Germany: Article rejected due to “Zionism”
Igal Avidan, an Israeli journalist who lives in Berlin, wrote an article that was rejected by the editorial staff of Qantara.de due to “Zionism”. The article deals with Stef Wertheimer, an Israeli industrialist who was honored this year with the Buber-Rosenzweig-Medal for his commitment to the people in the Middle East. The medal is an annual prize awarded since 1968 by the Coordinating Council of Associations for Christian-Jewish Cooperation to individuals, initiatives, or institutions that have actively contributed to Christian-Jewish understanding.
Lewis Gropp, a member of the Qantara.de editorial staff, refused to publish the text on the grounds that the Buber-Rosenzweig-Medal “is a Jewish prize dedicated to an Jewish Israeli who has professed to Zionism” but actually has been awarded for his commitment on behalf of the Israeli Palestinians. According to Gropp, this implies the possibility of reconciling Zionism with dedication to the Palestinians. “Well, there are people who would see a contradiction in this conclusion.”
Qantara.de is an Internet portal for dialogue with the Islamic world maintained by the Federal Agency for Civic Education (Bundeszentrale fuer Politische Bildung), Deutsche Welle, the Goethe Institute, and the Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations to promote dialogue with the Islamic world. The project is funded by the German Foreign Office. Avidan’s article was finally published on March 28, after he wrote a letter to Qantara.de.
Sources: achgut.com, 03-25-2008 and hagalil.com, 04-08-2008
