There are not many games with a charged historical background like a football game between the national teams of Israel and Germany.
Although Israel-Germany relations have been a fact for over fifty years, the cooperation between the two countries is fruitful and many Israelis live and visit Germany and it seems that the two peoples have succeeded in rebuilding the complex relationship between them.
At the same time, it is needless to say that the Holocaust and the events of World War II are an integral part of Israeli-Jewish identity, and every Jewish-German encounter is a source in which the past floats over and over again, as does an encounter between the national teams of Israel and Germany.
Four friendly meetings have been held so far between the two national teams of the two countries.
Two in Israel and two on German soil.
In 1987, West Germany came for a first visit and in February 1997, the German team was invited for the first time as a united team and as the European champion, serving for a friendly match against the Israeli team.
Without moral sermons
In an interview with him a few days before the game, the then national coach, Shlomo Sharaf, was asked about his feelings for the upcoming game against Germany.
Sharaf, who responded to this answer: "what was happene happened", provoked the anger of many Israeli media people.
At a pre-match press conference, Sharaf was asked if he regretted that statement.
Sharaf did not want to involve the memory of the Holocaust in the game.
He replied that "maybe it should not be said, and that's not what I meant. I wanted to say what was - belongs to history. The players of the German national team who were not born then today. We play against another generation. We have long made connections with Germany, and we are involved in sports Me right now. "
But even this apology on the subject passed without accounting literally: "I lost in the Holocaust two grandparents, two grandmothers and a lot of uncles more than all those who preach morality to me."
Prior to that game, Eli Ohana, a striker for Betar Jerusalem and the Israeli national team, was interviewed by one of the German television networks. Unlike Sharaf, Ohana is a native of Israel and a member of a family from North Africa.
"For many people who went through the Holocaust and for their families, this game symbolizes more than a football game. We do not forget what happened, but we have already played against them and we will play this time as well, and we will even try to enjoy it. We will try not to comment on things around this game." .
The paradox between Sharaf and Ohana is typical of Israeli society in its attitude toward Germany.
Sharaf, who was born on European soil and immigrated to Israel, agreed to "forget" past events in the context of the game against Germany.
On the other hand, Ohana, who was born and raised in Israel, emphasized the great historical importance of the game against the Germans and the Holocaust of European Jewry.
The German national team arrived here as European champions in 1997, Photo: EP
On the one hand the two countries maintain full diplomatic relations, Germany is Israel's best friend in Europe, extensive cooperation in various fields and deep friendships between Israelis and Germans characterize the warm relations.
Germany is responsible for Israel's participation in the UEFA.
On the other hand, the State of Israel as the state of the Jews regretted the Holocaust as one of the cornerstones of the existence and justification of the Jewish state, and the memory of the Holocaust is a very sensitive issue among the Israeli public.
Not to forget, but to live
The solution to the balance between the historical feelings of the past and the daily life of the present, in the relationship between the two peoples, is probably found in the younger generation and in its education to remember and continue to live on the one hand, but also not to forget on the other.
Thanks to Emanuel Sheffer's personal connections with the legendary German coach Hans Weiswiller, many Israeli football teams went to training camps in Germany and a deep friendship developed between the Israeli Football Association and its German counterpart.
Germany's youth teams are regular guests at international tournaments hosted by Israel.
Israeli and German representative teams often travel to training camps, friendly games and, of course, to compete in official competitions.
Balance between past and present
What outlined the policies of the two countries after the establishment of full relations was the desire to invest and strengthen the ties between the two peoples through subsequent generations, while mentioning the past and optimistic vision for the future of cooperation between the two countries despite the terrible past.
The question is whether one day there will be a meeting between Israel and Germany for a net sports game without historical charges and precipitation.
The answer will probably be no.
Historical memory is an integral part of the existence of a common community as a state.
Even in these days of war in Europe, we are experiencing how sensitive the memory of the Holocaust is among the Israeli public.
The relationship between Israel and Germany, no matter how normal, will always be based in one way or another on the past.
You just have to find the right balance between past and present.
Normality between the two peoples seems to be moving in a positive direction of mutual cooperation and visits.
At the same time, public confrontations between Israelis and Germans, such as a meeting between two football teams, always evoke feelings of the past, just as is happening in the war that is taking place in Europe today.
Historical memory is a matter that still drives our daily lives in the present.
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