What does soccer have to do with Auschwitz?

of today & tomorrow! Flogging them with guilt-trip will not make our future relationship better. Maybe someone will suggest, that every newborn German shall have to make an obligatory pilgrimage to Auschwitz? I am sure Poles would love the trade. Tricky subject anyway...

Some jews are a over sensitive! So just 3 players did a 570 km journey, to visit Ausschwitz. -So what!? I (as a german) was in Krakow and didn't visit Ausschwitz. We (in Germany) learn so much about the Holocaust, that we don't have to be at the actual site, to know all the details. We know what happened and we say "NEVER AGAIN!", but this constant going on about anti-Semitism puts the germans off! To me it's like some kind of self pitty. The germans would see Israel and the jews very different, if in the news would be more, how most jews in Israel see Germany. A lot of germans feel constantly blamed for the past from jews because of the news reports and some comments from some jews.

Oh well, I guess they're just a little-bit better human beings.

If young Germans weren't sick of the Holocaust industrie yet, they sure are now. Graumann scores a classic own goal.

would say many Jews are simply too sensitive and constantly making news headlines on issues such as Antisemitism. It exists in many places, yes, however, we don't need to bring it up everywhere or allege it all the time, especially with a football team - who cares.

The German children of the murderers could have gone to Auschwitz after the match.

jump on me as an anti-semitic, holocaust denier, fourth reich desiring reincarnation of hitler or whatever over-reactionary comments i have come to expect and love on the talkbacks here, but i dont really see why an entire football team should be forced to visit auschwitz? i mean what exactly is forcing them to go going to do? two generations removed from the horrible crimes, yet forced to publicly flagellate at every opportunity. the reaction to them not going is akin to as if they had denied that it was there. by the looks of things, the delegation was sizeable enough to represent a recognition by them as to the poignancy of being in poland.

That should be obvious to anyone. Germans, in particular, should not feel obligated to visit the camp just because their fellow Jews may throw a tantrum if they do not.

Tomek - you most probably do not know what's your position on this issue. Fully understand , as a Pole you'd have history on your side.

Grow the hell up and get the hell out of there. Lets face facts...you are there for one thing only money, welfare and other stupid reasons. I, as a Jew living in Canada and hopefully soon Israel have zero sympathy for you being there. Either get out and save your worthless pathetic souls or pay the price.

as a Jew, plz dont force our friends to go there if they don’t want to. We must never forget, but we must also never turn this into a circus - and that is exactly what is being done here. I’m proud of the people that went there, and have no problem with those that didn’t. Most of my Polish & Romanian family was wiped out in the Holocaust - but we can only teach those that want to be taught - if you force it people will rebel naturally. This is not the way to go about this. PS. Good luck to the German team - My money is on you this year! I went to see the Spain/Germany semi final in Durban South Africa in 2010 - I believe this is your year now :)

complaining that we still suffer about the tremendous loss of Jewish lifes through the Germans. You Germans of today even dare to constantly discriminating against Israel and all polls showing that at least 38% of the German population would not like to have a Jew as a neighbor. Quite frankly, I give a f@#* if you don't like Jews to remember the dark German past times. Just remember, that because of your country's war crimes, my kids do not have any family members to visit. We continue to suffer. Have a nice weekend with your nieces and cousins!

and give enormous respect to the three great guys who made the effort to visit Auschwitz. The entire team did not come? What is the use of complaining? We might just get negative reactions. If you want good understanding with the todays decent Germans, give it a chance to happen.

I don't understand why people are making an issue of this. Anyone that voluntarily wants to visit Auschwitz - go ahead! However, you can't force anyone! The event is a soccer championship and not a Racism/Anti semitism event, is it? I lost most of my family in Auschwitz, but i don't agree with the critisism from the Jewish Community in Germany. The ones who did visit: very considerate of you.

The two players didn`t go there voluntarily either, nor do we know for certain that the others didn`t want to. As far as I know, the German football association (DFB) picked Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski because they were born in Poland. If you wonder what kind of message shall be conveyed by this fact, so do I. I also don`t understand why they have to visit Auschwitz right now. Just because they happen to be in Poland? That would be an understandable reason if they came from a distant Third World country whose football association can barely afford the flight tickets. But the Germans could go there anytime, so why now? Will they visit Babi Yar when they reach the finale in Kiev? I think not.

"We (in Germany) learn so much about the Holocaust, that we don't have to be at the actual site to know all the details." That`s totally wrong! Many Germans, especially the younger ones, know nothing about the Holocaust. When the German football team visited Yad Vashem in 1997, one of the players (Mario Basler) asked the trainer: "Did that really happen?"

I'm more interested to see if the insensitive moronic history of JT will reveal itself once again. The guy has been nailed on racism twice, the second of which he is about to go to court for, insulting Americans in a hotel on September 12, 2001, and slept with his best friends wife. It will be way more interesting to see the English go.

Bottom line, German team will not win due to stupid start. This weekends game versus Portugal will show.

Why are there still Jews in Germany. After what the bastards did to us, there is NO justification for ANY Jew to be in Germany. Period.

The Dutch and Italian team went with the whole group to Auschwitz, the trip they took was around 60 kilometres. The trip the Germans have to take to get to Auschwitz is almost 600 kilometres. That's about the same drive as San Fransisco to LA. I do think they, and all people should visit it but not during the Euros.

As a German born in Poland, who's grandma's sister was in Auschwitz, I don't think the whole Holocaust/German team-tourism would be a good thing. It's a formal visit of a team's representation and they kept it classy, sending the captain of the team and two representatives of the Polish (for obvious reasons), who play for Germany. Send the whole team with TV teams, paparazzi and maybe some fans, huh? What's next? Next time Katy Perry visits Poland, she should be followed by the paparazzi to Auschwitz as well? I think they did the right thing by not turning it into a public "event". That's not what this place symbolizes.

You can not force emotions or beliefs. If person doesn't want to go & is forced he'll be resentful.

As long as the Germans are in Poland they should also visit the graveyards of Polish soldiers. Oh, and so long as the Brits are so close to Dresden , how about a trip there to remember the dead civilians from RAF bombing. And the Russian team might take the opportunity to honor all the Polish officer class and Polish intellectual class exterminated by the Bolsheviks . The French team should visit Polish graves resulting from the Napoleonic wars. Who organizes these trips to remember the Holocaust? What has the Holocaust got to do with a soccer championship? Its absurd.

Approximately 150.000 jews or so called "Mischlinge" (of jewish origin) served in the German Wehrmacht during WWII. Göring's motto was: "We decide who is jewish and who is not". So it is not a surprise that Generalfeldmarschall Erhard Milch, the right hand of Göring, had a jewish father. If you want to know more about this topic I can recommened you the writings of Bryan M. Rigg.

I have NO interest to read anything about Germany. The act speaks for itself; they murdered 6 million Jews and for that they will be cursed FOREVER.

The Shoa has impacted my life and family in a profound and direct way. however I find the connection between a soccer team and Auschwitz a bit tenuous and as always there are those who conjure Anti Semitism at the drop of a hat. We cannot force feed our tragic history to everyone and condemn those who do not care.