AN AMERICAN JEWISH GERMAN INFORMATION & OPINION NEWSLETTER

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AMERICAN EDITION February 14, 2012 Dear Friends: If we in the U.S. are having a mild winter, the poor folks in Europe, including Germany, are having just the opposite. Below zero temperatures seem to be prevalent day in and day out. Most Germans, if they can defrost enough to think about anything, have Greece and the bailout on their minds plus the ugly feelings many Greeks have about Germany and Angela Merkle who they blame for their fiscal problems. The anger seems a little displaced to me. However, I understand it. I used to feel the same way when I asked my parents for a small advance on my allowance and was told to first clean up my room and put my dirty clothes in the hamper. Holocaust Remembrance Day came and went (see below) with the publication of a new study of anti-Semitism released. Will it change things? Well have to wait and see. Other than that, the City of Wurzburg, for the first time, is joining other German cities in inviting their Jewish former citizens to return in order to see how they have handled the citys Nazi period history. What took them so long? Interestingly, a nice Jewish boy from Michigan whose great grand parents perished in the Holocaust has become a member of the German National Hockey Team. Dont believe me? Click here. http://www.jta.org/news/article/2012/02/10/3091612/grandson-of-auschwitz-survivortakes-the-ice-for-germany Lets get on with the news IN THIS EDITION HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY An amazing man delivers the Bundestag address. TWENTY PER CENT Anti-Semitism. It hasnt gone away. 1

GERMAN JEWISH HISTORY AWARDS One goes to a former Wehrmacht soldier. MEIN KAMPF REVISITED The Should we? Shouldnt we? Battle continues. Jewish leader misquoted. THE SUBMARINES (AGAIN!) & CHRISTIAN SCHMIDT A German who is making it happen. BAD-MOUTHING EUROPE - Hey! Cut it out! It aint good for our side. GERMAN POLITICAL FOUNDATIONS These peculiar organizations come under fire. HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY Holocaust Remembrance Day is celebrated every January 27th, the date in 1945 that Auschwitz was liberated. The major event in Germany takes place in the Bundestag itself. This year according to DW-World, The president of the German parliament on Friday called on Germans to actively stand up against all forms of right-wing extremism, speaking on the 67th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp. "It is these people who set an example and demonstrate courage," Bundestag President Norbert Lammert told lawmakers in a speech commemorating International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The memorial day falls on the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz by Soviet forces on January 27, 1945. In his speech, Lammert mentioned the series of murders blamed on a neo-Nazi cell uncovered in Germany last fall, saying that hate and violence were unacceptable. He also cited current research that shows 20 percent of German citizens are latently anti-Semitic. "In Germany, that's 20 percent too much," he said. The keynote address in the Bundestag was from literary critic Marcel Reich-Ranicki, 91, who grew up in a Jewish family in Poland and was imprisoned in the Warsaw ghetto. Both his parents were murdered in the Treblinka extermination camp. "The deportation of Jews from Warsaw to Treblinka that began on July 22, 1942 lasted until mid-September," Reich-Ranicki said. "What was called the 'relocation of the Jews' was simply... a deportation, the deportation from Warsaw. It had only one goal, it had only one purpose - death."

After his speech, the audience remained silent for one minute before applauding the speaker. I will get to the 20% shortly. However, Id first like to say a few words about ReichRanicki. R-R is a special person in Germany. Wikipedia notes, He is regarded as one of the most influential contemporary literary critics in the field of German literature and therefore was in Germany often called the 'Pope of literature' He is an amazing man. The fact that he is Jewish, a Holocaust survivor and Polish born have never stood in the way of his intellect and ability to evaluate, criticize and comment with great intelligence on German literature. At 91 he is still going strong. If youd like to read a bit more about him click here. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcel_Reich-Ranicki TWENTY PER CENT According to Israel Hayom, More than 60 years after the end of World War II, antiSemitism is still rampant in Germany, a new study by an independent committee of experts appointed by the German Bundestag (parliament) has revealed. The study, released Monday, ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan. 27, shows that 20 percent of Germans harbor "latent" anti-Semitic feelings. The study -- which draws on several different surveys and other research -- puts Germans in the middle of the pack in Europe, with a German university survey showing more latent anti-Semitism in countries such as Poland, Hungary and Portugal, and less in Italy, Britain, the Netherlands and France. "Anti-Semitism in our society is based on widespread prejudices, deeply rooted cliches and on sheer ignorance about Jews and Judaism," one of the authors, London-based German history professor Peter Longerich, told reporters at a press conference to unveil the report in Berlin. The study shows that about one-fifth of Germans agree with anti-Semitic statements such as, "Jews have too much power in business." It also shows that anti-Semitism runs deep in mainstream society, citing children's frequent use of the word Jew" as an insult in playgrounds. The report also cited chants from crowds at soccer matches where Jewish teams play shouting: "Jews to the gas chamber," or "Bring back Auschwitz." The rise of the Internet has made this a particularly volatile problem, the study's authors add, because it provides a platform for extremists to spread their hateful messages. The report did say, however, that the vast majority of anti-Semitic crimes are committed by right-wing extremists, who number only about 26,000 of Germany's more than 80 million residents.

The study recommends better coordination of local, state and federal strategies to combat anti-Semitism. The fact that Germany is in the middle of the pack as far as anti-Semitism in European countries is concerned is obviously unacceptable. Its even hard to understand given all the programs, commemorations, museums, etc. that are part of German life today. The fact that Eastern Germany was communist and anti-Israel until only 20 years ago skews the statistics somewhat. Incidentally, according to the latest figures the U.S. (ADL) is at 15% so Germanys figures are not so wildly out of line. As I have pointed out almost ad nauseum, anti-Semitism is like tuberculosis. It might be treated, it might recede and hide but it is never eradicated. To me the more important consideration is not the percentage of anti-Semitic sentiments but, rather, how people and governments deal with Jewish interests. For instance, Great Britains a-S numbers are lower than Germanys but the positions of their political leadership (click here to read about it) http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/16/usbritain-israel-palestinians-idUSTRE80F13520120116 ) and the ongoing anti-Israelism rampant on British university campuses seem to me much worse than anything that takes place in Germany. Would you prefer P.M. David Cameron or Chancellor Angela Merkel? I rest my case. Before closing on this issue I want to refer you to an interesting article that appeared recently in Haaretz by Melody Sucharewicz, a political communications and strategy consultant in Israel and Germany. I dont know Ms. Sucharewicz but I understand she was born in Germany, made aliyah and is well known on Israeli TV and writes frequently on the subject of Israel. Ms. Sucharewiczs article delves into the study mentioned above and argues that we are at a propitious moment in which to make an impact on how Germans see Israel and react to anti-Semitism. I think you should read it. Click here. http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/germany-s-anti-semitism-problem-1.412090 GERMAN JEWISH HISTORY AWARDS Every year for the last 12 years Arthur Obermayer, a Bostonian with German roots in his family, through his foundation gives awards in Germany for those who for help ensure that local Jewish history and culture are not forgotten. The Awards are given annually on Holocaust Remembrance Day. Among those honored this year is a former Wehrmacht soldier. According to JTA The 12th annual Obermayer German Jewish History Awards, one of several events in Germany marking Holocaust Remembrance Day, the 67th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, come as a new study reveals that onefifth of young Germans do not even recognize the name of the Nazi death camp.

The award presentation on Jan. 23 at Berlin's Parliament House was followed by news of the survey of 1,002 individuals, released Tuesday by the German polling institution Forsa and Stern magazine, which showed that 21 percent of Germans aged 18-30 did not know what Auschwitz was. (Ed. Note: More on that later). Fighting such ignorance is a mandate of Obermayer award recipients, virtually all of whom are educators this year. The awardees are: * Werner Schubert, 87, of Weisswasser in the former East Germany, a retired schoolteacher who is largely responsible for educating all ages about the rich Jewish history of his hometown after being taught as a schoolboy in Nazi Germany that so-called Aryans were the chosen people and that Jews were inferior. He also teaches now about the biography of a local perpetrator who was at the notorious Wannsee Conference, where the genocide of the Jews was mapped out 70 years ago this week. The ex-Wehrmacht soldier has made contact with descendants of former Jewish citizens, many of whom have visited the town in recent years. * Christa Niclasen, a Berlin elementary school principal whose pupils since 1994 have been building a wall dedicated to the memory of former Jewish neighbors. Each brick bears the name of a Jewish person whose life story is adopted by a pupil. This year, the 1,000th brick will be cemented in place. * Retired high school teacher Wolfgang Batterman, of Petershagen, North RhineWestphalia, who helped rescue a former synagogue and school from oblivion and created an information and documentation center on Jewish local and regional history going back more than 450 years. * Rolf Emmerich, a former chemical engineer and schoolteacher who lives in Laupheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, and has written about the Jewish past of his hometown, co-founded a museum dedicated to the history of local Christians and Jews, and helped preserve gravesites in Laupheims Jewish cemetery. * Fritz Kilthau of Zwingenberg, Hesse, who has raised awareness of local Jewish history in his region. He says his work is a response to right-wing extremism, which he contends is alive and well in the region. Giving awards to deserving people is a nice idea. However, the Obermayer Awards are something special and so do a lot more than just honor people. The Awards, which receive a lot of publicity, play a major role in building better understanding among Germans of the importance of Jews throughout German history. Congratulations to Arthur for conceptualizing and developing this important project in German Jewish understanding.

MEIN KAMPF REVISITED In the last edition I reported on the fact that a British publisher was planning to publish Hitlers Mein Kampf in Germany where, to this day, it is illegal. The following week, Peter McGee, the publisher (Forward) on the website of his weekly magazine Zeitungszeugen that he would not begin publishing the segments Thursday as planned until the legal issues were ironed out. McGee earlier this month announced plans to publish three annotated excerpts of the text, which remains under copyright protection in Germany until 2015, 70 years after Hitlers death. The Bavarian Finance Ministry holds the copyright to Mein Kampf in Germany. In 2010, the Munich-based Institute for Contemporary History was granted permission to reprint the work after the copyright lapses. Historians there are working on an annotated edition. The book is available to researchers in libraries, but it may not be published in Germany. However, translations of the book are available abroad and sometimes make their way into Germany. In addition, unauthorized versions are available on far-right and Islamic extremist websites based outside of Germany. Holocaust survivors are relieved that the nightmare of Hitlers handbook openly sold in the kiosks of Berlin has been lifted, Elan Steinberg, vice president of the American Gathering of Holocaust Survivors and their Descendants, said in a statement. Make no mistake: The issue here was not of free speech, but rather that of a sensationalist publisher seeking to make material profit at the emotional expense of victims of Nazi terror. Indeed, even in Germany, legitimate scholars or inquirers can easily obtain reference to Mein Kampf through the Internet or academic libraries. I also reported that The Local.de had noted, Dieter Graumann, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, greeted McGees plans, saying he hoped that it would go some way to demystifying the book. My good friend (and fellow Bronxite though he now lives in Berlin) Benjamin Weinthal who reports for the Jerusalem Post wrote to me that Graumann was misquoted. Ben, in a more recent piece, wrote, The president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany (Zentralrat), Dieter Graumann, said Tuesday that while he could do without the publication of Adolf Hitlers Mein Kampf in Germany, he would rather have Germans read annotated excerpts from the book than access it from online sources. I can truly do without the publication of this hate filled book that is saturated with anti-Semitism to the core, Graumann said via email to The Jerusalem Post, stipulating that if one must actually read it, then it is better in the framework of a

critical commentary that would run as an addendum to the book Graumann was reacting to British publisher Peter McGees announcement that he planned on running an annotated pamphlet of excerpts from the iconic book, which was dictated by Hitler while he was in prison in Germany in 1923. The German Jewish leader expressed concern about the potential for popularity that the publication may have, and the easy access provided by sales in urban kiosks. The thought that Adolf Hitler will become a bestselling [author] makes me sick. Anyone who plans to make profits with Hitler will certainly never have us on their side. In addition, no one should allow the kiosk to become a Nazi hotbed, he wrote. British historian and publisher McGee explained to Der Spiegel Sunday that his intention is to allow the German public to come to terms with the text that helped spread Nazi sentiments in post-WWI Germany. Its about time the broader public is given the opportunity to deal with the original text, McGee told the newsmagazine. That same Spiegel article also claimed Graumann welcomed the publication, because it provided a chance to demystify Hitlers book. Speaking with the Post, Graumann dismissed McGees intention. That the book is miserably written no longer requires any more proof. Mein Kampf lies between garbage and mysticism, he said. He expressed hope that if McGee insists on publication, Germans will understand the book is vicious and cynical, especially in a modern context. Graumann said McGee could use an earlier project of his, Zeitungszeugen in which McGee printed facsimiles of National Socialist, Communist, and Social Democrat newspapers from between 1933-1945 with a commentary as an example of how to frame Hitlers text appropriately. Graumann said the pamphlets will prove the need to fight anti-Semitism and racism not only as an obligation, but [as] a pure matter of course that goes without saying. I think that clears it all up as far as Mr. Graumanns thoughts are concerned. There is in Germany, however, some debate over whether Mein Kampf should be printed and distributed. The New York Times article quoted Mr. McGee [He] contends that the work enjoys a mythical reputation and an unjustified meaning because it has been hidden, forbidden and banned. We want Mein Kampf to be accessible so people can see it for what it is, and then discard it, he told Reuters last week. Once exposed, it can be consigned to the dustbin of literature.

But many in Germany disagree. They maintain that making Hitlers publications more available to those who still support his beliefs is dangerous to a country where some still subscribe to his ideas of German superiority. About 26,000 far-right extremists are known to the government, only a small fraction in a population of 82 million. But through the Internet, they have a far wider reach among the general population. The government study, released on Monday, found that Germanys far-right extremist scene remained the most important source for spreading anti-Semitic ideology in Germany. In November, Germans were stunned when the authorities uncovered a neo-Nazi ring that had operated undetected for years and killed nine Germans of Turkish and Greek descent from 2000 to 2006, among other crimes. The revelation led to a public discussion over whether far-rightists were being pursued aggressively enough. An investigation has found that the group had a vast network of supporters who provided assistance that allowed its leading members to live underground. On Wednesday, the police in the eastern state of Saxony searched the homes of four more people who were suspected of providing the group with weapons and explosives. It is such cases that leave Stephan Kramer, secretary general for the Central Council of Jews in Berlin, torn over whether Mein Kampf should still be considered dangerous. I am of two hearts about the matter, Mr. Kramer said, noting all of the effort that had gone into banishing Nazi ideology. If we cannot trust the present population in Germany to deal with Mein Kampf in a mature way, then we have lost all we have taught them in years and years of Holocaust education. I think Stephans thoughts mirror my own. The Institute for Contemporary History will be out with their annotated version in a year or so. Lets wait to see what sort of a reception it gets. THE SUBMARINES (AGAIN!) & CHRISTIAN SCHMIDT The German built submarines that Israel needs for its security are back in the news. The Jerusalem Post reported, Israel and Germany signed a contract a few weeks ago finalizing the sale of a sixth Dolphin class submarine to the Israel Navy, The Jerusalem Post has learned. The Defense Ministry initiated talks with Germany last year about buying a sixth submarine but Chancellor Angela Merkels government initially balked when Israel asked that it underwrite part of the cost. In late November, though, Germany announced that it had approved the deal and that it would pay for part of the vessel. 8

Christian Schmidt, secretary of state for defense, told the Post that the contract was signed a few weeks ago and that Germany had agreed to subsidize its cost. Calling Israel a preferred customer, Schmidt said the sale of the submarine was a demonstration of his countrys commitment to Israels security. The security of the State of Israel is a German concern and this will not change, he said during a visit to Israel during which he met with Israeli diplomatic and defense officials and attended the Herzliya Conference.
Schmidt dismissed media reports that claimed Merkel had considered canceling the deal in response to Israeli construction in Jerusalems Gilo neighborhood, over the Green Line.

We are good friends and sometimes we need to talk about things that we do not think should be done regarding the settlement policy, Schmidt said. We do not see this as a linkage [to the submarine issue] but as a part of friendly talks. Israel already has three Dolphin class submarines and two are currently under construction in Germany with delivery expected later this year. According to foreign reports, Israels submarines have a second-strike capability and carry cruise missiles armed with nuclear warheads. Germany donated the first two submarines after the First Gulf War and split the cost of the third with Israel. The three submarines currently in the navy's possession employ a diesel-electric propulsion system, which requires them to resurface frequently to recharge their batteries. The submarines under construction will be fitted with a new propulsion system combining a conventional diesel lead-acid battery system and an air-independent propulsion system used for slow, silent cruising, with fuel cells for oxygen and hydrogen storage. Schmidt said that Germany was looking to increase its defense cooperation with Israel and was specifically interested in learning from the IDF about training and military doctrine. He said that Germany was also considering buying the Heron TP long-range unmanned aerial vehicle later this decade to replace the Heron 1 it is operating in Afghanistan. Both UAVs are manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries. I dont think I have to explain about the importance of the subs. How vital they are is obvious. I firmly believe that the whole project would not have been possible without the key role played by Christian Schmidt. Christian (we are old friends), as State Secy. Is directly under the Defense Minister, a position he has held since Angela Merkel became Chancellor. As a Political State Secy. He is also a member of the Bundestag (CSU) which is possible in the German parliamentary system so he has political clout as well.

Christian is about as good a friend as Israel has in the German government. Before becoming a State Secy. He was the Chairman of the Bundestags German Israel Parliamentary Group. It is clear that he is just not a voice but someone who gets things done for Israel when necessary. P.S. Hes also a great guy and a wonderful human being. BAD-MOUTHING EUROPE In the last edition I wrote about the fact that in the presidential campaign now underway among the Republican candidates the word Europe had almost become a dirty word. Europe has been set up as some sort of socialist anti-American entity, something very negative. I went on to say that Europe is critical to Israels well being and that it was not helpful to dis it considering the harm that that could do to Jewish interests. As it turns out, Im not alone. Martin Klingst, the Washington bureau chief for the German newspaper Die Zeit wrote in The Washington Post writes, I understand that stump speeches are coarse and that, to Republican candidates, Europe must be bad because President Obama occasionally praises some of its achievements, such as universal health care or the green revolution. But when Romney, Gingrich and Santorum warn about socialist Europe, they sound as though they are talking about the Soviet empire, which vanished long ago. Europe is the European Union, a modern entity of 27 democratic countries that, despite many commonalities, greatly differ in history, culture, language, sociology and politics. Europe is difficult to comprehend, but viewing it through a single lens is like calling the United States a Third World nation because there are very poor areas in the South where some people live in shacks or have little access to health care or where some schools are corridors of shame. My problem as a European living in the United States is that it is not Joe the Plumber who is bashing Europe but three longtime politicians who want to be president people who should know better. It is not necessary here to define socialism or to detail the many distinctions between a state-run economy and a social democracy based on a free-market system. But those who seek to be president of a global superpower and may perhaps one day sit at a table with leaders of the Old World should know a few things: All 27 E.U. members believe, more or less, in mandatory health-care insurance and public education. They believe that government should offer a helping hand to struggling businesses and people during economic downturns. That is why we pay

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high taxes. It is also true that a number of E.U. countries have irresponsibly expanded their welfare systems and can no longer afford their bills. But some countries have carried out necessary economic reforms, engineered their comeback and managed the storm of the Great Recession quite well. To some extent they can now present better results than the United States. Germany, for example, raised its retirement age to 67 and drastically reformed its social safety net, lowering labor costs to businesses. Thanks to government subsidies, German enterprises were able to keep their skilled workers employed during the recession. When business picked up again, the labor force was in place and the economy more competitive. Unemployment is at a 20-year low of about 6 percent. Several European states run their mandatory health-care systems more efficiently and at lower cost than the United States while guaranteeing every citizen access to affordable and up-to-date services A college education is still free in most Old World countries and produces generally better results than in the United States. The Program for International Student Assessment study by the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, released in December, shows that high school students in a number of E.U. countries scored better in reading, math and science than their U.S. counterparts. Another OECD report shows that it is much easier for Germans, Swedes, Danes, Norwegians and Spaniards to climb the socioeconomic ladder than Americans. Thats a stark reversal from the time when greater social mobility was a main reason so many Europeans flocked to the land of opportunity. Comparing data across societies is risky because cultural and social differences may not be reflected. Yes, pendulums swing. But framing Europe simply as inflexible and outdated, or backward and socialistic, is short sighted and wrong. Romney, Gingrich and Santorum should know as well as anyone that the globe is no longer flat. As I said in the last edition and I want to repeat it I undertook writing about this issue not for any political reason but solely because I think the kind of rhetoric used in the current political campaign is wrong and hurts our interests. I also know that once the campaign is over most of this kind heated language recedes. No matter who wins, the middle of the road policies come back into play and the purveyors have a tendency to say, Oh! It was just politics, forget it!. What worries me is the lasting impact this kind of verbiage has on our general voting public and, similarly, what Europeans have placed in their minds about what Americans think of them. It may be good domestic politics but its lousy on the international front. To read the entire Klingst piece click here. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-gops-europe-is-a-land-of-makebelieve/2012/02/01/gIQA46m1nQ_story.html?hpid=z3

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GERMAN POLITICAL FOUNDATIONS German political foundations, connected to political parties and supported by government funding are particular (as far as I know) to Germany. Each political party has one. These foundations (there are 6 of them) are huge with offices in countries all over the world. The Local.de notes, Although their individual agendas may differ, all of these foundations are advocates of democracy, human rights and social justice. Germany considers them a vital way to market democracy throughout the world, one of the responsibilities it has taken upon itself since the end of World War II. Of course, since each has a strong connection to a political party, their individual philosophies are different as are the programs they develop in the countries where they reside. Obviously, they reflect the different philosophies of the political parties they represent. That sometimes causes problems when the host governments see these programs and philosophies as contradictory to their own culture and mode of governing. The Local.de reports, The foundations affiliated with Germany's major political parties are playing an important role in the upheavals in the Middle East, attracting the attention of the region's rulers -- and making them the targets of harassment. The organizations' troubles are by no means limited to Egypt, where the offices of one German organization were recently searched. (Ed. Note: It was the Konrad Adenauer Foundation connected to Germanys Christian Democratic Party (CDU). It was shuttered briefly but has since been re-opened)) The German foundation in Cairo is one of 17 Egyptian and foreign nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that have come under close scrutiny by the country's ruling military council. This is partly the result of their critical view of the regime. In a November report, Jacobs complained that the human rights situation in Egypt was, once again, just as catastrophic as it had been under former dictator Hosni Mubarak, and that "the ruling military leaders are trying to delay or even obstruct the political transition." This isn't the sort of thing Egypt's military rulers like to read. From the perspective of the host countries, however, the foundations are by no means charitable organizations that merely provide unbiased political development assistance. Regimes in authoritarian countries, in particular, quickly come to suspect the foundations of working against them. The more unstable the regimes in the Middle East become, the greater the risk that these foundations will become embroiled in local power struggles. Cases like the one in Egypt will probably become more common. From the standpoint of those in power, an organization that organizes seminars on

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freedom of the press or cultivates relationships with opposition politicians in a dictatorship is operating against the system Even in countries with close ties to Germany, it is difficult for the foundations not to become caught up in the maelstrom of domestic political debate. There are no acts of repression against the German foundations in Israel, but their work is not exactly appreciated. On the contrary, says Angelika Timm of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, which is affiliated with the Left Party, she is often asked why her organization receives public funding. The German foundations are also sometimes accused of intervening in Israeli affairs. "This is partly because we work with partner organizations that, from the Israeli perspective, are seen as being very far to the left," says a representative of a foundation with ties to the conservative camp. The authorities now have their sights set primarily on organizations from the United States, including the National Democratic Institute, with ties to the Democrats, and the International Republican Institute (IRI). Six American NGO workers were even denied exit visas. The head of the IRI office in Cairo, for example, was not permitted to leave the country for Dubai, in an incident that could prompt Washington to suspend its military aid to Egypt. So, it is not only German foundations and organizations that are being harassed. Trying to spread democracy is not an easy business. If indeed, an organization is connected to a political party, has a definite philosophy and is funded directly by a government that makes it more difficult. When there are problems those problems become German government problems and that is truly serious. P.S. For the sake of transparency, AJC has had an exchange program for the last 32 years with the Adenauer Foundation in which I am deeply involved. While working in Germany I have had very positive relations with all the political foundations. I believe that in most cases (not all) they are very useful and so I am not at all objective about them. ********************************************************************************************** See you again in March DuBow Digest is written and published by Eugene DuBow who can be contacted by clicking here Both the American and Germany editions are posted at www.dubowdigest.typepad.com Click here to connect

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