Backgroun
From A German's
Germany's president
told B'nai B'rith in _
Washington that the
future rests on
tolerance and
learning.
JAMES D. BESSER
WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT
Richard von Weizsaecker visited a Jewish cemetery In Berlin In 1990.
I
n Germany, guilt is
almost a ritual. German
politicians and diplomats
have perfected a style of
their
acknowledging
nation's responsibility for
the suffering inflicted dur-
ing the Nazi era — and at
the same time, of implying
that it's long past time to
forgive and forget. There is
a barely concealed testiness
to their admissions of guilt
that Jewish audiences often
perceive as insincerity.
Richard von Weizsaecker,
president of the Federal
Republic of Germany, is dif-
ferent: a sensitive, earnest
voice promoting a new rela-
tionship between world
Jewry and -a nation with
which Jews can never be
entirely reconciled.
Mr. von Weizsaecker was
in Washington early this
week to deliver a speech
before a B'nai B'rith-spon-
sored lecture series at
Georgetown University that
shed some light on his
thoughtful — if somewhat
detached — approach to
rapprochement with the
Jewish community.
He poignantly opened his
speech with a reference to
B'nai B'rith's 150th anniver-
sary year — and a reminder
that the Nazis had wiped
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out Germany's thriving
B'nai B'rith community:
"I... represent the country
where 65 years ago, B'nai
B'rith had 15,000 members,
organized in 103 lodges.
That is to say, more mem-
bers and more lodges exist-
ed in Germany in 1928 than
in all the other countries
outside America taken
together... "We are all pro-
foundly aware of the terrible
turn our history has taken
with the unprecedented
Nazi crimes against human-
ity. That is why there is
nothing I could wish more
deeply than to return to
that distinguished tradition
of B'nai B'rith in Germany.
Maybe it will come true — if
all of us will learn and toler-
ate." -
Mr. von Weizsaecker
delivered the speech about
15 hours before he spoke in
Baltimore at Johns Hopkins
University commencement.
In addition to reiterating
some themes of his B'nai
B'rith speech ("We are free,
but that does that mean to
be brotherly? As long as we
are tolerant, why should we
be concerned?"), he urged
that humanity carve out a
new relationship toward
nature.
A new set of ethics, he
111.01111WOMMIIIONIONIIMMORIANNIPPhiftr.
-
said, is needed "to guide
technological progress so
that it will reverse, rather
than accelerate, environ-
mental regress," "to stop
the proliferation of arms,"
"to feed a world population
of five billion."
"The ethics of justice," he
said, "is... the most elemen-
tary of human emotions
which dedicates itself not
only to one's own happiness,
but also to that of one's fel-
low man."
The B'nai B'rith speech
"There is nothing I
wish more deeply
than to return to
that distinguished
tradition of B'nai
B'rith in Germany."
followed the president's visit
that same day to the U.S.
Holocaust Memorial
Museum in Washington.
Guided by the museum's
project director, Michael
Berenbaum, the president
remained at the museum for
almost two hours, 30 min-
utes longer than scheduled.
"His reaction was excel-
lent," Mr. Berenbaum said.
"He indicated — correctly so
— that Germany will have
to make peace with the
museum, which goes
against the school of
thought in Germany that we
didn't do right by Germany
by not including material on
events since the war."
The German president
was most affected by the
display focusing on
Auschwitz, which includes
some of the museum's most
graphic video footage.
"He was also intrigued
that we so truthfully told
about the American
response to the Holocaust,"
said Mr. Berenbaum.
A few hours later at
Georgetown University, Mr.
von Weizsaecker was once
again the cool, detached
public figure who spoke
earnestly about understand-
ing and tolerance, but in the
most general of terms.
His theme was "danger-
ous perfectionism:" the
attempt by individuals and
societies to create some ver-
sion of perfection on earth.
That impulse, he asserted,
was the underlying cause of
the fall of Adam and Eve as
described in Genesis — and
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