Still controversial: former star journalist tries another comeback

Michel Friedman, 52, the former vice president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany and celebrated TV journalist, is back on German television. At the height of his prominence, in 2003, he was involved in a cocaine-and-prostitutes affair, quit his job and stepped down from all public positions.

Back then, the Forward wrote: “Friedman’s life had, to this point, been a success story; the son of parents saved by Oskar Schindler, he grew up to become an important political figure and an outspoken Jewish personality in Germany. But the current investigation threatens to bring his tale to an ugly denouement.”

It did. Although Friedman didn’t give up - he wrote a novel and launched a talk show in October 2004 - his new career never even came close to what it had been before. He made headlines, however, when he interviewed Germany’s top Neo-Nazi Horst Mahler for the German Vanity Fair and was greeted with “Heil Hitler, Herr Friedman.”

Now all eyes are on Friedman again. According to one review of his new reportage, which deals with youth delinquency, Friedman is an “excellent journalist.” However, the reviewer doubts that Friedman will be able to rid himself of the stigma that has clung to him since the affair. Another review makes fun of Friedman for his inability to show compassion with the prison inmates he interviewed, but never mentions the ugly past.

Friedman has always polarized Germans, Jews and non-Jews alike. Many hated him long before the scandal for his alleged arrogance and vanity. They added hypocrisy to that list when it came out that the seemingly clean Mr. Friedman was really not that clean. (He used to be a real hardball when he interviewed politicians and often gave the impression that he stands on a higher moral platform than anybody else.) But many Germans - especially Jews - also loved Friedman for precisely this arrogance, which they said he can afford due to his sharp intellect and his impressive eloquence. He is also a staunch supporter of Israel.

Whatever one thinks of Friedman, one thing is clear: the man knows how to divide opinions.

More on Germans and Israel

Jews and non-Jews celebrated Israel’s sixtieth birthday all over Germany, as seen in the photo above from Stuttgart’s Schlossplatz. Yet, the occasion naturally called not only for celebrations, but for political commentary as well. German papers were full of historical reviews and analysis. Die Welt, a conservative paper published by the traditionally pro-Israel Axel Springer Verlag, wrote that most Germans were not too interested in Israel’s creation 60 years ago. Apparently, only German politicians really cared.

For them it was an epic event, and soon after the foundation of the Federal Republic of Germany on May 23, 1949, there was contact between leading figures in both countries, at first mainly in the area of science. However, the Israeli prime minister David Ben-Gurion, as well as the German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, wanted more.

But in the Holy Land a majority of people then were not in favor of direct talks with, let alone financial support from, the ‘country of the perpetrators.’ However, in a memorable debate, Ben-Gurion convinced the majority of parliamentarians that it was time to have some sort of relations with the new, democratic Germany.

In the Luxembourg Agreements signed on Sept. 10, 1952, Germany promised to give Israel 3 billion German marks, on top of compensation payments to individuals. The money was meant to be used to help the integration of former European Jews. The ice was broken, but it still took a long time until the two countries established diplomatic relations.

Today, Germany is Israel’s second-most important ally after the US. Luckily, the main reason for that is not the ever-present history of the two countries, but the common belief in the fundamental values of our existence.

Read more about the German press on Israel here.

German-Jewish journalist Henryk Broder wrote several pieces on the occasion of Israel’s Independence Day. I found only one translated into English: “The Poisoned Congratulations of German Know-It-Alls.” Last but not least, let it be known that the Jewish elementary school in Cologne posted three videos of its Israel Independence Day celebration on YouTube. Part 1 and part 2 are noisy and hardly bearable 10-minute pieces showing an introductory presentation by the teachers followed by the kids singing Israeli songs and waving flags. Part 3 is a mute slide show featuring nice photos of the presentation and the subsequent party in the school’s backyard. Enjoy!

Germany’s Jews celebrate 60 years of Israel

Hat tip to J-Comm.

A mere shadow of former glory

I just wanted to quickly point out an interesting article in the Spring 2008 issue of PresenTense. Brauna Doidge (pronounced Deutsch?) spent six week in the “new Jewish Berlin” and pretty accurately debunks the myth of the renewal of Jewish life there. 

Indeed, for each Jewish cultural event that occurs in Germany—the ordination of rabbis, the renovation of synagogues or a new Jewish museum—there is nothing short of a media frenzy. Many have a stake in this “renaissance”: Germans want to show their country has normalized, Jews want to celebrate growing Jewish communities, and the community itself is eager to prove it has recreated life in this formerly thriving center of Jewish activity. But for all the exciting news my Google results offered me, I found an all-too typical Jewish community: racked by in-fighting and pettiness and a mere shadow of its former glory.

Read the entire article here.

 

Coming attraction: THE LAST YEKKE

Dear Ashkenews readers,

I apologize for not having posted in a while. Ashkenews is not dead, we are just on a short hiatus. I have been extremely busy, but I am also working on a special new media project about German Jewry. It is called THE LAST YEKKE and will soon be published only here. Please stay tuned and check back regularly.

Thank you for reading Ashkenews. Your patience will be rewarded soon.

Chutzpah 2.0: Catholic-turned-rabbi speaks out about Jewish-Christians relations

There has been, once again, some brouhaha about the pope changing some words in a prayer concerning the conversion of Jews to Christianity. A prominent German “rabbi,” Dr. Walter Homolka, took this opportunity to give a fiery interview to SPIEGEL ONLINE, in which he sharply criticizes the church. Some excerpts:

It is insulting to Jews that the Catholic Church, in the context of Good Friday of all things, is once again praying for the illumination of the Jews, so that we can acknowledge Jesus as the savior. Such statements are made in a historical context which is closely connected with discrimination, persecution and death. Given the weight of responsibility that the Catholic Church has acquired in its history with Judaism, most recently during the Third Reich, this is completely inappropriate and must be rejected to the utmost degree…

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Christianity is a missionary religion. Isn’t it logical that it would also seek to convert Jews?

Homolka: No, because the controversial Good Friday Prayer completely ignores the unique status of the Jews as God’s chosen people. God called us Jews to be a “light for the nations,” so we certainly do not require illumination by the Catholic Church. The younger sister has clearly struck the wrong chord here.

So far, so radical. I, for my part, happen to belong to those people who think Jews shouldn’t tell others what to believe. I agree with Dr. David Berger, who also wrote about this issue. Here are the words of a smart man:

… I do not find fault with Catholics who believe that Jews will recognize the truth of Christianity at the end of days. I have argued on a number of occasions that there is nothing unethical about such a position, any more than it is unethical for Jews to recite the High Holiday prayers for the universal recognition of the God of Israel by nations who will forsake their current beliefs… In the final analysis, Jewish objections should be carefully formulated and should not indicate that the Christian belief that Jews will convert at the end of days is itself objectionable or tinged with anti-Semitism.

Anyway, let’s get back to “Rabbi” Homolka, who allows himself to speak in the name of all German Jews. To be sure, Homolka is quite a prominent man: he is a member of the exectutive board of the World Union for Progressive Judaism and the executive director and co-founder of the Abraham Geiger Kolleg in Potsdam, Germany’s only rabbinical seminary. The Reform Kolleg made headlines in September 2004 when, for the first time since 1942, three rabbis were ordained in Germany.

However, neither his entry on Wikipedia nor his own Web site dwell to much upon the fact that Homolka has quite a bit of history. In fact, it isn’t even mentioned that Homolka wasn’t Jewish before he became Germany’s Next Top Rabbi. But the people talk. And they say that his planned career as a priest was destroyed when the church threw him out because of his homosexuality. So instead, he decided to become a Jew, then a rabbi, then a rabbi who ordains other rabbis, and finally the voice of German Jewry when it comes to Jewish-Christian relations. Oh boy.

By the way, rumor has it his conversion to Judaism is questionable, as is his rabbinic ordination. I usually don’t spread rumors, but his inflammatory interview with Germany’s most read news site was just too much. I have nothing against Christians, I have nothing against homosexuals and I have nothing against converts to Judaism. But I think it is a shame for German Jewry when a man like Walter Homolka speaks in its name. Have some decency, man, and shut up.

The incredible rise and fall of a German rabbi

Netanel Teitelbaum served eight years as the rabbi of Cologne’s Jewish community before he stepped down last week among mysterious circumstances.

Teitelbaum, of Haifa, Israel, was almost like a superstar among Germany’s rabbis. His resume included historic visits by the pope (read Teitelbaum’s speech here), both Israeli chief rabbis and many other dignitaries from all areas of society. He was one of the higher-ups in the ORD, the German equivalent of the Orthodox Union, and even had plans to build a bigger mikveh for Cologne.

Then, all of a sudden, a few days before Purim, rumors started spreading among Cologne’s Jews that Rabbi Teitelbaum would leave the community. Some were skeptic: how can somebody leave such a dream job behind? (Rabbis make a lot of money in Germany. While there are no official numbers, it is estimated that the monthly salary is about €10,000, which is more than $15,000).

Within days, the rumors were substantiated and community officials confirmed that Rabbi Teitelbaum would leave the community for good to return to Israel.

One of reasons for this completely surprising development had to do with the rabbi’s health, the officials declared, without further explaining. Secondly, they said, the rabbi’s oldest daughter had reached high school age and therefore needs to return to Israel immediately for the lack of Jewish schools in Cologne. Of course hardly anybody believed the official version - why would a rabbi with such a stellar career throw everything away? Neither the quoted “health reasons” nor his daughter’s education seem to be plausible explanations for a successful and popular rabbi to abandon his community in the middle of the school year and days before Purim and weeks before Passover. (While usually the rabbi’s job, Megillat Esther was this year read by somebody who came especially for this task from Frankfurt.)

There are, of course, countless rumors about the real reasons for Rabbi Teitelbaum’s mysterious harum-scarum departure, ranging from the naive to the slanderous. Ashkenews will not propagate any rumors, but we are indeed wondering what really happened. One thing is certain: this past week saw the abrupt end of a promising career and proves once again that German Jewry’s often quoted renaissance needs to be regarded with a healthy dose of skepticism.

German Chancellor’s Historic Israel Visit

 

The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, just returned from a historic visit in the Holy Land. Israel changed one of its laws to allow her to become the first foreign politician who is not a head of state to address the Knesset. Although she held her speech in German, she opened and closed her remarks in Hebrew: 

Frau Präsidentin, Ani moda lachem sh’nitan li ledaber elechem kan b’bayit mechubad zeh. Zeh kavod gadol bavuri. (Mrs. President, I am grateful that I am allowed to address you in this honorable house. This is a great honor for me.)       

  

Mazal tov lechagigot shishim shana lemedinat Israel. Shalom. (Congratulations to the sixtieth anniversary of the state of Israel. Shalom.) 

A German politician in Israel obviously provokes controversy, however Israel-friendly she is. Naturally, some Knesset members boycotted Merkel’s speech. Yeshiva World reports: 

A number of elected officials decided to boycott the address, objecting to the chancellor being permitted to address the plenum in German. MKs (Labor) Shelly Yacimovitz, a daughter of Holocaust survivors opted not to remain as was the case with MK (National Union-NRP) Rabbi Yitzchak Levy, Yisrael Katz (Likud), Limor Livnat (Likud), Uri Ariel (National Union-NRP), Yaakov Cohen (UTJ). MK (National Union) Prof. Aryeh Eldad was among the more outspoken opponents of permitting the chancellor to address the Knesset in German. Eldad explained that the Knesset law is quite explicit, stating only a head of state is permitted to address in the Knesset in a foreign tongue, but in this case, a decision was made to ignore this reality to permit her to address the Knesset in German. Eldad explained earlier this week that this is the crux of his protest, that he did not see it fitting to make an exception in this case. Eldad also commented that he dreads the day when the sound of the German language is no longer a source of discomfort to members of Knesset.         

However, it is maybe noteworthy that over 1,000 guest listened to her speech in the Knesset, among them Holocaust survivors. She received standing ovations, especially for her efforts to speak Hebrew.

German communities celebrate Purim

Here is a small selection of Purim parties will be going on in German communities this year. L’chaim!
(Hat tip: j-comm.de)

The Germans and their Hitlerphobia

More than 60 years after he killed himself, the Germans still have a weird relationship with Adolf Hitler and what his name stands for. Even when Hitler is really is Whitler.

The Hitler-Blog, published on the Web site of die tageszeitung, a left-leaning German daily, chronicles the highlights of this hitlerphobia. Whenever the Führer’s name is invoked for an especially silly reason, the blog reports (basically contradicting those who say yemach shmo, may his name be erased, after uttering Hitler’s name.)

A funny occurrence of hitlerphobia could be witnessed recently in the online version of Bild, Germany’s biggest daily newspaper. A reader wanted to sign in to a Web site and was asked to provide one of these so-called Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart, or captcha. Here is what he saw:

 

Looks like the Web site is asking the guy to type the word “hitler,” if you disregards the little “w” to the left of the “h.” Not a big deal, one might think, especially since these letter combinations are created completely randomly. Not so for the German hitlerphobics. The shocked reader quickly took a photo of the screen and sent it to the newspaper, who smelled a little Nazi scandal.

“I immediately closed that window,” the reader is quoted as saying. “Something like that really shouldn’t happen!” A spokesperson for the company pointed out the little “w” and the randomness of these letter combinations. But, politically correct as German have to be these days, he conceded that “the incident is very regrettable.”