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The Week in Germany
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Dear TWIG Readers, |
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"On January 27th, 1945, the world awoke to the fact, somewhat too late, that six million Jews were no longer among the living," Israeli President Shimon Peres said on January 27 before the German Bundestag. He attended a special parliamentary session in Berlin to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day, marking the 65th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. "Today ... is the day on which the sun shone for the first time 65 years ago, after six evil years, its rays revealing the full extent of the destruction of my people," said Peres. Speaking in Hebrew, he recited a Jewish prayer for those who had lost members of their families, and remembered waving goodbye to his beloved grandfather forever from the platform of a railway station in Belarus. "Never again," he said. "Never again the feeling of superiority. Never again a so-called divine authority to incite, murder, scorn the law, deny God and the Holocaust. Never again ignore blood-thirsty dictators, hiding behind demagogical masks, who utter murderous slogans." Plumbing the murky depths In 1945, Germany had so much blood on its hands it was difficult for anyone to even to begin to grapple with how such heinous crimes against humanity could have been so meticulously orchestrated. Postwar new social movements, notably the activist student generation of the 1960's, sought to enhance national and global dialogue to promote peace and prevent something like the Shoah from ever happening again. Today all Germans must be taught about every aspect of Germany's 20th-century history in school. And a lively culture of discussion pervades college campuses and cafe culture. "The basic idea was to ensure that a vibrant democracy would emerge from the ashes of war and dictatorship," a fellow student explained to me once in Bonn, where I experienced this culture of debate firsthand in an interdisciplinary Master of European Studies program. Many German artists - including acclaimed filmmaker Michael Verhoeven (The White Rose, The Nasty Girl, My Mother's Courage), writer Bernhard Schlink, whose bestseller The Reader was made into a 2008 film starring Kate Winslet, and painter Gerhard Richter - have moreover unflinchingly delved into this darkest chapter of Germany's past. German government and industry have meanwhile offered Israel unwavering support as an international partner and ally, as well as paid compensation to survivors. The Foundation "Remembrance, Responsibilty, Future" was provided, for example, with 5.2 billion euros in capital by German government and industry. By the end of 2006, a total of 4.37 billion euros were disbursed to more than 1.66 million former forced laborers and other victims of National Socialism in 98 countries. Coming up for air In his moving address before the Bundestag, Peres spoke of the special friendship and support that exists between Israel and Germany. According to opinion polls commissioned by the German government in the United States in recent years, however, this relationship often goes largely unnoticed by a majority of US citizens. Yet it is thriving and multi-faceted - as illustrated, for instance, by a recent joint German-Israeli cabinet session held in Berlin, as well as a plethora of bilateral exchange programs ranging from shipping off German military personnel to train with their counterparts in Israel to sending young Israeli artists to find fresh inspiration in Berlin. And it remains a priority for both countries. Beyond just treading water In her unprecedented March 2008 speech before Israel's Knesset German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed the profound sorrow and shame Germans - including half-Germans raised in America such as myself - feel for the Shoah. "The Shoah fills us Germans with shame. I bow before the victims. I bow before the survivors and before all those who helped them survive," she said. But at least one good thing has come from all of this evil like a ray of light peeking out ever stronger from behind an ominous shadowy cloud. At the same time, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert hailed the strong ties between Israel and Germany: "The special relationship between Israel and Germany is a prime example of humanity's ability to overcome." Karen Carstens Webteam Germany.info Co-Editor, The Week in Germany Related Links: Historic Responsibility - Germany.info German and Israeli Cabinets Meet in Berlin - Germany.info Remembrance, Responsibility, Future - Foundation website Action Reconciliation Service for Peace German-Israeli Relations - Federal Foreign Office German-Israeli Future Forum Foundation Peres to German MPs: Hunt down remaining Nazi war criminals - Haaretz.com Israeli President Asks Germany to Pursue Holocaust Perpetrators - Spiegel |
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In this issue
Top Stories
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Top Stories |
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Israeli President Peres Speaks in Berlin on Holocaust Remembrance Day |
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The Nobel Peace Prize winner said that the Holocaust must not become a barrier against the belief in decency but should forever serve as a warning. “If there is a collective voice for the millions of European Jews, this voice calls upon us to look ahead." |
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Historic Responsibility |
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Germany is profoundly aware of the historic responsibility it bears toward the Jewish community and toward the State of Israel as a result of the crimes of the Nazi regime. This responsibility, a cornerstone of German policy, requires remembrance, reconciliation and ongoing vigilance now and in the future. |
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Germany Nominates 145 Athletes for Olympics, Hopes for Many Medals |
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Germany will send at least 145 athletes to the upcoming Vancouver Winter Games where it hopes to top the medal table a fourth straight time, the nation's Olympic Committee (DOSB) announced. |
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Ph.D. Scholarship Program “Settling Into Motion” |
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With its Bucerius Ph.D. Scholarship Program “Settling Into Motion,” the ZEIT-Stiftung is asking applicants to address the major issues surrounding global migration. Applications will be accepted through February 25, 2010. |
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Current Affairs |
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Increasing Support for Afghanistan |
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Germany is going into the London Afghanistan Conference with a substantial package that continues to follow the concept of networked security as well as move it forward. Germany will nearly double its funds for civil reconstruction to 430 million euros and increase the contingent of German soldiers from 4,500 to 5,000. |
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Haiti: Germany Focuses on Water, Medical Care |
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The German Government’s emergency aid for Haiti now totals about $21 million. The Federal Agency for Disaster Relief is supplying 60,000 people a day with drinking water. The German Red Cross has sent a mobile hospital in addition to its mobile health clinic. |
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German Foreign Policy is Peace Policy |
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In his speech during the first reading of the 2010 Budget Act, Foreign Minister Westerwelle said the coming decade needs to be a decade of disarmament. He also called upon Iran to cooperate, and, turning to the international Afghanistan Conference, Westerwelle called for a broad political approach. |
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Business, Technology and the Environment |
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Research Minister Schavan Teams with Bill Gates to Eradicate Diseases that Ravage Poor Countries |
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Federal Minister of Research Annette Schavan and Microsoft founder Bill Gates met in Berlin on Tuesday to discuss expanding research on the poverty-related and neglected diseases that overwhelmingly affect developing countries. Schavan pledged a stronger commitment of Germany's scientific expertise and related financial prospects. |
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GACC South Presents New Atlanta Location |
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On January 26th, the German American Chamber of Commerce of the Southern US, Inc. (GACC South) celebrated the grand opening of its new office facilities at the White Provision building on Howell Mill Road. In attendance were over 300 members of the GACC South, members of the Atlanta Consular and business community, several fellow bi-lateral chambers of commerce, and government officials including Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed. |
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Culture and Lifestyle |
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Beer Can's 75th Birthday – A German Immigrant's Invention Hit the Market |
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Seventy-five years ago this month the beer can debuted in the US. It was the idea of German immigrant brewer, Gottfried Krueger, who arrived in America at the age of 16. |
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Señor Coconut: Germany's Mambo King |
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After a decade of reimagining hits by artists from Deep Purple to Daft Punk as Rhumbas and Cha-Chas, Señor Coconut is approaching latin classics with the tools of a techno producer. |
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Books Believed Lost Returned to Germany |
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Germany has accepted two valuable books lost during the last world war: the 450-year-old Augsburger Geschlechterbuch, which is of art-historical value, and a volume containing photos of art works that Hitler intended for a gallery. |
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Joint Offices of German, French Culture Centers a Symbol of Close Friendship |
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German Ambassador Klaus Scharioth and Anne de la Blache, First Counselor of the French Embassy, celebrated the grand opening of the joint offices of the cultural centers Goethe-Zentrum and Alliance Française in Atlanta. Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed spoke at the festivities. |
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Readings: Second Opinions Courtesy of Germany.info |
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This week, find out how one architect is recycling East German "Plattenbauten" into stylish new homes, cavort with witches in the quaintest of German towns, meet Aspen's hardest working ski bum, and learn why your tools are part of your brain. |
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About "The Week in Germany" |
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A Publication of Germany.info and the German Information Center, USA |
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The articles referred to in this newsletter may contain links to websites that are maintained by third parties. These links are for readers' reference only, and the German Information Center is not responsible, nor shall it be held liable for, the content, services or products provided on these websites. The opinions and material contained herein do not necessarily represent the views or policies of the German government. © 2009 Germany.info unless otherwise noted. |
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