criticize Israel?” The writers, Henryk M. Broder (who recently said he
would run for the presidency of the German Jewish community) and Erich Follath
had a fascinating and heated exchange. It consists of 11 brief e-mails. It’s worth
reading. Click here to read it:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,665843,00.html

Incidentally, the question of criticizing Israel comes up frequently in friendly

conversations. Many Germans have sensitivity about saying anything negative.
Frankly, I always encourage them to talk frankly about what’s on their minds.
How else can you have a friendship? I doubt whether the Broder - Follath
exchange will solve anything. However, the matter is now out in the public and, in
my opinion that is not all bad.

AJC & THE GERMAN MILITARY

While the German military (Bundeswehr) has had its problems recently (see my
“Back from Berlin” report above) they had a good day on Dec. 8th when they
celebrated 15 years of cooperation with the American Jewish Committee. You
might think it strange that AJC would enter into a working arrangement with the
German Armed Forces. AJC’ers are certainly not candidates for enlistment and I
doubt that there are many who would be interested in learning how to drive a
tank (even though that might be helpful in New York or LA).

However, Germany has a military draft. Many of its youngsters enter the
Bundeswehr for a period of military training. When AJC’s Executive Director
started the program 15 years ago, it was apparent that the sensitizing of German
officers to the evils of anti-Semitism, the positives that Jews add to any national
entity where they live and their connection to Israel would be a great plus. It has
proven out to be more than that. In the last decade and a half many German
officers, other NATO military leaders and even a few American officers have
tracked through the AJC building in New York to get their first taste of American
Jewish life. Many connections have been made and David has been a regular
speaker at the Bundeswehr’s Leadership Academy in Hamburg. Last year our
AJC – Adenauer Foundation delegation was also welcomed there. It should be
apparent that sensitized officers have great impact on youngsters who know
nothing about Jews and Judaism.

The 15th anniversary celebration received considerable media coverage in

Germany and was culminated in the signing of an agreement between David and
German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor Freiherr zu Guttenberg.

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You can “read all about it” by clicking here:
http://www.ajc.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?
c=ijITI2PHKoG&b=849241&ct=7772119

I think that about does it for this year. The next few weeks in Germany are
usually very quiet as the whole country seems to go on vacation to celebrate
Christmas. It is a slow news period. I will catch up with you again after the first of
the New Year. For my Jewish readers I hope that the Hanukkah holiday brought
you lots of latkes and Hanukkah Gelt. For my Christian readers I want to wish
you a great Christmas holiday.

For everybody my best wishes for a wonderful, fruitful and peaceful 2010.

DuBow Digest is written and published by Eugene DuBow who can be contacted at edubow@optonline.net
Both the American and Germany editions are also posted on line at www.dubowdigest.typepad.com.