Usually my appearance. My stalks. My lectures are received very well. The I almost have the impression that the mere fact of a German. Pink presents and live living within the Jewish Community working on subjects like Christian Jewish relations germ Israel relations being aware of the Holocaust and so on is the actual sink which is appreciated more over. Of course. It is always important to give out detailed information on the current situation of anti-Semitism heard about the increasing you Nazi groups in Germany and so on. On the other hand, I only made a few. Unfortunate experiences in terms of Jewish people. Also young Jewish people encountering me with a certain degree of reluctance and not knowing how to relate to this young fellow. I will give you an example. I was working and I Youth Camp b'nai b'rith youth camp at Starlight in Pennsylvania last summer and many I felt that many. People in this Youth Camp a Jewish youth Kim. We're not able to relate to me. And nor was I since nobody neither side was experienced in discussing the crucial problems and ingest meeting and just meeting in a normal way explain a little bit about why it is that you're doing what you're doing. It really is closely linked with the organization through which I came back to reconciliation and the name already indicates reconciliation that one basic aspect of all its work is to bring people of different cultures different countries together and make them aware of different attitudes different thoughts in order to prevent. Prejudice in order to prevent The Limited mind it's sort of thinking that we have to encounter in all our home countries the historical roots of x and Reconciliation. However is the Holocaust and the Nazi. Engaged mostly Christian personalities felt that West Germany was not dealing with the Nazi. Of after the end of World War II and found that this organization action reconciliation, which was designed as a volunteer organization providing services in Primarily those countries that had suffered the most in the Nazi oppression West European countries Poland Israel. And later on the United States as a sort of exception since the Nazis never have been over here. And so I became involved in discussing all these issues all these problems the piece from reconciliation and the bed social change, which is not a focus of our work abroad as well as in which Germany so you're not just simply going around saying we Germans we we Germans did this horrible horrible thing and we're very guilty and it's got something much it goes much deeper in my yard. I mean, you know in my special case I am working in and with a Jewish organization and with the Jewish Community the aspect of reconciliation on a personal level is very dominant, even though I personally since I was born after the end of World War II feel not guilty. I rather feel responsible to contribute to preventing a holocaust ever happening again. I feel that the basic aspic really is reconciliation. But in terms of the broader perspective as effects and Reconciliation as a peace organization it tries to contribute to social change program social in France encienda States. We work with social action groups like Community organizing groups and so on since we think that the only way 2004 peace efforts to Foster efforts to bring people together in a long-term is to contribute in various fields of engaged groups and engaged individuals. What kind of reaction do you get at home? You mentioned earlier that your colleagues people your age generally support what you're doing. My personal friends. I was talking about my personal background when we talked generally action reconciliation, undoubtedly and other engage Democratic groups in West Germany alike are a minority. I'm speaking about people who actively engage in fighting for those goals and engaging for those goals. Peace in the world and what ever? You know that West Germany lives through a time of economic recession of a disorientation of values like many other West European countries and the United States as well. And that means a lot of young people are unemployed don't know what they want to do or what they can do and son and this causes a lot of problems and partially there's also cause is respondus factors responsible for the rise of Neo-Nazi groups in West Germany, and another West European countries as well. So currently the situation really is That these engaged groups like not only acting reconciliation are a minority and are involved in a basic controversy with the other side the conservatives and you know far to the far-right extremist right-wing Lunatic Fringe groups. Is it at all possible that Nazis could come to power again in Germany or some other West European country. I do not expect that in the near future, but generally speaking I think it is possible under certain circumstances in almost every country maybe in every country. What kind of circumstances would have to exist, you know, you can't really focus them down to a point where you can be sure. When will you reach that point then the Nazis will automatically or not see like people will automatically take over but looking back and this is why I think the study of studying history is so important. we saw many indication many aspects of the Weimar Republic the pre-World War II Germany which fostered the rise of the Nazi party the devastated economy of West Germany of Germany after the end of World War 1 for instance the Takeover of the newly found the Democracy very quickly by conservative ultra-conservative sources yarmy friends was heavily involved in making down the Democracy of the Weimar Republic and so on and so many factors came together witch really destroyed almost not born democracy in addition to a devastated economy with millions of unemployed people and therefore provided the fertile app for extreme right-wing groups like Nazi party and you can not compare the situation with what is going on in West Europe currently not at all, but you can see realize certain tendencies in Great Britain for in the racial tensions in Great Britain caused the conservative government to think about possibilities to get rid of the Asian population. How can we find a democratic quotes legislation to get these people out of our country, then we won't have race tensions anymore. The national front party in England probably as the most influential fascist party in a West European country currently with a certain considerable background in population and local Pro humans, like then you heard probably about the the new so-called new rides and intellectual movement fascist movement in France. And so what is similar in all countries? Is that we lived for a time of economic recession and disorientation of values. I think and it's always easy in those times for these this kind of people to come up with the only and ultimate truth rather than discussing Where We Are There was a a very widely watched and well-received series that was produced television series that was produced in this country about a year-and-a-half two years ago about the Holocaust for that name and within the last year or so that series was broadcast in West Germany. What was the reaction to that of German said watching the reaction was a tremendous one. I really can put it this way. firstly the Sirius the film calls discussions in every family and every youth group in the parties. It was a subject being discussed not only in the bundestag in the western Parliament, which is the exception not the regular case, but also in the streets, like people usually talk about soccer matches on a national level they all of a sudden discussed the Holocaust in the streets and this is really the immediate overwhelming impact of the Holocaust film in Germany interesting Lee enough. Groups ranging from the conservative parties to the extreme left. Paid equal attention almost equal attention to this film and disgusted in their papers Publications and so on so you could see how many people really were. felt felt that this film was a interesting and important thing to do the Airing of this film in terms of the long-term. impact of the Holocaust series We of course our one year ahead now and can say What It ultimately will be but there are certain indications textbook revisions development of new Holocaust material suitable for high schools and universities and Swan. Saying that even in terms of a long-term perspective. This film might have met melted much of the eye which was present in West Germany before not everybody believes though. Not only in Germany, but also in this country though, not very many people. It's likely that the Holocaust ever took place. Yeah. I think that's these people. I'm really not sure what to do with them, you know in Germany most of them. belong to phonetic groups and it's not possible to approach them on the rational level. It's not possible to show them a documentary documentary film on the liberation of the Dachau Concentration Camp. They would go and say that's American propaganda. And so it's really not possible to change their minds. Most of them are old Nazis and it's not possible to get that out of their mind and I really think they are not the dangerous people nowadays on the other hand. What scares me there are there is a considerable considerable number of young people. Who tried to either gloss over or even deny? the millions and millions of systematically murdered people and German concentration camps and that really scares me since these people will live for a long time and they didn't live through that ear ear at they don't have any reason to apologize, you know, and in a way the old Nazis Could be considered as people apologizing themselves by denying pushing away from them. What happened? You mentioned little bit about changes in textbooks. What is now taught in German schools about the Holocaust? It's not easy to say that since as the United States hike high schools West German High School schools and elementary schools. Use a very is textbooks, you know, the coverage of the Holocaust in the Nazi. In which Germany usually is very detailed and comprehensive our problems. Our problem is not how can we get the Holocaust into the textbooks? That's the problem here in the states. Our problem is how can we get the proper focuses in the presentation of the Holocaust? How can we make textbook Publishers friends and focus on the Holocaust the concentration camps system the war crimes as the essence of Nazi policy rather than giving an equal amount of information. On Hitler as the inventor and Constructor of the Autobahn the highways and off the savior of the nation who got rid of the unemployment rate in ghosts and are on books. Now. Those things are in the books still are in the books as well. You know, that's a rather than trying to give a very questionable balance of these sites in Germany and Italy the focus of every Holocaust Education education on the Nazi history has to be the Holocaust at the Completely totally anti-democratic fascist tradition and goals of this movement.