Press Release: American Jewish Committee Applauds German Antisemitism Resolution
The American Jewish Committee welcomed a package of measures passed today by the German Parliament promoting democracy and Jewish life in Germany. “This parliamentary resolution is a milestone in the battle against antisemitism,” according to Deidre Berger, Director of the American Jewish Committee’s Berlin Office/Ramer Institute for German-Jewish Relations.
The resolution, overwhelmingly approved by all parties on the brink of the 70th anniversary of the Reichspogrammnacht ( termed by the Nazis “Kristallnacht”),calls on the German government to support Jewish institutions in Germany, to issue a yearly report on antisemitism, and to expand curriculum on Jewish life as well as on the history of modern-day Israel. The government is asked to improve efforts to stop the dissemination of antisemitic propaganda from third-party states via satellite television.
“The resolution appropriately condemns all forms of antisemitism, including extreme forms of anti-Zionism, anti-Americanism and antisemitic propaganda in the Islamic and Arab world,” Berger noted.
Citing the successful model of an ombudsman for antisemitism affairs in the U.S. government, Berger urged the German government to consider a similar appointment to coordinate the large agenda outlined in the resolution. “An ombudsman can work on an ongoing basis to coordinate measures against antisemitism and to keep the issue in the public eye,” said Berger.
Berger commended the German parliament as one of the few parliaments in the OSCE region to recommend government adoption of the Working Definition of Antisemitism. This definition is used widely in official reports of agencies of the European Union and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, as well as by the U.S. government. The American Jewish Committee provides 27 translations of the Working Definition on its European Forum on Antisemitism website (www.european-forum-on-antisemitism.org).
Berger expressed relief that the resolution was passed before the Nov. 9th commemoration, despite what she termed an “unfortunate discussion” in past weeks about antisemitism and anti-Zionism during the communist era. “The confrontation with antisemitism in the former East Germany is important, however, inappropriate within the framework of Holocaust commemoration.”
