Rabbi Abraham Cooper gave an interview on my debut interview show on Germany’s popular political blog/magazine, Die Achse Des Guten (“The Axis of God”), named such in part because it is one of the few media outlets that is openly pro-Israel and pro-America. Rabbi Cooper gives astounding insights into the German-Israel-Jewish relationship, some of which are worrying. Germany’s insistence on trading ties with Iran, its increased funding to UNRWA, the overlooking anti-Semitism of the Left, and Holocaust memorialization are just some of the issues discussed.
For the Jewish community, we have three separate areas of profound concern. You want to call the traditional, Nazis, neo-Nazis, far-right, xenophobic, ultra-nationalists, which is also part of an overall trend in Europe. But obviously, when you talk about Germany or Austria, it resonates in a much more profound way.
Secondly, we have a massive influx of Arab and Muslim people coming who are bringing with them baggage from the societies the came that is anti-Semitic. Besides being anti-Israel, it’s anti-Jewish. Their challenge to German Society is not only about Jews. They have a lot to learn about how to treat women, how to view other religions, and people who have no religion. Many people in Germany who see freedom of religion means freedom from religion.
But for our concerns you have young Muslims at home hear only things that are negative about Jews. In fact, probably the dirtiest word you can say to someone in their circles is the call them “Jew.” That’s just the truth.
The third area is something that I think Germany has been slow to even consider and debate and that’s the anti-Semitism that comes from the left. Generally speaking, over the decades, [they say] and what do you mean: “I’m liberal and Progressive and the Nazis are far right so we couldn’t possibly be guilty of anti-Semitism.” When you look at the statistics of important polls that were actually taken the beginning of this decade, we estimate based on polling, a lot of it taking in Germany, that over a hundred and fifty million Europeans believe that Israel is doing to the Palestinians what the Nazis did to the Jews.
