Dry Bones
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Cartoonists & Writers Syndicate
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TERRORIZING, AND
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Expressing Guilt
The past, present and future of Germany
and the Jewish people will forever be inex-
tricably linked. For both, the Holocaust is
the ultimate touchstone, one of pain, self-
identity and each group's respective place
in history. To Jews, Germany and German
soil carry a stigma of unconscionable
horror; to them, the word "Germany" is a
blot upon all that is decent and good. To
Germans of honor, of whom there are
many, their nation's policies toward Jews
during the Nazi regime is a source of fero-
cious guilt — and also considerable confu-
sion about how to handle that guilt.
For this reason, it is worth noting how
many Germans and their government are
currently responding to the Holocaust and
to the present wave of neo-Nazism in their
country. Recently, in one of the largest
demonstrations in post-war Germany,
350,000 Germans, including Chancellor
Helmut Kohl, marched in Berlin to protest
violence against foreign refugees trying to
settle in Germany. Most of that violence
has been blamed on neo-Nazis. A few days
later, 1,500 federal and local police
prevented a planned march by neo-Nazis in
a village 25 miles south of Berlin.
And while visiting Israel last week,
German Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel
said he was "ashamed" of recent racist
outbursts in Germany. Two days earlier,
the German Chief of Staff, Gen. Klaus
Nauman laid a wreath in the name of
the German military at Yad Vashem.
It is easy to focus on the racist
revival in Germany, and to conclude
that there is something so corrupt in
the character of Germans that their
nation is doomed to repeat the Nazi
psychopathy. Only by recognizing that
there has been a significant reversal of
Germany's marriage with the devil
itself can Jews begin to have viable
relationship with that country and its
people.
True Thanks
Yesterday was the 372nd Thanksgiving
since the Pilgrims and the Indians sat
down for their first dinner. Although no
Jews were at the banquet in Plymouth
Rock, the event was very much in the Jew-
ish tradition: Giving thanks has been a
hallmark of Judaism since its earliest
days. Sacrifices were offered to God in the
Temple (and long before it was built) to
show appreciation for the good things in
life; to this day, numerous prayers praise
God's wisdom and powers and the ways
they have enriched our lives.
And so, yesterday, as the nation paused
to give thanks, so, too, did Jews. For this
nation has been good to Jews, as it has
been to many other peoples. But in the
midst of our fulfillment and our gratitude,
we should also remember that all is not
well with the world or with our country,
and that much remains to repair:
hunger, crime, homelessness and
poverty are appallingly common; disregard
for the environment is disturbingly ram-
pant; inequalities of income, education,
housing and health care tear at the very
fabric of our nation and at the peacefulness
of the world.
Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks for
what we have. It is also a time to devote
our strength to accomplishing what we and
our planet do not have, and what would
better both ourselves and our troubled
brethren, whoever and wherever they may
be. This is the true spirit of tikun olam, the
Judaic commandment to repair the world.
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Opinion
Keep Your Opinions
To Yourself
ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM ASSISTANT EDITOR
0
ne of the key lessons
my mother taught me
— besides writing
thank-you notes and
assuring my dinner host
that "the chicken was just
delicious" — is individual
responsibility.
My successes are my own,
she said. So are my failures.
"And if you want a change,
do something about it. Don't
just sit and whine."
It runs contrary to a lot of
what I see in the world to-
day: those who blame all
their problems on their
parents, their school, the
U.S. government, the
"uncaring world," Repub-
licans. The list goes on and
on.
Unfortunately, this prob-
lem also is prevalent in the
Jewish community, and it's
really getting on my nerves.
"It's time the Jewish
community does something
about (fill in the blank)"
must be the most frequently
uttered phrase in the history
of mankind.
Let's see. In the past
several months I — as a
member of the "Jewish
community that must do
something about =1"1"" —
have been told I'm doing
nothing about AIDS and
homelessness, that I'm
treating intermarried
couples unfairly, that I'm
not showing enough interest
in politics, that I have a
stigma about special-needs
children, that I haven't
taken a keen enough inter-
est in women's issues.
Give me a break.
First of all, I — and the
vast majority of those in the
"Jewish community that
must do something about
***" — have done something
about all these issues. (Even
if we don't stand up and an-
nounce our good deeds to the
world, and I prefer to keep it
that way.)
I don't know a single Jew
who doesn't feel compassion
for those with AIDS; many
are giving money to help
find a cure for the disease.
In addition, many local
Jewish .organizations and
groups have been active I
promoting AIDS education,
in teaching - how must Oh
must be kind to those with
the disease, in remembering
those who died of AIDS.
Is AIDS a priority for most
Jewish families? Probably
not. But then, my big issue is
preventing child abuse. Th a t
the vast majority of Jews are
"The Jewish
community must
do something
about ***"
not volunteers for a child-
abuse agency, or that the);
don't constantly talk about
the problem, does not meal,
they are unaware or un-
concerned about child abuse.
Similarly, I know many
Jews taking leading roles in
the fight against
homelessness and helping
special-needs children. Qui
a few programs for inter
married couples arc
available at local temples.
Certainly the number of
Jews who have no interest
whatsoever in politics is lim-
ited.
All of these people are
members of "the Jewish
OPINIONS page 10