This

Cover Story

RICAN
JEWS,
GERM ANY

D THE
PERSISTENCE OF

MEMORY

DEBRA ISAACS Jewish Renaissance Media

and Esther Lippman represent two recent chapters in the chronicle of
sh feelings about Germany.
ar-old Manhattan entrepreneur who describes his religious orientation
ests Germans and Germany almost as much as he disdains Jews who
rite checks for Holocaust memorials and museums. American Jews,
in a culture of forgiveness that has obscured their memory and
e anything slavish about buying German products, accepting
arks and finally shaking hands with the enemy.
be a lack of ability to reckon with evil and with evil people and, very
ways been a weakness of our people," Kelsey said. " -What the Jewish
ally wants is for Germany to continually beat its breast and say they're
at we should really have wanted is revenge."
Lippman, a 28-year-old public relations account executive in Atlanta, doesn't see any
weakness in herself for liking Germany — she spent three weeks there with her family
when she was 12, seeing the place her where her mother lived for a time as a young
woman. She recalls it as a beautiful country filled with wonderful people. "I would
never be apprehensive about going in the future," she said.

4/20
2001

14