German-Jewish relations better than you think, envoy says

Germany is sorry. Really, really sorry.

That was the underlying message from German Consul General Rolf Shütte, who addressed a Shabbat evening crowd Friday, Dec. 18 at Berkeley Congregation Beth El. His topic: German-Jewish relations — something he admitted was "not an easy subject."

Shütte's bona fides with the Jewish community are impeccable. He previously held high diplomatic posts in Moscow, Rome and Tel Aviv. He also spent a year as a special envoy with the American Jewish Committee.

This was Shütte's third event at Beth El, having previously attended a community seder and held the Torah at the dedication of the congregation's new facility on Oxford Street. In his introduction to Shütte, Beth El rabbi Ferenc Raj called him a friend and a mensch.

Said Shütte, "We stand up for our special responsibility vis-à-vis Israel. All Jews and all Germans share the memory of the Holocaust. It separates and binds Germans and Jews together."

He cited the recent openings of the Holocaust Memorial and Jewish Museum in Berlin, as well as comments from newly elected German Chancellor Angela Merkel ("For us, relations with Israel are a treasure we must preserve") as signs of Germany's ongoing accountability for the crimes of the Third Reich. It remains a crime under German law to deny the Holocaust.

While there is a measure of "guilt fatigue" among the German people, Shütte estimated a good 80 percent of Germans feel a collective shame for the nation's crimes, though it's not always openly expressed.

"Most do not want to be reminded or lectured," he said. "People are numb, wordless. Germans always have a fear of saying something wrong. But most see themselves as decent people."

On the other hand, though most American Jews think Germany has sincerely dealt with the Holocaust, he noted that Germany still ranks low on the Jewish list of favorite countries.

This fact seemed to trouble Shütte. "American Jews know nothing about German-Israeli relations," he said, adding that Germany has paid more than $18 billion in restitution to Holocaust survivors, a figure that will rise to $104 billion by 2030.

"After the U.S., Germany is Israel's strongest ally," he said. "We will always be on Israel's side."

He also cited the revived Jewish community in Germany, which at 120,000 is now the fastest growing Jewish community in the world and the third largest in Europe. "We saw Jews living in Germany as a litmus test for whether Germany is righting the wrongs," he said.

After the address, Shütte joined congregants at the oneg Shabbat. Many in attendance seemed to enjoy the presentation and said they learned a lot.

"I was moved by his own personal interest," said Deborah Blanks-Ausman of Emeryville. "I wasn't aware of the wonderful relations between Israelis and Germans."

Said Judy Goloboff of Oakland, "It was a very positive experience. I was very interested in how he characterized the German public. He presented Germany as a positive place for Jews to live."