German FM in hot water for 'ignorant' Holocaust comments
Sigmar Gabriel provokes anger among Jewish groups and historians who criticized his comments equating Social Democratic victims of Nazism to Jewish victims of the Holocaust; 'Equating Jewish victims who were murdered for being born Jewish and Social Democrats who were political rivals is unacceptable.'
In an article published in the Frankfurter-Rundschau, Gabriel wrote that the Social Democrats and the Jews were the first victims of the Holocaust—the first in the name of politics and the second in the name of race.
Nazi hunter and head of the Israel branch of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, Dr. Efraim Zuroff, said in response that anyone with knowledge of the Final Solution is aware that the fate of European Jews under the Nazis was different than any other victim.
"Gabriel's claim is a negative exploitation of the memory of the Holocaust," said Zuroff.
The Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem also issued a condemnation of Gabriel's claim, saying, "It is very unfortunate that an unnecessary and historically incorrect statement found its way into the the political storm" surrounding Gabriel's cancelled meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
German historians also seized upon Gabriel's claim, saying that it is evidence of ignorance and that the minister does not understand what the Holocaust means for Jews.
"Social Democrats were political rivals and, as in any dictatorship, were not wanted and imprisoned, but were never systematically gassed. Six million Jews, including a million children, were murdered. Equating Jewish victims who were murdered for being born Jewish and Social Democrats who were political rivals is unacceptable. It is a symptom of a lack of historical and social knowledge that should disqualify a person from being a cabinet minister," said Dr. Elvira Gruzinger.
As a result of the ensuing rage, Gabriel edited his original article, changing his sentence to "The Social Democrats, like the Jews, were the first victims of the Nazis."
A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said that Foreign Minister Gabriel is a close friend of Israel and has always accepted Germany's responsibility for the Holocaust and for Israel's security. "There can be no doubt about this, and the foreign minister made this statement again during his visit to Yad Vashem," read the statement.
In an interview with the German newspaper Bild, Prime Minister Netanyahu discussed the Gabriel's meeting with representatives of left-wing NGOs Breaking the Silence B'Tselem, saying that Gabriel acted out of an incorrect instinct. "He meets with organizations that call our soldiers war criminals on the days when we remember the victims of the Holocaust and the soldiers who fell," Netanyahu said.
However, in an effort to repair damage from the fallout, Netanyahu said, "The relationship between Israel and Germany and with Chancellor Angela Merkel is very strong. Merkel is a true friend of Israel."
Reflecting a similar view, after a meeting with Minister Ayoub Kara in Berlin, German diplomat Sabine Sparwasser said, "The Breaking the Silence and B'Tselem episode is already completely behind us. Our good relations with the State of Israel will continue and be nurtured."
(Translated and edited by Fred Goldberg)
