Germans behind the Nazi terror were often very ordinary

A fascinating new museum has just opened in Berlin documenting the often faceless bureaucrats behind Hitler’s Final Solution. Such almost casual brutality was driven by ideology but also a strong desire to advance one’s career. What’s killing a few Jews between the hours of nine and five? The center also reveals the worst historical legacy…

A weekend with Hitler and strawberries

The limits of free speech in a democracy is an age old question. Personally, I find that censoring any opinions is a dangerous precedent, especially those that may be unpopular with the ruling elites. So what to do about this? Germany’s far-right National Democratic party (NPD) has triggered outrage with plans for a Third Reich-style…

Drawing a line at hatred?

Being currently in Germany, the issue of hate speech is inevitably a key concern, considering the country’s history. There is always a fine line between legitimate speech and other forms of communication – and who should really decide where that line is, Zionists, for example, who regularly deem any comments against Israel as being anti-Semitic?…

The YouTube dilemma

An attempt to curtail freedom of speech or legitimate complaint? Germany’s national Jewish body said Thursday it has filed suit against YouTube and its parent company Google, demanding a court order for the site to be permanently purged of anti-Semitic videos. Stephan Kramer, secretary general of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, said in…

The Jew meets the anti-Semite

Free speech has its limits, especially in Germany: An interview with one of Germany’s most notorious neo-Nazis has landed Vanity Fair magazine in a heap of trouble. Arno Lustiger, a Jewish historian and Holocaust survivor, has started proceedings to sue the magazine’s German edition for publishing an interview with Horst Mahler, the former left-wing extremist…

Making them pay

Tom Segev, Haaretz, November 15: Nobody can calculate accurately how much the Germans paid for their crimes against the Jews: By any account, they paid neither too much nor enough. Most of the money was paid before the euro was introduced. If 60 million Germans for 60 years paid some 12 billion Deutsche mark –…