“Resigned, I am not a trace”
 
 
 
She survived the murder of Jews hiding on a farm, it was 1985 chairman of the Jewish community in Munich (not without having first asked the rabbi whether women are allowed to do so), then in 2006 president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany. The now 78-year-old Charlotte Knobloch, who cedes on Sunday, is representative of the last generation of survivors at the head of the Central Council; her designated successor, Dieter Graumann, born after the war.

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Charlotte Knobloch: “I am not a trace of resignation.” (? dpa)

SZ: Prior to the ninth commemoration November in Frankfurt’s St. Paul Church has announced her successor, Dieter Graumann, he would leave the room when the main speaker, the journalist Alfred Grosser, his sharp criticism of Israel repeatedly. Can you understand gray man?

Knobloch: For me, the 9th November, a day that should have nothing to do with such discussions. It is a day of remembrance and pause, not for a current political debate.

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SZ: Grosser, even if careful, repeated his criticism of Israel: The only democracy in the Middle East must respect human rights. When you had gotten up and gone?

Knobloch: I either go to an event and stay – or I just do not go away.

SZ: How far can go the criticism of Israeli policies? The Central Council and tries to avoid this criticism?

Knobloch: criticism of Israeli policy is possible, sometimes even necessary. The sharpest critics of the settlements do not work in Germany but in Israel. But the criticism should refer to the matter.

SZ: When does criticism of anti-Semitism?

Knobloch: When Israeli Prime Minister compared to Hitler or the actions of governments with the actions of the Nazis against the Jews are equated. If it is assumed that Jews would have to suffer because of their history behave this way or that, if declared, Jews themselves were to blame for the anti-Semitism, because they interact with the Palestinians. If only the suffering of Palestinians is perceived as Israel stands so pure perpetrator nation. Or if the sentence is: “That will probably say yes you can still …” Although I also say to not over-interpreted each set.

SZ: Is the increased sensitivity of the Jewish community?

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Israel at 60: The wall-painter
Knobloch: We may become more sensitive, because the environment has changed. This makes me worry sometimes. I remember when there were spontaneous demonstrations of solidarity with Israel in 1967. Today you can find on the street rarely a friend of Israel. We are often held responsible for the policy in Israel. We are Diaspora Jews to the Israelis, who have kindly not to interfere in the politics of the country.

Hungary wants to work on media law

 
The Hungarian government relents. She wants to change its controversial media law in the disputed EU commissioner Neelie Kroes points. Hungarian Foreign Minister Janos Martonyi said, according to the Hungarian news agency MTI on Wednesday that his government will “revise and find solutions that will satisfy everyone,” the regulations. An official response to the letter from Budapest Kroes wants to submit early next week.

New video click protests against media law

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The person responsible for digital media, Commissioner Kroes had last week in a letter to the government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban has some passages of the first January objected to applicable law. The new Hungarian media law has been criticized heavily in the domestic and foreign, because the manipulation and constraint could lead the reporting.

Kroes had complained in their letter of the law, only those rules that violate their opinion against the audio-visual policy in the EU. Among other things, she had the kind of registration of media and the fact that the law also applies to some suppliers abroad. On a broader investigation of the possible restriction of press freedom had Kroes’ mandate does not extend.

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Critics complain the media, especially the prescribed “information obligations” and “balance Commandments” and the ban on minorities – and majorities – to “insult”. For violations of these requirements in most cases, heavy fines are provided. These are imposed by a media regulator, which is loyal supporters of the ruling party of Prime Minister Orbán, Fidesz controls.

The Hungarian President Pál Schmitt said on Wednesday that the speech and press freedom in Hungary was “untouchable.” He also said after a meeting with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso in Brussels that Hungary would make to the media law corrections, where they were needed. Hungary is currently rotating basis, the official business of the EU.

Meanwhile, the far-right Hungarian party gets Jobbik (the better) in the criticism. The European Jewish Congress (EJC) accused the organization of anti-Semitism. 47 Jobbik sitting MPs since the election last year in the Parliament in Budapest. “Parties like Jobbik are in direct contrast to the values ??of the European Union, Hungary, headed now,” said EJC President Moshe Kantor in a statement. The EJC is a Paris-based umbrella organization of various Jewish organizations in Europe.

Kantor had met the previous day in Brussels with Viktor Orbán. According to EU diplomats of Jewish members of Congress, the Jobbik party at the meeting criticized sharply. Jobbik has already succeeded more often in the headlines because, according to observers in the party maintains its self-representation and in their publications one undisguised anti-Semitism.

“Why do you rob me in peace?”

 
There were always several kinds of dictators around the world. Muammar al-Gaddafi, is among those who consider themselves the chosen ones. About his political texts and poems you can laugh easily. But what really stands out in his writings?
There were always several kinds of dictators around the world. Ben Ali and Mubarak were among the less charismatic. They wanted to rule and steal unlimited, and when they realized that neither was more trouble-free, they gave up eventually. nazi uniform nazi uniforms ss uniforms

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Already in 1970, Gaddafi made by the Italian author Mirella Bianco write a biography, which was in Arabic, the title Gaddafi, the prophet from the desert. (? dpa)

Men like Nicolae Ceausescu or Zia ul-Haq tyrannize their countries in the name of ideologies for which they stood: World Socialism here Islamization against communist influence there. And there are rulers who believe themselves to be chosen – from the story of God or fate. These are the more severe cases.

Muammar al-Gaddafi, is undoubtedly the latter category. As early as 1970, he was inspired by the Italian author Mirella Bianco write a biography that was in Arabic titled “Gaddafi, the prophet from the desert”. He invented for Libya, the term “Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya”, gave his country a new era, including fancy names for the months and a new flag and wrote the “Green Book”, subtitled “The Third Universal Theory” (after capitalism and socialism). Its first chapter appeared in 1975 and in subsequent years were added two more. None of the three components requires more than thirty minutes reading time. Nevertheless, in all of Libya “centers for the study of the Green Book” set up.

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Gaddafi also wrote political essays on topics such as Korea, Kurdistan, Kashmir, the UN or the possible accession of Turkey, a pamphlet about Israel and Palestine as well as a small collection of “stories” (“The Village, the village, the earth , the Earth and the Suicide of the Astronaut “), which act effectively as if they were from a distant star. But what is actually in all of these texts?

Object of ridicule

The Green Paper was often understood as a third world socialist polemic. In fact, Qaddafi was left in the broadest sense, his coup against the Western-friendly Libyan King Idris would be without Nasser’s “Arab socialism” have been unthinkable, and in Libya, he established a kind of welfare state. The first two parts of the Green Paper are concerned because even with the “solution to the problem of democracy through people power” and “solve the economic problem of socialism.” Only the third part of “society” bears no problem-solving title.

It’s easy to laugh at the myriad of tautologies and repetitions improvised postulates of this book. It was also quickly becomes the object of ridicule of the educated Arabs, even outside of Libya.

“The Green Book provides the definitive solution to the problem of government instrument,” it says in the introduction – this is a typical set-Qaddafi. Parliamentary democracy, tells us that dictatorship, because: “A political struggle whose outcome, the victory of a candidate with 51 percent of the vote, leads to a dictatorial regime that calls itself only democratic, since 49 percent is controlled by a government they did not vote. ”

Likewise, the dictator was also majority voting system, in which a candidate wins the most votes relative, even though the majority of voters do not vote for him. Parliaments? “A barrier between the people and the exercise of power, since they exclude the masses from politics and seize all power (…) The whole power must belong to the people.”

Since this effectively means that no one may rule over anyone, Gaddafi may well be described as an anarchist. And he actually wants to still believe in themselves and make the world that he could not resign because he had no office and had handed over power to his people in 1977. But as a people can not revolt against itself, it must be in the revolt in Libya was a conspiracy from the outside.

“For Fuhrer, Volk und Vaterland”  
 
Half-reverently, half-mockingly call residents in Tecklenburg the 12,000-strong community Mettingen “St. Brenninkmeyer.” Several streets in the village of North Rhine-Westphalia have names with Christian terms such as basic or Marie Bishop Street. Or do they simply named after saints in the Shields: Clement Street, George Street and Joseph Street. Especially along the Bishop street is behind opaque bush and foliage, ostentatious mansions together with confusing names: yellow house, green house, Potschoppen, Tielshaus, Gockel house or castle. It was a magnificent Marienhof in Mettinger Bishop Street even before the ARD soap opera to the eve of a same program raised.

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With the help of the secret language

Staying in the residences of the fifth and sixth generation descendants of the brothers Clemens and August (C & A) Brenninkmeyer, pioneers of the textile trade. Gloria’s house goes back to the late founder’s son George Brenninkmeyer 1925, whose great-grandson Joseph Brenninkmeyer now tends the graves of dozens of local domains, including the clan to the Mettinger cemeteries. He also reigns as host of the so-called Draiflessen Collection, the family-owned convention center. nazi uniform nazi uniforms ss uniforms

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Draiflessen comes from the secret language of the founding generation of the Westphalian Tü?ttensprache hiking Dealer: Drai stands for the number three and is reminiscent of Trinity and belief. Fless turn means flax, and lowland / line country, and symbolized home and origin of the textile trader C & A with now nearly 1500 stores in Europe, almost 6.6 billion euros, of which three billion euros in Germany alone, and a growing presence in South America and the Far East.

In the meeting the Draiflessen Draiflessen Collection grants from this Saturday until the eighth January 2012 deep insights into the corporate and family archives. The exhibition “C & A picks up!” wants to give “Impressions of a 100-year history” – and also opens up an intimate insight into the business practices of the Nazi era. It was long frowned upon publicity, corporate data, C & A was under wraps. Until the 1990s, called the Düsseldorf headquarters not even the number of C & A stores. Only then began increasing opening to the outside. In the half-timbered beams at the Town Hall in the Mettingen Brenninkmeyer have had to carve a special creed: “Confess to the sin Hausgesind no.” This also applied to the Nazi era.

Because of their Dutch citizenship and invariably lived commitment to the Catholic faith – from the family are dozens of priests and nuns – were in the Brenninkmeyer Münsterland long as untainted emerged from the Nazi era. Family members were allowed if they do not decorate as priests or bishops were ordained by Catholic honorary titles such as “Honorary chamberlain of His Holiness the Pope” or “Commander of the Order of St. Gregory.”

Donations in the millions

Even more astonishing is the full openness with which the family is now working up the company’s history. Frank and freely admits Clan Representative Joseph Brenninkmeyer one in his preface to the exhibition catalog that “the question of the role of the family business in the era of National Socialism as a natural part of scientific research” was. What the historian Kai Draiflessen Bosecker’ve tracked it, made the family worldwide, “very concerned”.

The extended family was so straight-ahead, the company’s history of economic and social historian Professor Mark Spoerer reconstruct from Regensburg to leave any gaps. The expert also to the time of the Third Reich to develop an independent, comprehensive representation. Every detail will be published and made accessible.

But the current exhibition is already explosive enough: it contains some documents that the antisemitism of individual family members and senior C & A document managing director in the provinces of the German Reich. Archival records reveal big money flows into brown channels.

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C & A: Corporate History
Cheap. Always
The clothing chain donated during the Nazi era million Reichsmark to the dubious winter assistance of the National Socialist People’s Welfare under the patronage of Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels gave Hitler later deputy and Luftwaffe chief Hermann Goering repeatedly to his birthdays valuable works of art, for example the painting “Last Supper” by Lukas Cranach the Elder. If it did the sales transaction, for example, in Leipzig, C & A advertised the label “pure Aryan”. The local government in Mettingen was shabby. They like the certified “pure Aryan descent of the family.”

“Speer said that Hitler loved Brown”

sueddeutsche.de: The cover of your book shows Hitler and Braun in an unusually familiar pose – she touched him on the arm. They both appeared at the Berghof openly as a couple?

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Party atmosphere despite looming defeat: Eva Braun during the wedding ceremony of her sister Gretel, with the SS-group leader Otto Hermann Fegelein at the Berghof on the Obersalzberg 1944th (? photo: Photo SZ / Scherl)

G?rtemaker: yes with the then customary prudery. Hitler before the fire ever patted her hand. And I’m sure they had a normal sexual relationship, even if this does not prove, of course.

sueddeutsche.de: Hoped Eva Braun is not a happy ending as a devoted wife?

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G?rtemaker: Eva Braun and Hitler was well aware of the vision of a shared future. At the beginning of the war, Hitler’s wife in her as a future prospect. After winning the war and the surrender of the chancellorship, to a successor, they both wanted to move to Linz and spend their retirement years.

sueddeutsche.de: The reconstruction plans for Linz, Upper Austria, which were the Hitler regarded as the home city, promoted during the war.

G?rtemaker: Numerous models have been presented to Hitler, even in the spring of 1945. The architect commissioned to rebuild Hermann Giesler reported after the war by an encounter with Hitler 1942nd In this he said the dictator: Certain areas concerning his retirement home, the architect may discuss with “Miss Brown”. For they will be the hostess. “I will marry her as soon as we live there,” said Hitler.

sueddeutsche.de: Besides the fanatical lover, there is another Eva Braun: The freedom-loving young woman who had himself photographed semi-naked and hear jazz. How does that work?

G?rtemaker: Eva Braun, Hitler had already very early in their absolute loyalty demonstrated by two suicide attempts, as he had neglected them. He has rewarded her with a tolerance that went very far. Eva Braun had almost free rein. She celebrated wild parties, traveled through Europe, bought the most expensive clothes, and led a privileged life elsewhere. Children they wanted apparently not.

sueddeutsche.de: In a nutshell: It was exactly the opposite of the German woman as she wished the Nazis.

G?rtemaker: Just as Hitler has not complied with the Nazi ideal of a man. His lifestyle was one of the bohemians.

sueddeutsche.de: Eva Braun was a psychological support for him, which he obviously needed. But he has also loved it?

G?rtemaker: Hard to say. Hitler left no writings, in which he shed light on his relationship with Eva Braun would. But for example, Albert Speer, testified at a U.S. interrogation immediately after the war ended in August 1945 that Hitler loved it. This statement can be found behind again.

sueddeutsche.de: Do you have an explanation why?

G?rtemaker: records in his memoirs the spear free dictator of human emotions – only the monster, the non-person, all of which decreased only. Speer wrote that he had been forfeited and even Eva Braun, Hitler’s hypnotic. Both would therefore have been unable to solve themselves. Speer himself so stylized and Eva Braun to victims.

sueddeutsche.de: What is your conclusion?

G?rtemaker: Eva Braun was at least one accomplice, an accomplice in any case. One victim was not.

The state of longing

 
The League of Nations decided in 1920, transferred to the British in Palestine as a mandate, which essentially covers the area of ??modern Israel, the autonomous areas and also the first day Jordan. London for 28 years trying to keep the area quiet by two administrative units are firmly established:

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Tension and joy on the faces: the state’s founder David Ben Gurion (left) after signing the Declaration of Independence of Israel (? photo: AP)

The Jews are now only allowed to settle west of the Jordan, east, in Trans-Jordan, the Hashemite dynasty installed. The Mandate is trying to organize a bureaucratic coexistence. But even then, says David Ben-Gurion, later prime minister: “Everyone recognizes the problem in the relations between Jews and Arabs, but not everyone realizes that there is no solution..” nazi uniforms ss uniforms ww2 uniforms

Finally, about 100,000 British soldiers stand on a surface that is as large as Brandenburg, violence by Jews against Arabs, by Arabs against Jews continues. The British respond with raids, torture, executions.

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Because of the Nazi terror, immigration is increasing, so-called White Paper in 1939 in London, on the one hand, announcing the establishment of a binationationalen state, but also limited the Jewish influx. Also look for the end of World War II, when hundreds of thousands of survivors of the Holocaust for a new home, the British prevented by rigid controls a massive Jewish immigration – from fear of the growing discontent of the Arab side.

The UN should solve the problem

The Jewish underground army, the Haganah, but above all the terror units of the Irgun, led by later Prime Minister Menachem Begin, and the paramilitaries of Lehi, led by the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir attack, increasingly also British targets.

The British, in turn, intercept ships with Holocaust survivors at sea or after their arrival in Palestine and send them back to Europe – to Cyprus, or even, as in probably the greatest post-war refugee drama of those days, after Germany. 4500 people landed in 1947 with the Exodus in Haifa, where British forces boarded the ship and take passengers, despite protests from the public world only to France and then to Hamburg, where they are forcibly taken ashore and imprisoned temporarily in camps.

Give the British in 1947 and decide the small print. The United Nations should solve the problem. And who do it, or better: you try it – knowing that every decision has been poisoned over this contested ground. On 29 November approve the UN with a two-thirds majority of the plan, Palestine into a Jewish and an Arab half share. Jerusalem should be placed under international administration.

The Jews, who constitute about a third of the population will get 56 percent of the country, which in turn applies the Arabs. But above all, in the Jewish territory live more than half a million Arabs in the Arab territories, in turn tens of thousands of Jews. The Arab states reject the decision of the UN, as they had also rejected, years ago, the plan of the British “Peel Commission”, which had proposed to strike a coastal area and the Galilee to the Jews.

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Israel celebrates its anniversary
On that evening of the 14th May 1948, shortly before sunset, the State of Israel is proclaimed, and the population cheered. The Britons pack their few belongings and make them their soldiers pull back from now through deserted streets, bagpipe players progress. Meanwhile, the Jewish forces were preparing themselves for the struggle for survival barricade themselves. The armies of Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Transjordan get ready. Begins at midnight of the first war. More will follow.