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[quote=Anonymous]This is (in parts) a very interesting thread.  I'm German (born in the 1980's) and I feel that my country has the responsibility to never forget what happened and to make sure it does not happen again.  I feel that during the last twenty years, Germany has done a lot in terms of 'Aufarbeitung', but it is not enough.  There is still a tideous process that Holocaust survivors have to go through in order to get even a small pension type payment from the German government.  Many give up trying because it can be a lengthy and humiliating process.  It should not be this way.  I don't like when Germans complain about being confronted with this topic.  It is part of our history and it is our responsibility to learn and understand.   A recent political discussion about accepting Roma from Eastern Europe into Germany turned really ugly at times and it showed that despite its progress, Germany still has a long way to go.

It took Germany a long time to get to this point.  Shortly after the war, many of the former party and military members were able to have successful careers in the new army or the fled overseas.  Not enough was done to find and prosecute them by the German government.  Many were able to lead stable and good lives for decades until their natural death.  This is not acceptable.

A while back, I went out to dinner/drinks with some colleagues and the husband of one of my co-workers (he is Jewish) said that to me that he would never in his life travel to Germany or buy any German products (cars etc.).  He said that he hates Germany.  He also told me that a large part of his family (Polish ancestry) was killed during the Holocaust and he will never forgive or forget.  While this is very painful to hear, I can respect what he is saying.  I would probably feel exactly the same if this happened to my family.  There is nothing that I could say or do to make this better for him or his family.  All we can do, as a new younger generation, is to learn and never forget.

I don't have any close Jewish friends, but there are quite a few Jewish people in my neighborhood and my children have Jewish friends.   I have only experienced kindness and warmth from my Jewish neighbors.  We exchange dishes and cookies and participate in potlucks and we have been invited to Bar-Mitzvah's and weddings.  [/quote]

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