German Guilt Diffusion Bought From Jews Sharett

The Reparations Controversy: The Jewish State and German Money in the Shadow of the Holocaust 1951-1952, edited Yaakov Sharett. 2011.

Germans Effectively Bought Israel’s Forgiveness for the Holocaust

Author Yaakov Sharett discusses the negotiations that led to the Luxembourg Agreement of 1952. In doing so, he makes it obvious how Jewish anger over the Holocaust was gradually shifted away from Germany.

GERMANY CHUMS UP TO ISRAEL

Sharett writes, “When diplomatic relations between Israel and Germany were established in May 1965, the emotional resistance, which was still fierce, was already much weaker than in 1952.” (p. 380). He continues, “Time and again, Germany has supplied Israel with weapons vital to its defense. In the early 1960s Germany delivered tanks, helicopters, artillery and hundreds of other military items…Economic relations between Germany and Israel are of a major significance as well. The extent of trade, which amounted to $93 million in 1960, grew to $4.6 billion in 2004. After the United States, Germany is second in importance for Israeli exports. Israel is Germany’s most important trading partner in the Middle East…The extent of relations with Germany in matters of science, education and culture, youth exchanges, twinning of cities, contacts between political parties, trade unions, universities and research institutes, museums and professional associations is unprecedented. German investments in Israeli science are significantly larger than those of any other country except the United States. Relative to the size of its population, no country-including the United States-approaches the extent of German investment in Israeli science.” (p. 381).