German Chancellor Olaf Schulz says that the reparations agreements signed 70 years ago between West Germany and the State of Israel and the Claims Conference did not eliminate Germany's moral guilt in relation to the crimes of the Holocaust.
At a conference to mark the 70th anniversary of the signing of the reparations agreements, held at the Jewish Museum in Berlin, in the presence of Holocaust survivors, heads of the Jewish community in Germany, representatives of the State of Israel, and officials of the Claims Conference, Schultz emphasized that the signing of the reparations agreements only seven years after the end of the Second Holocaust is considered a conference.
"Many Germans supported the Nazis and participated in the commission of the crimes, others turned a blind eye to the murder of the millions," said Schultz, "The reparations agreements were the first recognition of the crimes committed by the Germans against the Jews and the first milestone in the establishment of relations between Germany and Israel, relations that have turned into a trusting partnership in seven decades.
The Holocaust is the blackest chapter in German history and human history.
The uniqueness of the Holocaust forbids any comparison, more or less.
Anyone who raises doubts about the Holocaust harms the dignity of the victims.'
Shultz noted that his country is pained by the fact that there are currently Holocaust survivors who suffer from difficult living conditions, and therefore it is working to provide them with assistance within the framework of the follow-up agreements with the representatives of the Claims Conference and the Israeli government.
The German Minister of Finance, Christian Lindner, whose office is responsible for the ongoing negotiations to expand the compensation payment frameworks for Holocaust survivors, also emphasized Germany's desire to allow Holocaust survivors to live with dignity.
"Today we do not bear individual guilt for the Holocaust, but we have a moral obligation and historical responsibility for what happened.
That's why we want to give Holocaust survivors the opportunity to live with dignity.
We must also think about the future.
The number of witnesses, who can tell about what happened to them, is getting smaller and smaller.
We have a responsibility to remember the Holocaust and learn lessons in contemporary politics.
We do this through the demonstration of solidarity with Ukraine, and also by treating Israel as part of our highest national interest, not only because of our historical responsibility, but because Israel is the only free democracy in the Middle East.
Minister Merav Cohen, photo: Oren Ben Hakon
The Minister for Social Equality, Merav Cohen, who represented the State of Israel at the ceremony, gave a speech in Hebrew to show that "the final solution was not successful and the language of the Jewish people is alive and kicking like it."
Cohen brought up the solidarity of the Holocaust survivors, "who chose construction and not rapprochement", for the construction of the State of Israel.
"The nation of Israel was resurrected like the vision of the dry bones in the book of Ezekiel," said Cohen, "the survivors chose life, a betrayal of power."
This is the ideal before us as a nation.'
The Shah for Social Equality thanked the German government for its fight against anti-Semitism "which has reared its head again", and expressed hope that the authorities in Germany will continue to act "with determination and by all means" against anti-Semitism in a list of emphasis on the education of the younger generations.
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