Israeli-German Relationship: Causes And Consequences Of The Holocaust

The Israeli-German relationship has been changing and evolving since Israel’s establishment in 1948. After the end of the Holocaust in 1945, Israel felt resentment and anger towards Germany, as they were responsible for the murder of millions of Jews, gypsies, homosexuals, and others. After Nazi Germany’s defeat in World War II, West Germany was founded, and the first West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer declared that Germany had committed “unspeakable crimes toward Jewish people.” Ever since, Germany has been showing efforts to strengthen their relationship with Israel, as economic and political ties began to flourish as the 2nd generation led the way. In an article titled “Germany-Israel Relations: Unique or Normal,” author Shimon Stein relates some of the factors that form this special relationship between the two countries, most notably the “memory of the Holocaust and the commitment that Germany consequently made to Israel’s existence and security”. Stein claims that this relationship is changing, as considerations of realpolitik are beginning to play a primary role. In his article, Stein describes how Germany’s attitude towards Israel is shifting, as the younger generation is moving away from prior moral obligations and normalizing this relationship as their memory of the Holocaust starts to fade. To maintain a strong relationship, Stein claims that Israel and Germany need to identify new elements, based on common interests and how to deal with gaps in the assessment of threats. In his article, Stein highlights some of the underlying changes in the Israeli-German relationship, yet fails to realize that there is a much larger context in which these changes began. With generational shifts and the fading memory of the Holocaust, this “unique” relationship is changing to a more normal, realpolitik-based relationship.

The Israeli-German relationship has not always been strong- there are several historical factors that led to the beginning of the diplomatic relations and play a role in shaping what the relationship is today. In 1951, Chancellor Konrad Adenauer and Prime Minister Ben-Gurion negotiated that Germany would pay billions of dollars in reparations to victims of Nazi persecution. While this money was crucial to the establishment of Israel as a nation, there were protests saying that Israel should not be accepting any help from Germany after the atrocities they had caused. In Israel’s case, pragmatic needs prevailed, so they agreed to receive reparations from Germany in the Luxembourg Agreement of 1952. While Ben-Gurion supported the agreement, former Prime Minister Menachem Begin strongly opposed it, claiming that accepting reparations would be like “restoring the dignity of Germany as a nation” (Begin). After Israel realized that boycotting Germany would only be harmful, as Germany was allied with the United States and France, Israel decided to seek diplomatic relations. However, Germany showed to also preferred pragmatism as they had three main objectives after the war: to restore the economy, reunify Germany, and restrain Soviet advancement. In 1965, Germany and Israel established diplomatic relations, mostly due to public pressure and despite the resistance of the foreign ministry in Germany. This diplomatic relation caused debates as well, as Rolf Friedemann Pauls, who was an officer in the Wehrmacht, yet claimed to not support the Nazis, was named ambassador to Israel.

Even after the reparations had been paid, Jews were left with a transgenerational transmission of trauma that still prevails in Israel today. Israeli Jews, more specifically Holocaust survivors, have a predisposition to PTSD, as the memory of the Holocaust and what they and their families went through life with them forever. As the trauma has become part of Israel’s narrative, there are two views that people have in regard to Germany and forgiving after the tragedy. On one side are those who boycott Germany and show indignation of their success, and on the other side are those who live in Germany and seek German approval. For Germany, however, the memory of the Holocaust is fading as generations grow and the younger generations either live with intergenerational perpetrator trauma or do not care about it at all. In an opinion editorial from the Haaretz titled “Can a Holocaust Survivor Ever Forgive,” written by Holocaust survivor Anita Epstein, she presents her perspective on her inability to ever forgive the pain that the Germans caused to her and her family. Epstein writes that the Germans are responsible for “the darkest corners of her life, including regular nightmares, survivor guilt, and persistent fear of intruders and attackers”. Epstein claims that to forgive is to forget, and she will not forgive as it would be dishonoring the memory of her family members and the millions of other Holocaust victims. In her article, Epstein asks herself if the Germans share guilt for the actions of their parents and grandparents, then proceeds to say that the only people who believe that one cannot be blamed for the actions of their relatives are those who are too far removed to live with the ongoing pain and suffering from the Holocaust. Anita’s words, along with thousands of other testimonies, show the difficulty that Jews face when trying to look past the German actions that occurred 75 years ago, even generations later.

For Jews, the memory and scars from the Holocaust will never fade, as it is part of who we are and why we are so proud to have a Jewish state. However, this feeling and memory are not the same on the other side, as German sentiments are changing. Until the late 1960s, there was a general silence in Germany, as people wanted to avoid their own crimes and lack of action. In 1978, the American miniseries “Holocaust” was released, which created a culture of remembrance amongst Germans as they viewed a recount of the trajectory of the Holocaust. The first generation of Germans, who lived through the Holocaust, were in denial yet focused on compensating Israel for their actions in hopes of beginning a better relationship. While compensating Israel for their horrific actions, money is not enough to make an entire nation forgive and move on from the suffering they endured. The second generation began to show a shift in sentiments, as they were able to express remorse and therefore distance themselves from the actions of the first generation. In 1968, the Student Revolt occurred, where students from the second generation blamed the entire first generation for the Holocaust and consequently rejected the Auschwitz Generation. The students disapproved of an older generation that recognized Kurt Georg Kiesinger, a former member of the Nazi party, as chancellor. German writer Gunter Wallraff said that “A generation of criminals was ruling society after the war and no one talked about what they had done. Discussing their crimes was not even a part of our school lessons”, referring to both the Chancellor and President who worked for/with the Nazi party. As the third generation’s memory of the Holocaust fades and this generation no longer feels responsible for the wrongdoings of their ancestors, it is crucial to consider whether this relationship the two countries have will take a change for the worse.

Throughout the different generations, there have always been events where Germany did not show as much support for Israel as a “strong relationship” would expect. With the first generation in power, Germany refused to supply weapons to Israel during the Yom Kippur War yet supplied Iraq with materials to make chemical weapons. While the second generation aimed to show their apologies and create a strong tie with Israel, this no longer seems to be the case with the third generation. Led by the third generation, it appears that government officials support Israel, yet the general population does not. After the United States decided to move their embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which both Jews and Palestineans claim as the holy city capital, Germany immediately expressed its opposing view. The government said it was ‘ashamed’ of the actions and protestors took to the streets, chanting anti-Semitic phrases and burning Israeli flags. One would expect for a country that showed so much hate towards the Jews to try to work and prevent antisemitism, yet it continues to be recurring. On Yom Kippur this year, an armed German man tried to break into a synagogue but fortunately was unsuccessful. Clearly, German anger towards Israel remains present across the country, even though officials, such as Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and Chancellor Angela Markell, attempt to show their support for Israel.

With the memory of the Holocaust fading, the German population no longer shows their full support for Israel. According to Stein, the younger generation has become increasingly willing to criticize Israel, especially when it comes to the Palestinean conflict. Stein wrote

“A senior German official told me while he does not expect a change on the part of the current elite’s attitudes to Israel, the younger generation may show greater understanding of the Palestinean side and be more critical of Israel’s actions assuming that the conflict is not resolved”.

Germany recognizes the right of Palestineans to their own state and therefore suggests a two-state solution. While German officials claim to support Israel and be responsible for its security, Chancellor Angela Markell spoke along with the Palestinean President as they discussed a two-state plan. In a PEW research study from 2006, 37% of Germans supported Israel while 18% supported Palestineans. The Bertelsmann Foundation conducted a poll and found that 38% of Germans support Israel, while 48% of Germans are critical of it due to its conflict with Palestineans.

Stein then proceeds to talk about the recent cases in which the German government has opposed Israel, which is something that has not been common in the past as Germany promises to protect Israel. Stein claims that “The commitment to Israel’s security that Germany has faithfully implemented for many years is not unshakable, and depends on Israel’s conduct”. One recent occurrence where the German government expressed notable antagonism to Israel was when the government temporarily prevented signing an agreement on the sale of submarines to Israel solely because of Israel’s actions on the issue of settlements. In 2018, Israel began to pressure Germany to end funding for dozens of left-wing NGOs in Israel, expressing that these organizations are anti-Israeli and pro-BDS. Another example is when the United States moved their embassy to Jerusalem and German officials said that the status of Jerusalem as capital should be decided through a mutual agreement between talks with Palestine.

Israel and Germany have formed a unique relationship in memory of the Holocaust and Germany’s commitment to Israel’s security. In the years following the Holocaust, Germany felt as if they owed a moral obligation to Israel in order to repay them for the pain and suffering they had cost. As diplomatic relations formed between the countries, the two have worked together in hopes of not being the enemies they once were. However, this relationship was held strong because of the Holocaust, as the second generation distanced themselves from the first generation to work and form this relationship and apologize for the actions of their ancestors. Now, as the memory of the Holocaust is fading as new generations lead the country, Israel is beginning to see resentment from Germany. While German officials continue to show their support for this unique relationship, their ideals are often opposed by the German population, proving that this relationship cannot be strong forever. As generations grow and change, this relationship will most likely diminish, as it is evident that Germany is beginning to side with Palestineans in the conflict, as well as show less and less support for the country. As their relationship becomes more normal, the need for Germany to stress the historical dimension is declining. What was once a unique, Holocaust memory-based relationship is now transforming into a normal, realpolitik-based relationship in which Israel will just be another nation to Germany rather than holding a special relationship with them.