Commemoration and Remembrance as a design Element of Politics? : (Rapprochement, Change, Perception and Shaping the Future)

by Moshe Zuckermann

The weekend magazine of the Israeli newspaper Haaretz from 28 June 20151 contains a report about a closed meeting held by the spokeswoman of Israel’s embassy in Berlin, Adi Farjon, with a group of media people. In the course of the meeting, she allegedly said that it is not in the interest of Israel to normalize relations with Germany, and that German feelings of guilt pertaining to the Holocaust suit Israel’s foreign ministry well. A journalist who attended the meeting confirmed this report, saying the spokeswoman had added that without feelings of guilt, Germany would treat Israel like any other country. Other people present at the meeting reported that the Israeli ambassador participated in the meeting. Asked about these assertions, the spokeswoman responded that she couldn’t remember having said such things; what had been said was off the record, not intended for public ears. The spokeswoman of Israel’s Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem declared that the report consisted of “tendentious citations” torn “out of context”.

15 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 14, 2020