Jewish leaders criticize Schröder for attending Flick Collection opening

German Jewish leaders have strongly criticized Chancellor Gerhard Schröder for attending the gala opening of the Flick Collection on Tuesday. A member of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Michael Fürst, told the online newspaper "Netzeitung" that Schröder had lent legitimacy to Friedrich Christian Flick and his art collection with his appearance and glossed over the source of the patron's fortune. Fürst added that Flick just wanted to "whitewash" his grandfather's actions and "draw a line" under the whole affair. The controversy over the Flick family history was brought to light by Salomon Korn, the deputy head of the Central Council of Jews, some months ago.