As a student of history, the worst dictator I ever read about was Hitler. The Holocaust torture and the concept of concentration camps was heart thrilling. As Elie Wiesel, a holocaust survivor describes:
“Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed. Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall I forget the little faces of the children, whose bodies I saw turned into wreaths of smoke beneath a silent blue sky. Never shall I forget those flames which consumed my faith forever. Never shall I forget that nocturnal silence which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live. Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God Himself. Never. ?
Recently, I joined a project where our client organization was a German company. While on training, our transition manager (who spent quite a lot of time in Berlin) warned us not to discuss Hitler or the 2nd World War in an attempt to build repoire with the German clients. I was rather of the perception that Germans must be proud that they were strong at a poin,t or they believe in something like ?Hitler is the father of their nation?. This was my misperception. The fact is that Germans are somewhat ashamed about the incident and have moved on.
As of present, Germany and Israel have joined hands like mature countries should and are assisting each other financially and strategically. A few interesting points are:
- Germany has its embassy in Tel Aviv and Israel has its embassy in Berlin. This means both the countries prefer diplomatic relationships.
- Germany is Israel’s largest trade partner and second most important after the US.
- Germany has supplied Israel with Dolphin class submarines in case Iran attacks.
- Germany uses Israel’s spike anti-tank missiles.
- It’s believed that Israel and Germany are developing a nuclear warning system called operation bluebird.
- Germany was among the countries to vote against Palestine’s bid for membership in UNESCO.
It’s clear that the relationship between the two countries is much stronger than one could expect. However, a few exceptions in both the countries live with negative sentiments which will heal with time.
Let us know your thoughts at the Liberal America Facebook page. Sign up for our free daily newsletter to receive more great stories like this one.
