To the Editor:
As an Israeli who has worked in Berlin I was saddened by the grossly generalized accusations in the article written by Chelsea Rudman '08 regarding the Israeli-German relationship ("Let their people go: Jews' German grudge is counterproductive," March 31). Rudman makes sweeping statements which anyone who knows the Israel Body Politic will recognize as not accurate. She argues that "…any suggestion that Germans have done enough already inevitably prompts Israelis to raise the specter of Auschwitz." Yet which poll did she consult before claiming to speak for all Israelis? I'm as opposed as she is to the minority boycott of Chancellor Merkel's speech in the Knesset by only seven Knesset members of a total of 120. However, she confused the view of a vocal minority with the view of the entire population. Not only do most Israelis hold positive views of Germany but tens of thousands of Israelis travel to Germany annually and thousands more reside in Berlin and elsewhere in Germany ("Berlin gives young Israelis refuge from terrorism," telegraph.co.uk, 1.4.2004). Furthermore, according to a poll conducted by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and published in the Jerusalem Post an astonishing 67% of Israelis have a favorable view of Germany. Of all Israeli respondents who traveled to Germany, 86% hold a positive view of Germany. In fact, a majority of respondents displayed their admiration for modern day Germany by supporting its desire to play a greater role in the European Union ("Poll: Israelis like and trust Germany," Haviv Rettig, Jerusalem Post, Feb. 21, 2007). While most Israelis do not forget the dark past they also know to differentiate between the perpetrators of the Holocaust and those who were born after the war and therefore cannot be blamed. Mistaking the opinion of a few with the majority of Israelis is simply inaccurate.
Joshua '08 April 1
To the Editor:
One of the most effective ways to incite bigotry against a group of people is to claim all members of that group are bigoted. Sadly, there is a long tradition in applying this tactic towards the Jewish people. The infamous "Protocols of the Elders of Zion," for instance, is a forged document claiming that Jews look down upon all other peoples and thus feel justified in subjugating them. This document was successfully used as justification for the Holocaust and for the expulsion of 900,000 Jewish people from their homes by Arab nations.
Chelsea Rudman '08's column ("Let their people go: Jews' German grudge is counterproductive," March 31), may have accidentally perpetrated this myth. The claim made is that all Jewish people, rather a minority of specific individuals, view Germans as inferior. I was raised in a Jewish family, and have parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins who are Jewish; none of them would think any less of a person for being German. I know many Jewish people from outside of my family, who also are not prejudiced in this fashion. If anything, many Jewish people's struggle against prejudice has made them more opposed to it, as evinced, for example, in large Jewish participation in the Civil Rights movement.
To be sure, Rudman's article was exceptionally well-written and researched. There is no doubt that there are individuals bigoted against Germans, and I commend her for bringing this prejudice to our attention.
I am sure that she did not mean that all Jews have this attitude and I think no ill of her for her article. Nevertheless, language she used in multiple places seems to indicate that all Jewish individuals are bigoted. Readers of the column should keep in mind that this is not the case.
Daniel Milstein '11 March 31
