An American Jewish - German Information & Opinion Newsletter

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AN AMERICAN JEWISH – GERMAN INFORMATION & OPINION
NEWSLETTER
dubowdigest@optonline.net
GERMANY EDITION
May 15, 2013
Dear Friends:
Having returned from my trip to Germany wherein I staffed the American group
participating in the AJC - Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Exchange Program I am back at the
Editor’s Desk. As usual the program formulated by Ingrid Garwels of the KAS staff was
terrific. A dozen American Jewish leaders went home more fully understanding life and
politics in Germany. For many it was also their first taste of what Jewish life is like in
Hamburg and Berlin.
Below you will find some of my personal impressions of what I saw and heard. They
were also published in my American Edition which was e-mailed a day or two ago. If
you've already read them (some people get both editions) you can skip over them. I
wrote them mainly for my Jewish audience in the U.S. However, there is no reason why
you shouldn’t see them as well. If nothing else, you will get some sort of idea of those
issues that are of particular interest about Germany to American Jews. (Ed. Note: If
you’d like to get the American Edition just drop me a note at edubow@optonline.net ).
One thing that impressed me that I did not mention in my impressions piece is the
unbelievable pace of building going on in Berlin. Having lived there in the late 1990's as
the first wave of construction was underway, I thought that would bring it to an end and
that, perhaps, Berlin would be overbuilt with apartments and office space becoming
empty. That, obviously, is not the case. The cranes have returned. It seems that every
inch of available space will have a new building. The German economy may be slow but
the construction industry hasn't gotten the message.
I was saddened today to hear that Gerd Langguth had passed away. He was a great
intellect. I first got to know him when he became the Acting Chairman of the KAS. It was
the wrong job for him. He went on to teach and became the biographer of Angela
Merkel and Horst Koehler. I am proud to say he was a regular reader of this newsletter.
My sincerest condolences to his family.
It is now time to get on with the news...

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IN THIS EDITION
PERSONAL IMPRESSIONS – What I saw and what I thought about.
JEWS & THE NEW POPE – Catholic Jewish relations. Vital to the Jewish community..
ISRAEL & THE DIASPORA – The importance of Israel to Jews worldwide.
EUROPEAN ANTI-SEMITISM – It remains a problem.
THE PEACE PROCESS & “THE OLD COLLEGE TRY” – Secy. of State Kerry is the
latest to try his hand with Israel and the Palestinians.
QATAR: ANOTHER OLD COLLEGE TRY – The Qataris get into the act.
CLAIMS CONFERENCE DISGRACE – Fraud is fraud no matter who the perpetrator is.
PERSONAL IMPRESSIONS
I have recently returned from Germany where I staffed the American delegation that
participated in the 33rd
annual Exchange program between AJC and the Konrad
Adenauer Foundation.
I thought it might be useful if I shared some of my impressions – for whatever they’re
worth. Please keep in mind that they are personal impressions and are not based on
scientific research. To be crystal clear, they are mine alone. My Exchange colleagues
may have different perceptions.
Interestingly, one of the delegation members recently wrote, ―What struck me was the
sense that we all unconsciously identified strongly as Jews and as Americans and that
this was a common bond that informed our impressions of the Germans, both Jewish
and non- Jewish. It is likely that the pervasive memory of the Holocaust that permeated
the experience reinforced everyone's Jewish identity.‖ I totally agree!
Our delegation met with many German leaders and almost universally they felt that
while Israel’s security was one of the cardinal underpinnings of German government
policy, it received much more support from the “political elite” than it did from the public
at large. Much of the public sees Israel as an aggressor and the Palestinians as victims.
Events in the Israel – Palestinian area are seen through that filter.
It was pointed out that German political decisions are frequently made by the political
leadership without broad public support and that the public mostly catches up and
supports the decisions that have been made. That raised a question for me as to the
role AJC should be playing in Germany. Should focus be on the leaders or the public
and in what sort of programmatic mode should it operate?

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After thinking it over I concluded that Deidre Berger, AJC’s Berlin director, is exactly
following the right course. She has established and maintained contacts with the
political leadership as a primary goal while at the same time, for example, promoting
programs for tolerance education and leadership in public schools.
In a discussion I had with a German friend he told me that an American single-issue
pro-Israel organization was planning to set up an office in Berlin. He indicated that it
would be a waste of money as “lobbying” doesn’t work in Germany. As I’ve pointed out
previously in this newsletter it is the political party that is important in Germany not
individual legislators. I doubt that the Israel Embassy people would welcome any group
that barges in and does not understand the delicate workings of German politics.
On the other hand, occasionally public demonstrations are needed and it was generally
concluded that the German Jewish community cannot rally many people to participate.
Even in Berlin, the largest Jewish community in Germany, the turnout is almost always
paltry. They’re just not up to doing that yet.
When considering the “political elite” Israel has no better friend than Chancellor Angela
Merkel. As far as her future as the leader of Germany is concerned, that will be
determined in the September national election. There is no question that she is the most
popular politician in Germany but whether she will be able to cobble together a coalition
government remains a question.
If there is one overarching political feeling prevailing in Germany it is pacificism. The
Germans have had enough of war and atrocities. It made them a pariah nation
something they have been trying to overcome since the establishment of the Federal
Republic. Most are horrified by the fact that there was a neo-Nazi murder gang who
killed 10 innocent people. The last remaining member is on trial for that crime. However,
there are very mixed emotions about the process of outlawing the neo-Nazi NPD Party.
An attempt 10 years ago ran afoul of the courts. This time the legislative branch wants a
strong case that will make it through this time. The fact that there are two state
legislatures that have seated NPD members, in my opinion, puts that horrified feeling
somewhat in question. I felt that most of those we discussed the matter with were
strongly opposed to the NPD but were not very clear about what to do to get rid of them.
I have been working on the Exchange program since it began. In looking back over a
third of a century, not surprisingly, I noticed a considerable change in the thinking of the
American participants. Back in the 1980’s and 1990’s the AJC participants came to
Germany on edge, very suspicious and looking for signs of Nazism in almost everyone
we met. This year’s group, of course 20 or 30 years more removed from the Holocaust
came, I felt, with a much different point of view. AJC has now had its office in Berlin for
more than 15 years and the organization itself has been steeped in American Jewish –
German programing. I got the impression that our delegation members had open minds
willing to see the positives as well as the negatives. The fact that Germany’s democracy
has grown and developed has also been internalized with many more American Jews
seeing it in a more favorable light than they did 30 years ago.

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We got a very mixed and somewhat confusing picture of how the Jewish community in
Germany is progressing. In Hamburg, a city-state with about 8,000 Jews has a stable
population with a Jewish school plus one main synagogue and a couple of much
smaller ones. They were without a “Land (Chief) Rabbi” for a couple of years but finally
came to terms with the Chabad rabbi who had been placed in Hamburg by that
organization several years before. The lead Chabad rabbi in Berlin has now been
accepted by the local government for funding. That is a major change.
There is no question that the dedication and organizing abilities of Chabad have given
them an important place in the development of Jewish life in Germany. However, the
vast majority of Russian Jews who came to Germany in the last 20 years are still on the
periphery of Jewish life. Of the more than 200,000 (We heard as high as 300,000) Jews
now in Germany 110,000 are “registered”. There are many more who either choose not
to be organizationally affiliated or do not qualify because they do not fulfill the Halachic
requirement of having a Jewish mother.
The delegation member who I quoted earlier also wrote, ―I was also struck by the very
small size of the German Jewish community, and their own efforts to form a cohesive
community despite the usual differences of opinion (on matters which are really trivial in
the context, but seem to be important to them). I don't think the Jews from the FSU [Ed.
Note: Former Soviet Union] will be a real part of that community for a long time, if at all,
but may, rather, end up being something separate and different.‖
Perhaps that person is correct. There is no question that as more of the former Soviet
Jews come into leadership roles their agendas will be more front and center. I hope they
will not be “separate”. However, “different” is something else again. No doubt they can
add a lot of life to the community. Maybe “different” will be the factor that puts the
community in a position to survive and prosper.
On the subject of “survival”, it appears to me that many of the smallest communities will
not survive. We have the same problem in the American South. There must be a solid
enough base with enough infrastructure in order to continue on. Many of the small cities
in Germany don’t have it. What me may see is a smaller number but stronger
communities.
One thing is for certain though. The sons and daughters of the Russian Jews in
Germany will grow up as Germans. They will be educated in German schools and go to
German universities. Some will leave Germany (Movement throughout the EU is very
common) but many will stay and move into leadership positions in political and
economic life. Their impact is yet to be seen – but it’s coming! It’s certainly happening
already in the Berlin Jewish community where a party more oriented to the needs of the
Russian Jews defeated the old line leadership in the communal election.
JEWS & THE NEW POPE
Back in March I wrote about the legacy Pope Benedict would leave. That is now in the

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hands of “History”. The world Jewish community has begun to look toward the new
Catholic leader, Pope Francis.
It should be pretty obvious as to why Jews are interested and concerned about the
position(s) the new Pope has in terms of the Jewish people. The impact he has on one
billion Catholics would be enough. However, the difficult history the Church has in
relation to Jews has turned a corner but has not as yet been put to rest.
Rabbi David Rosen, AJC’s International Director of Interreligious Affairs, is, perhaps, the
prime expert on Jewish – Catholic Relations. Writing on the AJC website he noted,
―Prior to the conclave, which chose Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio as the 266th head of
the Catholic Church, a prominent commentator on Vatican affairs predicted that a major
shift in the priorities of the Catholic Church would be a move away from a preoccupation
with the Jews to a greater focus on Islam.
Several other "experts" claimed that the next pope would not only have been born after
the Shoah, but would, accordingly, lack a deeply felt sensitivity to its ramifications.
Moreover, it was widely claimed that a pope from the southern hemisphere would
inevitably have less interest in Jewry than a pope from Europe.
All these "expert insights" proved not only wrong, but the very contrary of what has
actually happened. The conclave chose a Latin American with a profound background
in and commitment to Catholic-Jewish relations. Indeed, there has never been a
popewho has had so much personal experience, engagement and involvement with a
contemporary living Jewish community as Pope Francis.
Pope Francis was archbishop in the city with the largest Jewish community in Latin
America, and his involvement with Buenos Aires Jewry was substantial. He regularly
visited Jewish houses of worship, religious celebrations and commemorations. After the
1994 terrorist bombing of the AMIA Jewish center in which 85 people were killed and
hundreds injured, he expressed deep personal solidarity with the community. And in
2005, he was the first public figure to sign a petition entitled "85 victims, 85 signatories,"
demanding belated justice.
His close friendships with leading rabbis in the city are well known and, appropriately,
much has been made of the book he published together with the president of the
Buenos Aires Rabbinical Seminary, Rabbi Abraham Skorka, which examines a range of
issues from Jewish and Catholic perspectives.
On ascending the throne of St. Peter, he declared his commitment to continuing to
deepen the Catholic-Jewish relationship. He sent letters to the Chief Rabbi of Rome and
to the Chief Rabbis of Israel expressing this commitment. And he invited Jewish leaders
to attend his inauguration ceremony.
After thanking the representatives of the various Christian communities that were in
attendance, the new pope expressed special appreciation for the presence of ―the
Jewish representatives and those from the other religions,‖ highlighting the former’s
special importance. The following day, when he received us for an audience in the

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Vatican, he quoted from the Second Vatican Council’s declaration ―Nostra Aetate,‖
emphasizing that the Christian faith’s own self-understanding depends upon its
appreciation of its Jewish roots.
…we have every reason to anticipate that Pope Francis will literally walk in the footsteps
of his predecessors and visit the Holy Land – the State of Israel and the Palestinian
Territories – in the not-too-distant future. For him, this will provide another opportunity to
reaffirm his sincere sense of a special bond between the Catholic Church and the
Jewish People.
Obviously, Pope Francis has begun his papacy, as far as the Jews are concerned, on a
very positive footing. My guess is that the closeness of the relationship will grow and the
“difficult history” will turn into one of growing cooperation and understanding.
ISRAEL & THE DIASPORA
In my continuing effort to give my readers in Germany who are not Jewish some insight
into the thinking, interests and activities of the Jewish community, I came across an
interesting article about the relationship between the Jews of Israel and those living
elsewhere (the diaspora), especially in North America.
Donniel Hartman is a Jewish IsraeliModern Orthodoxrabbi and educator. He is
President of the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem. Writing in Jewish Philanthropy,
he opined, ――Next Year in Jerusalem; ―If I forget you Jerusalem;‖ ―And to Jerusalem
Your city may You return in compassion‖; May our eyes behold Your return to Zion.‖
For close to 2,000 years these words gave expression to the Jewish people’s longing
for redemption and their dream to return to their homeland in Israel. With the rebirth of
the State, its founders expected, and with good cause, that all Jews would move there.
This movement in the Zionist lexicon was called aliyah (literally: ascent), rising from an
inferior existence in the Diaspora to begin a new life in Israel – a life of greater
opportunities and broader horizons made possible by the newfound reality of Jewish
statehood. In the eyes of the State’s founders, Israel was to be not merely the center of
Jewish life, but was to become its exclusive location. The Zionist narrative did not leave
any place for a vibrant and ongoing Jewish community living outside of Israel and which
would constitute a permanent and parallel center for Jewish life. In the Zionist narrative,
within a few years of the rebirth of the State, Diaspora Jewish life, for all intents and
purposes, was to come to an end.
Sixty years on, it seems the founding fathers both under- and over-estimated the
potential of the fledgling Jewish state. Israel of 2008 is stronger, abler and more
successful than the ’48 generation could have ever imagined. The same, however, can
be said of world Jewry. Rather than diminish and gradually disappear, Jewish
communities around the world have grown and prospered. What has changed and over
the last two decades even diminished and become ever increasingly tenuous, is their
relationship to Israel. As the holocaust has become more of a historical event rather

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than an existential reality, and the threat or experience of anti-Semitism has decreased,
at least in North America, the role of Israel as a ―safe haven,‖ a shelter of last resort for
world Jewry, has become less compelling. In fact, as will be discussed below, much of
world Jewry are more ―worried‖ about the future viability of Israel than their own safety.
In addition, together with their vitality and viability, world Jewry is increasingly reticent to
see Israel as their leader in shaping their Jewish spiritual, intellectual and collective
agendas. Even their philanthropic enterprises, once so central in confirming Israel’s
centrality, are in general being directed inwards, as the major percentage of tzedakah
dollars are being funneled to local needs. When the United Jewish Communities – the
main fundraising arm of American Jewry – created four allocation pillars, it tellingly
placed Israel in its ―overseas allocation‖ pillar rather than the Jewish ―renewal‖ pillar. For
North American Jewry, Israel is an overseas allocation and not a local need,
contributing to their Jewish identity and life.
The article, of course, is very controversial. The centrality of Israel religiously is one
thing. Its role as a nation state is quite something else. If you are interested in the
question of Israel – Diaspora relations you should read Hartman’s article (link below). It
will give you some insight into one of the most important and difficult internal issues
facing world Jewry. Read it by clicking here.
http://ejewishphilanthropy.com/diaspora-jewry-and-israel-rethinking-the-partnership/
EUROPEAN ANTI-SEMITISM
I probably do not have to tell you that anti-Semitism is on the rise in Hungary. All the
general media have carried the story that Jobbik, an outrageously anti-Semitic political
party has been spreading its poison throughout the country. It is not an isolated matter.
Anti-Semitism has been on the increase in Europe, though thankfully, not so much in
Germany.
Israel Hayom reported last month that the , ―Annual report by Tel Aviv University's
Kantor Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry notes disconcerting
increase in violent incidents against Jews in 2012, especially in France, Greece,
Hungary and Ukraine • "EU is not doing enough to combat this phenomenon," report
says.‖A new report published Sunday, the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day in
Israel, noted a 30 percent increase in anti-Semitic violence and vandalism worldwide in
2012.
The report… said the past year had seen "an alarming rise in the number of terrorist
attacks and attempted attacks against Jewish targets, and an escalation in violent
incidents against Jews worldwide."
The report presented an extensive review of various anti-Semitic trends, including anti-
Semitic discourse in the public and political spheres and similar expressions on the
Internet, especially in social media. Facebook and Twitter, the report said, have become
a breeding ground for anti-Semitic and fascist groups promoting hatred against Jews.

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The report said that 686 anti-Semitic incidents took place in 2012, compared with 526
incidents in 2011. Some 273 cases involved physical assaults against Jews, and 50 of
those involved firearms. Some 190 synagogues, Jewish monuments and tombstones
were vandalized in 2012, as were 200 buildings in Jewish communities worldwide.
According to the report, anti-Semitism is on the rise in Europe, especially in France,
Greece, Hungary and Ukraine, as well as in the U.S., Canada and Australia. "The
majority of the attacks across Europe were perpetrated by groups affiliated with radical
Islam and the extreme Right," the report said.
France experienced the highest rise in reported cases of anti-Semitism, going from 177
incidents in 2011 to 315 in 2012. An interim report published by the center in October
found that the number of anti-Semitic incidents in France since the beginning of 2012
was 45% higher than during the same period in 2011.
The report further warned against the rise of radical political parties in Greece and
Ukraine: "Last year was marked by the strengthening of political parties with platforms
that combine anti-Semitic propaganda with incitement against Jews as part of internal
politics."
This rise in anti-Semitism in Europe was attributed to several factors, including the
economic crisis, a rise in the radical Right's political power and a backlash against
Israel's November Gaza offensive, Operation Pillar of Defense.
"This situation in some countries in Europe — mostly Greece and Hungary — has
gotten so perilous that Jews are afraid to walk down the street," said Aryeh Zuckerman,
a consultant with the Kantor Center. "The European Union is not doing enough to
combat this phenomenon, and if nothing is done the situation will only deteriorate
further."
Dr. Moshe Kantor, who heads the research center, said: "As a Jewish leader, I can say
that the [Jewish communities] in Europe are in danger. People are afraid to go to
synagogue, to go to Jewish school — this is a new phenomenon and it is joined by
several other trends we haven’t seen before, like the fact that neo-Nazi [parties] have
not only become legal in Europe, they're already holding parliament seats in Hungary,
Ukraine and Greece."
While in Germany there are no NPD people in the Bundestag. However, they are in two
State parliaments. It’s all very depressing. Obviously anti-Semitism is a problem for
Jews, however, perhaps equally important is the fact that it is a sign that the virus
remains dangerously near the surface in many European societies. It corrupts life and
society wherever it emerges and finds sympathetic ears. People in Hungary, Ukraine
and Greece should read their history books. Enough said!
THE PEACE PROCESS & “THE OLD COLLEGE TRY”
The seemingly impossible road to peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians is

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being given, in American idiomatic parlance – “The Old College Try”. Wiktionary defines
it as “A vigorous, committedattempt or effort.”The Urban Dictionary describes it in
baseball terms,―A wild and desperate attempt to make a play. Sometimes the term
carries a hint of showboating.‖
Babe Ruth (_Babe Ruth's Own Book of Baseball_, 1928) defined "giving it the old
college try" as "playing to the grandstand or making strenuous effort to field a ball that
obviously cannot be handled."
The term was quickly applied to any effort with limited chances of success.
O.K. now you have the idea. Well, our new Secy. of State, John Kerry has decided to
give the Middle East peace process “the old college try”.
Israel Hayom reported, ―U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday [May 8] he
would depart in two weeks on another trip to the Middle East to push peace between
Israel and the Palestinians.
Speaking to reporters in Rome, alongside Israeli peace negotiator Justice Minister Tzipi
Livni, Kerry said he would depart on his fourth trip to the Jewish state as America's top
diplomat around May 21 or 22. The trip will include meetings with Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
"We are working through threshold questions," Kerry said, ahead of his private talks
with Livni in Rome. "We're doing it with a seriousness of purpose that I think ... has not
been present in a while. And we all believe we're working with a short time span."
Kerry said officials must have "some sense of direction as fast as we can."
The former Massachusetts senator, who visited the region twice in March and again last
month, has been trying to end a years-long stalemate between the two sides over
issues ranging from Israeli settlement construction to Palestinian efforts to win
statehood recognition from international bodies.
Over the last four and a half years, Israelis and Palestinians have hardly negotiated
peace at all.
Before arriving Wednesday in the Italian capital, Kerry spoke by telephone with Qatari
Prime Minister Sheik Hamad Bin Jassem Al Thani, who led an Arab delegation to
Washington last week to try to aid the peace effort.
Kerry and Livni praised the Arab League delegation's decision last week to accept shifts
in Israel's border as part of a long-standing offer of universal recognition for Israel in the
Arab world -- if Israel withdraws from territory it seized in the 1967 Six-Day War.
Kerry said the Arabs "want to keep the process going" and have asked for more
meetings.

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"We will have those ongoing meetings, but with a purpose," he said. "We're not going to
have meetings for the sake of a meeting."
Livni, meanwhile, praised Kerry for "recreating hope" after years of stagnancy. Some of
us lost hope and this is something we need, not just as a vague idea, but something
which is concrete," she told reporters.
"We had today quite a good conversation and dialogue with Secretary John Kerry here
in Rome. The whole idea is to re-launch the negotiations between Israel and the
Palestinians,'' Livni said.
''We believe that re-launching the negotiations and achieving an agreement between
Israel and the Palestinians is an Israeli interest but yet there's a need for Secretary John
Kerry, with all the enthusiasm and determination that he shows, in order to create
something which is new after four years of stagnation and stalemate'' she added.
''We believe that this is the interest of Israel and the Palestinians, but hopefully we can
meet them in the negotiations room when the idea is to end the conflict in accordance to
the vision of two states for two peoples'' she also said.
Asked why the meeting with the U.S. Secretary of State had lasted much longer than
anticipated Livni did not deny the issues on the table were "complicated" and explained
that real efforts to find solutions take time.
''Basically you know that Secretary Kerry just tries to make all the efforts in order to re-
launch the negotiations. The Israeli- Palestinian conflict, as you know, is not something
which is simple to solve, it is complicated, but I believe it is in our interests and
Secretary john Kerry is doing the utmost to do so and we highly appreciate him for
doing so" she said.
"I would like to say something to make it clear. It's not like the United States put
something and asks for an answer. We are discussing the mutual interests of Israel, the
United States, the Palestinians. Not everything is a zero sum game, not even between
us and the Palestinians, so we are trying to find a formula that re-launch the
negotiations" Livni said.
Neither Kerry nor Livni addressed reports that Israel has put a hold on new construction
of settlements in lands the Palestinians hope to include in their state.
American officials would see such a freeze as a positive step, but they don't want to
hype any small steps in light of the Middle East peace process' long history of false
starts and collapses.
Whatever else one thinks, you have to give Secy. Kerry a lot of credit. The situation
between the Israeli and Palestinians seems not to have recently changed much but
many things in the Middle East have. The countries surrounding Israel are all on the
verge of collapse or, in Syria’s case, have already come apart due to their civil war.
Egypt is rife with internal dissension. The Iranian nuclear bomb situation is not resolved
and the Israelis are destroying (by air) missiles that Iran is sending to Hezbollah via

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Syria. Turkey and Israel seem to be reestablishing relations though they remain
strained.
Perhaps the most important factor is that Pres. Obama has been elected to a second
term and is obviously backing Secy. Kerry’s peace attempts. While it is not confirmed,
P.M. Netanyahu seems to be holding off on settlement expansion.
What does it all mean? Time will tell the story. However, for the moment “the old
colleges try”: is in effect and that is better than diplomatic silence and inertia.
QATAR: ANOTHER OLD COLLEGE TRY
One would think (correctly) that the U.S. has considerable interest in trying to get the
peace process restarted. However, as the famed American comedian Jimmy Durante
frequently said, “Everyone wants to get into the act”. It now appears that Qatar is
seeking a role.
An article in JTA notes, ―When it comes to the latest Arab peace initiative, two questions
are circulating in Washington: Why Qatar? And why now?
The three answers: Because Qatar is rich; it is scared, and why not?
Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr Al Thani, the Qatari prime minister and foreign
minister, in recent weeks has driven the revivification of the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative,
moderating it slightly to hew closer to the outlines touted by the Obama administration
since 2011.
There is something a bit new in their statement.
The updated version, outlined by Hamad in remarks to reporters following his meeting
April 29 with Secretary of State John Kerry and Vice President Joe Biden in
Washington, pulls back from the 2002 demand that Israel withdraw to the 1967 borders
in exchange for comprehensive peace.
Instead, Hamid proposed ―comparable and mutual agreed minor swaps of the land‖ — a
formulation that opens the door to Israel’s retention of several major settlement
blocs. Hamad also did not mention the Palestinian ―right of return‖ and the division of
Jerusalem, elements of the original Arab initiative that had led to its rejection by the
Israeli government.
The Palestinians did not seem thrilled by what Hamad proposed and Prime Minister
Netanyahu explained that the dispute is not over “real estate” but rather the failure to
accept Israel as a Jewish nation.
Frankly, I don’t think the Qatari statement moves the situation in any meaningful way. It
may have endeared them further to Secy. Kerry but that doesn’t mean much.

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Sometimes “getting into the act” has some real meaning. In this case I do not believe it
has any. If an outside force is going to have an effect that force will have to be the U.S.
CLAIMS CONFERENCE DISGRACE
In case you don’t know what the Claims Conference is, The Times of Israel explains it
as ―The Claims Conference — formally known as the Conference on Jewish Material
Claims Against Germany — represents world Jewry in negotiating for compensation
and restitution for victims of Nazi persecution and their heirs. It administers
compensation funds, recovers unclaimed Jewish property, and allocates funds to
various institutions, including some that provide social welfare services to survivors and
others that work to preserve the memory and lessons of the Holocaust.
The fact that there was massive fraud taking place in the organization is a Jewish
disgrace. The TToI reports, ―The Claims Conference was alerted as early as 2001 to a
fraud scheme within the organization that ran unimpeded from 1993 to 2009 and cost
$57 million. The warning to the Claims Conference came in the form of an unsigned
letter that reached the organization’s then-director in Germany, Karl Brozik, in mid-2001.
The letter identified five ineligible cases and accused Claims Conference employee
Semen Domnitser of approving restitution for them. Domnitser, who was found guilty
last week of spearheading the $57 million scheme, managed to deflect the blame away
from himself, and the fraud continued for nearly a decade more.
The 2001 letter and subsequent internal review came up in Domnitser’s trial and first
appeared in a report this week by the Forward, which obtained the letter.
At the time Brozik, who has since died, brought the letter to the attention of Greg
Schneider, who was then the COO of the Claims Conference and is now its chief
executive. Gideon Taylor, then the executive vice president of the Claims Conference,
also was alerted.
A Claims Conference staffer who conducted an internal review for the organization
expressed serious concerns about Domnitser and other Claims Conference employees
who reviewed and approved the fraudulent applications, but the organization failed to
take action against Domnitser and the fraud continued.
The scheme involved falsifying applications to the Hardship Fund, an account
established by the German government to provide one-time payments of approximately
$3,360 to those who fled the Nazis as they moved east through Germany, and the
Article 2 Fund, through which the German government gives pension payments of
approximately $411 per month to needy Nazi victims who spent significant time in a
concentration camp, in a Jewish ghetto in hiding or living under a false identity to avoid
the Nazis.
By the time Claims Conference leaders realized in 2009 that a massive fraud was under
way, more than $57 million had been defrauded from the two funds.

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In all, 31 people were arrested in connection with the scheme. Twenty-eight pleaded
guilty and the three who went to trial were found guilty last week.
There is little one can offer in explanation. Perhaps the guilty felt that “taking a little off
the top” wouldn’t be missed or have to be accounted for. Every once in a while a Karl
Brozik comes along and is not afraid to point the finger at colleagues. However, the fact
that nothing got done, in my opinion, brings shame on the Claims Conference
leadership that did nothing and certainly raises questions about how the Claims
Conference is operated.
I hope that these revelations do not end the story. I have the feeling that there is a lot
more to it. If there is you will hear about it in future editions of this newsletter.
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See you again in June
DuBow Digest is written and published by Eugene DuBow who can be contacted by
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Both the American and Germany editions are posted at www.dubowdigest.typepad.com