13 February 2007
Over 60 years after the Holocaust, the relationship between Germans and Jews appears to be improving. A majority of Israeli and American Jews now hold positive views of Germany, according to a study released by the German Bertelsmann Foundation. Opinions of Jews about Germany have improved dramatically compared to a major survey done in 1991. Shortly after German reunification, Jews in Israel and the United States felt that Germans continued to hold anti-Semitic beliefs and that the country was not on a stable democratic footing. Those perceptions, however, have changed significantly during the past 15 years, according to the study.
Fifty-seven per cent of Israelis surveyed now have a favorable opinion of Germany, an increase from 48 per cent since the 1991 poll. More than 70 per cent of American Jews view Germany favorably. According to the 1991 survey, almost 80 per cent of Israelis felt that German democracy was endangered by right-wing extremist groups, a feeling now shared by only 46 per cent of those surveyed. During the same time, there has been an increase in the number of Germans who feel shame for the crimes committed against the Jewish people and who are unwilling to ignore the past and "move on," according to the report.
Although nearly half of Jews in Israel and the US still suspect that a majority of Germans hold anti-Semitic prejudices, the Bertelsmann study also found that these beliefs are on the wane in Germany. "It is quite apparent that the centers of the two societies now have a much more positive attitude towards one another than they did in the early 90s," Werner Weidenfeld, executive director of the Bertelsmann Foundation, said in a statement. In Israel, only 9 percent believe reconciliation with Germany remains impossible, down from 69 per cent in 1991.
