A Point of View: Germany, the Jews, and business with Iran

Germany's relations with the Jewish people since the Holocaust have been very complicated. For years, many Jews would have nothing to do with Germany -- no visits, no products bought. As time passed, the predominant sentiment was to engage Germany to make sure it afforded some measure of justice to the survivors and to educate their own people, and particularly the young, about the horrors of the past.
 
At the same time, Germany, as part of its coming to grips with its past, became Israel's leading ally in Europe. As the years passed, as Israel's relations with European countries deteriorated, Germany could generally be counted on as a "friend."
 
This complicated history is important for those of us who try to educate our own community about Germany -- never forgetting what happened, insisting that Germany's relations with Israel and the Jewish people can not be "normal," but also letting our community know about the positions in German behavior, democracy, their support of Israel, their full-fledged democracy, their financial support of survivors.

Now, however, there is before us one of the greatest tests as to whether Germany truly has learned from the past and, I'm sorry to say, that true doubts are surfacing. I'm referring to the fact that the Jewish State is experiencing an existential threat in the form of an ever-closer nuclear Iran.

In the aftermath of the Holocaust, the Jewish people have had a mantra of "Never Again." But there is one other party that needs to have the same slogan, and that is Germany: Not in some vague philosophical form but in its attitude and positions toward the Jewish people. Acting in the manner of "Never Again" is the most reliable indicator of change and atonement.

Unfortunately, when it comes to Iran and its nuclear threat to Israel, Germany is not rising to the occasion. Yes, it is true that early on former Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer was a key figure in trying to focus attention on Iran's nuclear activities. Today, however, the action lies in the economic and technological sphere. It has become a commonality to say that the only way to avoid two terrible choices -- either an Iran with nuclear weapons which would threaten the whole Middle East and beyond or a military strike against Iran which could lead to untold military and economic consequences -- is to convince Iran through pressure to stop its nuclear program. To date, Iran is racing faster toward reaching its nuclear goal than the international community is acting to clamp down on Iran economically and diplomatically.

It is true that Russia and China play major roles in inhibiting UN sanctions. But much can be done even without more stringent UN action if Europe would fully join the US in taking action. In this regard, Germany's role has been destructive, even though Chancellor Angela Merkel has publicly called for increased pressure on Iran. 

A German engineering firm Steiner-Prematechnik-Gastec recently agreed to export three gas-to-liquid (GTL) plants to Iran worth 100 million Euros. Germany has passed no legislation or administrative procedures to prevent German companies from providing investment capital for Iran. Germany is Iran's biggest trading partner in Europe and second largest worldwide and while trade declined in 2007, it has been growing again this year. Reportedly, some 1,700 German companies are doing business in Iran, including leading companies such as Siemens AG and BASF. And Germany is Iran's number one supplier of machinery except for power systems and the building sector.

So here we are. Time is running out on the effort to stop Iran from going nuclear, and Germany, a player with real leverage on Iran, continues to undermine efforts to stop Iran. 

Germany must act now before it is too late. It is not enough for German officials to simply proclaim Germany's special responsibility for Israel’s security. If it fails to cut off or substantially reduce its economic ties to Iran, then all the good efforts to rehabilitate German-Jewish relations over the decades will have been significantly undermined.

For those of us who have played a role in effectuating reconciliation, a new look at the relationship will be in order. Let us hope it doesn't come to that.